In The Girl Who Could Not Stop Laughing, we hear a tale of a girl who keeps laughing. And we learn while it might cause problems in class, as long as you’re not laughing at someone in a nasty way, laughing is very good for all of us and makes us feel good.
Author: Meera Ganapathi Illustrator: ROSH
Text from The Girl Who Could Not Stop Laughing
mmmbrrrpffftbahahahHAHAHAHAAH An explosive sound erupted across
the 4 B classroom.
Gundappan Sir, the maths teacher, knew exactly where the bomb had exploded.
“T. Sundari! Please leave the classroom,” he said.
The class went quiet and everyone looked at T. Sundari, who sat on the fifth bench.
“But sir! Please sir! I tried to control my laughter but it burst out of me!”
Everyone in 4 B burst out laughing too.
T. Sundari laughed a lot.
She laughed for nearly everything.
For example, last week, a classmate told T. Sundari this joke:
Q: Why does Maths Sir always look sad?
A: Because he has to solve so many problems.
T. Sundari had narrowed her eyes and giggled.
No wonder everyone laughed when they saw Gundappan Sir now.
Every joke evoked a different reaction from T. Sundari.
Sometimes a polite laugh Tra la la ha ha
Sometimes a guffaw
AHAHAHAHA
Sometimes a Ghatotkacha* laugh
MUHAHAHAHAHA
Sometimes, when T. Sundari tried really hard to suppress her laughter, it would burst out of her like a bomb.
mmmmmmprrrrffttrrrrrahhaahaha HAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA
*In the Indian epic, Mahabharata, Ghatotkacha is a huge and powerful rakshasa with a loud and rumbling laugh.
T. Sundari was worried. Was there something wrong with her? Why couldn’t she stop laughing?
She needed to do something.
Stuffing a hanky in her mouth didn’t help.
T. Sundari made a list of things she found funny:
1. Farts
2. Toilet jokes
3. The word Bonda
4. People slipping on banana peels
5. Tickling
“I will make sure I never laugh
at these again,” decided T. Sundari.
Next day, during library, P. Manigantan moved behind a bookcase and let out a delicate sound right next to T. Sundari.
(poot poot potrrrrrrr)
T. Sundari, who knew a fart when she heard one, erupted in laughter, forgetting all about her list!
This was not going to work. It was time for plan B.
Skandu Anna, T. Sundari’s older brother and a scientist, was plan B.
Maybe he could invent a machine that could stop her from laughing?
When T. Sundari told him what was bothering her, Skandu Anna, who was usually the serious sort, burst out laughing.
T. Sundari wondered if this was a family problem.
Did they all have the same laughing disease?
No, Skandu Anna explained.
“T. Sundari, it’s very normal for human beings to laugh when they find something funny. Some people laugh more than
others and that is fine.”
“Really?” said T. Sundari, who had always been told she laughed too much.
“Yes, in fact, laughter is good for health,” Skandu Anna reassured her.
“It releases chemicals that bring us jo
“Did you know even early humans laughed?” Anna asked her. T. Sundari imagined a man with a large beard and big club giggling like her in drawing class.
“Yes,” said Anna, “Human ancestors were laughing long before they had language. It was their way of telling each other that everything was okay.”
“Today, we laugh to show others that we like them or to express our happiness. Other animal species can laugh too, T. Sundari.
“Like chimpanzees, bonobos, rats, dolphins and even dogs!” Anna told her.
The thought of her pet dog Muthu laughing set T. Sundari off again.
When the laughter finally subsided, Anna said, “Do you know you just exercised, T. Sundari?”
“How, Anna? We were talking the whole time.”
“Whenever you smile even a little, the muscles of your face get to work. So each time you giggle or laugh, it’s a complete workout for your face,” Anna told her.
“Ooh,” said T. Sundari, “will my cheeks have biceps then?”
Anna smiled, “Not biceps, no. Those are in your arms. But whenever you laugh, the zygomaticus major and minor muscles in your face help pull your expression upwards and outwards in a smile.”
“But what about the sound? That makes others laugh too,” said T. Sundari.
“So when you breathe, air passes through your vocal cords into your lungs. But when you laugh, the air is held back, leading to those rhythmic ‘ha-ha-ha’ sounds that you can’t seem to stop,” Anna explained.
“So, T. Sundari, you understand that laughter is perfectly natural?
“So long as you’re not hurting anyone’s feelings, there’s nothing wrong with a good laugh.”
T. Sundari felt so much better.
“It’s almost tea time.
Shall we have a bonda then?” said Skandu Anna, knowing perfectly well what would happen next.
T. Sundari couldn’t stop laughing.
Not even after the bonda was in her belly.
Can you do all these laughs?
Ghatotkacha – MU HA HA HA HA
Bomb Laugh – mhrrrrppppbbhtttttttAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAH Witch of Wadanapalli West – ee hee heee heee
Giggle – gehehehehe Gargle – gluglgugglugglahahahah
Fake Laugh – teeheehee
<End of Book – The Girl Who Could Not Stop Laughing>
More books like this can be found in our Pratham-StoryWeaver Category
Orang-utan: Haiku set to images for older children - Another beautiful volume of Haiku set to beautiful art from Gabriel Rosenstock. Very suitable for older children or school studies. Each poem in this thought provoking poetry anthology contains a stunning public domain artwork or image. For more about Haiku, see here: https://vcbf.ca/event/about-haiku/. It is noted that while Japanese Haiku stick ...
How To Develop Independent Reading and Writing in Your Kids - The ability to read and write fluently and clearly as early as possible is a trait and a skill that can have a long-lasting impact on the overall ability to learn and interact with others and excel in an educational setting. It is also the reading and writing skills that are arguably responsible for a ...
Developing a Love for Reading in Children - Reading is a great way to expand your mind and knowledge. It encourages imagination and creativity, builds comprehension skills, increases vocabulary, and helps young minds develop problem-solving abilities. Kids who read a lot are more likely to do better in school and have higher self-esteem. It’s also important to remember that books can help children ...
Math Magic for Young Minds: Inspiring Kids Through Books - Math can be a huge problem for kids. They can even be scared of the subject which makes any learning much harder and more problematic. One of the best ways to overcome that is to use books about math that are written specifically for kids. They can make the subject look and feel easier and ...
Welcome to Cripley Hollow - Celeste gets more than she bargained for in the move to Cripley Hollow - with magic, an imp named Grumblemunch who loves cookies, and Professor Prettypaws, an eloquent tabby. 
Shakespeare’s Hamlet: Analyzing Parent and Child Relationships - Parent-child dynamics in Shakespeare's Hamlet: a deep dive into the complex relationships that shape the play's plot and characters.
How to Encourage Your Child to Learn About the World Through Reading - In a world where technology has ‘virtually’ taken over the entertainment aspect of both children’s and adults’ lives and whereby the vast majority of people over the age of ten spend time every day on their smartphone or tablet, reading real books will continue to prevail. Reading is essential for sparking your child’s imagination and ...
The Golden Flower - Two young sisters go on an adventure and find more than they planned. The Golden Flower – Sample Text Once upon a time, in a land far away, there lived two sisters named Ariana and Nicoletta. Ariana was the older sister, always taking charge and making sure they stayed out of trouble. Nicoletta, on the ...
Creating a Love for Reading: Strategies for Encouraging Foster Children to Read - Reading is an essential skill for success in life. Being able to read well opens up doors to new opportunities, improves critical thinking skills, and helps individuals develop their imaginations. For children in foster care, reading can be particularly crucial as it helps them build a sense of stability and security during a transitional point ...
Doing My Chores – MonkeyPen - Doing your chores is sometimes hard, see how this child makes it fun and rewarding. A free book by MonkeyPen – where you can order personalised books of your child! See more books by MonkeyPen here on FKB. See more books on Behaviour here on FKB. Spread the love
Yes I enjoyed it
My child really enjoyed this book. She laughed along with T. Sundari.
g o o d ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !