Books like Bony-Legs
By Joanna Cole
For the kid who wants their fairy tales a little scary and a lot satisfying, this one delivers a real witch with real plans for supper. tense, folkloric, and quietly triumphant, with old-world witch-tale atmosphere
A poor boy who longs to paint is given a magic paintbrush that brings to life whatever he creates, until a greedy emperor sets out to capture him and claim its power for himself.
A poor woodcutter's two children, abandoned in the forest, discover a house made of bread, cakes, and candy — and the wicked witch who lives there has a taste for children.
A restless chicken named Louise leaves the henhouse craving adventure, facing pirates on the high seas, a lion under the big top, and a mysterious stranger in a bustling bazaar.
A boy sets out to find his father, the Lord of the Sun, and must pass through four ceremonial chambers — the kiva of lions, snakes, bees, and lightning — to prove he belongs.
A lonely girl draws a magic door on her bedroom wall and steps into another world, where a red marker conjures a boat, a balloon, and a flying carpet — until a sinister emperor captures her.
A girl and her walking house settle into a too-quiet neighborhood, so she puts up a sign inviting lost creatures in — goblins, mermaids, a dragon — and soon has a household that's lively but hard to manage.
After the gods fail again and again to create lasting humans across five different suns, Quetzalcóatl the Feathered Serpent alone refuses to give up, journeying to the underworld to retrieve the sacred bones of creation.
A clever mouse walks through the deep dark wood, escaping hungry predators by inventing a scary monster called the gruffalo — then discovers the gruffalo is real.
A girl in a red cloak walks alone through the woods to visit her ailing grandmother, unaware that a wicked wolf is following close behind with plans of his own.
After a hunter kills his mother, a young elephant flees to the city, where a kindly old woman takes him in — then he returns to the great forest with his cousins Celeste and Arthur to become King of the Elephants.
A kind, beautiful maid comes to live in a mysterious castle with a Beast, where animals in period dress attend them both — and her capacity to love may be the only thing that can break his spell.
A gentle pony too plain for the beautiful horses inside the walled city ends up the only one who can save its children when the bridge breaks in half.
