• Age: 5 to 8
• Grade: k to 3

An early chapter book about a laughing hyena who yearns to be a stand-up comedian that will have kids rolling with laughter

When the spotted hyenas in Katrina’s clan laugh, it’s meant as a warning to alert the clan that danger is near. But that’s not why Katrina laughs. Katrina laughs because she thinks world is just sooooo funny!

This causes great frustration with the other hyenas. Every single time Katrina starts laughing, they think she’s in danger and rush to help her. What if Gary the Lion is on the prowl?!

Katrina, whose dream is to be a stand-up comedian, thinks her stressed-out clan worries too much about Gary, so she decides to help them relax by putting on a comedy show.

This laugh-out-loud story will have readers developing their own jokes, and the hilarious illustrations will act as a helpful guide for emerging readers, who will devour chapter after chapter. The recurring theme of self-acceptance assures readers that it’s okay to be different, and that sometimes it’s our differences that make us special.

SOPHIE KOHN’s work has appeared in the The New Yorker, McSweeney’s, and Reader’s Digest. She teaches humor writing from her home in Nelson, British Columbia.

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APARNA VARMA is an illustrator for books and stationery with a bright sense of color and humor. Born and brought up in India, she spent many of her formative years in Botswana, Africa. She also works as a creative producer in animation and currently dreams and draws in Toronto, Ontario.

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