Torrible Puns: A Collection of Punny Poems

A 2026 CLA Notable Children's Books in the Language Arts Award winner
A Children’s Book Council 2026 Teachers' Favorite Award winner
A Children's Book Council 2026 Kids' Favorite Award winner
A 2025 Eureka! Nonfiction Book Award Honoree - Silver
A 2026-2027 PA Mountain Laurel Book Award Nominee

Get ready to laugh out loud at some of the most ridiculous - and hilarious - puns you’ve heard, from poet extraordinaire, Tricia Torrible!

Packed with witty humor, this clever mix of poetry and puns features everything from animals and beloved nursery rhyme characters to outer space and favorite sports. Each poem contains at least one word or phrase with a double meaning, which will not only make children (and adults!) laugh out loud, but also provides a fun lesson on homonyms. The short poems, the lovely art, and the groan-worthy punchlines will leave readers begging for “just one more.”

This collection has something for everyone, with more than thirty poems featuring pitch-perfect rhyme and varying length. With its additional back matter information about puns along with its vibrant illustrations, Torrible Puns will be a book that children, teachers, librarians and parents reach for over and over again. Perfect for storytime, bedtime, or anytime!

Tricia Torrible enjoys writing books and poetry for children. She lives in Clemmons, North Carolina with her husband and 3 kids, or as she likes to call them, her “Adorable Torribles.” As a self-declared punster, she strongly believes that kids need laughter and attempts to fill this need, one pun at a time. When she’s not busy causing giggles or eyerolls, you might find her hiking, watching science documentaries, or searching for four-leaf clovers.

Poetry holds a special place in Tricia’s heart, and you can find several of her poems in anthologies and magazines. She describes poetry as a dance between words. Each syllable has to take the right step, working with and balancing others, ultimately coming together to create a story or feeling. She is driven by this challenge and loves being the choreographer of this dance!

Tricia’s debut picture book, Torrible Puns: A Collection of Punny Poems, combines her love of humor and poetry, helping her choreograph laughter for children everywhere. You can connect with Tricia at https://x.com/TTorrible.

Robert Dunn is a Scottish illustrator specializing in editorial, children's and picture book illustration. He works mixing traditional media with digital elements in his cluttered but cozy home studio in the wilds of South Lanarkshire. His first picture book, "Spacewalkies", was published by QED in 2015. "There's Only One Scruffle" followed in 2016. He is represented by the lovely folks at Advocate Art. Connect with Robert on Instagram @robertdunnillustration.