I’ve always been a sucker for a good pun and especially when it comes to book titles and pun names.
I still remember my childhood favourites, There’s a Hole in My Bucket by Lee King, Bacteria by Mike Robes, Breakfast by Hammond Deggs, A Good Read by Paige Turner and Haunted House by Hugo First.
They are dreadful and awful but I like them!
Leafing through The Guinness Book Of Word Games recently by David Parlett, I re-discovered the joy of these such as Dinner’s Up by Sally Vate, Nearly Didn’t Make It by Justin Thyme and On the Whole by Brian Large.
They make a great creative writing activity for all ages because they aren’t actually that easy to write so required some real effort.
It’s worth sharing plenty of example with children to see if they ‘get’ the joke and whether they can then write some of their own.
Here’s a healthy selection of some more favourites:
- A History of Welsh Comedians by Dai Laffyn
- Advantageous by Benny Fishall
- Am I Bothered? by Carrie Henri-Gardless
- American Breakfast by Chris P. Bacon
- Pancakes by Mabel Sirrup
- Are You Dancing? by R. U. Asking
- Art and Culture by Phyllis Stein
- Blushing by Rosie Cheeks
- Bricklaying by Bill Jerome Wall
- Bullfighting by Matt Adore
- Carbuncles by Ivor Boyle
- Carpet Fitting by Walter Wall
- Cloudburst by Wayne Drops
- Coffee Maker by Phil Turr and Cath Tierre
- Common Cold Symptoms by Ron E. Nose
- Constipation by Anita Pu
- Continental Sausages by Frank Furter and Sal Armie
- Cooking Pasta by Al Dente
- Crime & Punishment USA by Penny Tentiary
- Crumbs in My Cuppa by Duncan Biscuits
- Daddy Are We There Yet? by Miles Away
- Danger by Luke Out
- Deception by Miss Leed
- Dentistry by Phil McCavity
- Diplomatic Mission by M. Bassy
- Dog’s Dinner by Nora Bone
- Electrical Wiring Made Easy by A.C. Deesey
- Exploring other Galaxies by Anne Dromeda
- Favourite Pizza Toppings by Anne Chovie
- Forthright by Frank O. Pinion
- French Cookery by Sue Flay
- French Windows by Pattie O’Dors
- Geology by Roxanne Minerals
- Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow by I. M. Balding
- Horrendous by Terry Bull
- Hot Dog by Frank Furter
- How can I Help? by Len de Hand
- I Didn’t Do It! by Ivan Alibi
- I Win! by U. Lose
- I’m Fine by Howard Yu
- Insurance by Justin Case
- Islands by Archie Pelago
- It’s A Fake by Artie Fishul
- Keeping Scores by Adam Up
- Knighthood by Neil Downe
- Large Snakes by Anna Conda
- Leaflet Designs by Pam Flett
- Leather Preparation For Beginners by Tanya Hyde
- Lexicon By Dick Shunnery
- Living on a Budget by Penny Pincher
- Lumberjack by Tim Burr
- Magnificent by Wanda Full
- Make Your Own Honey by B. Keeper
- Mensa by Jean Yuss
- Money Management by Owen Cash
- Mosquito Bites by Ivan Itch
- My Worst Journey by Helen Back
- No Longer Required by Sue Perflewus
- Not Too Hot, Not Too Cold by Lou Quarm
- Off the Beaten Track by Dusty Rhodes
- Office Software by Mike Rowsoft
- Optician’s Guide by Seymour Clearly
- Outgoing Personality by Greg Arius
- Outstanding by Emma Nentley
- Picnicking by Alf Resco
- Police Matters by Laura Norder
- Pub Crawl by Carrie Meholm
- Pull Yourself Together by Annette Curtain
- Punctuality by Justin Time
- Rowing the Pacific by Willy Maykit
- Rushing by Ed Long
- School Sports by Jim Nasium
- Seaside Amusements by Penny R. Cade
- Shellfire by R. Tillery
- Sore Joints by A. King
- Stand-up Comedians by Joe Kerr
- Stealing Money by Robin Banks
- Stone Age by Neil Ithic
- Stop Arguing by Xavier Breath
- Surprise! by Omar Gosh
- Suspended by Dan Glynn
- Suspense by Cliff Hanger
- The Apiarist by Bea Hive
- Thirst Quencher by Bev Arage
- Truancy by Marcus Absent
- Try Harder by Buster Gutt
- Voice Amplification by Mike Raphone
- Without Warning by Oliver Sudden
- Your Future by Claire Voyance