Books like Doctor De Soto
By William Steig
For the kid who's nervous about the dentist chair, watching a mouse dentist stay calm in the face of real danger turns that fear into a story about outsmarting it. Tense, wry, and quietly triumphant, with dry humor running underneath the suspense.
Under the sea, every creature has their thing — Seahorse hides, Pufferfish puffs, and Crab simply bakes cakes — until a sudden disaster strikes and Crab's small act of kindness becomes exactly what the community needs.
An eager young dragon works his way through Madam Dragon's flying school, collecting bumps, bruises, and gold stars, while a mysterious little girl keeps turning up to patch him back together.
A beloved dinosaur bakes cookies, helps old ladies cross the street, and plays with kids in town — while one boy, Reginald Von Hoobie-Doobie, insists she's scientifically extinct and shouldn't exist at all.
A rat who can't pronounce his R's gets teased at school until a bigger, meaner, smarter capybara arrives — and his very speech impediment turns out to be exactly what saves the day.
A young llama starts his first day of preschool, and once Mama leaves for work, the new teacher, new toys, and roomful of noisy kids feel like too much all at once.
A gallery of towering, spike-tailed dinosaurs test their families' patience with messes and roaring fits, then show love in small ways — cleaning up, smiling instead of shouting, and hugging tight.
A hen gets bonked on the head by something falling from above and becomes convinced the sky is falling, setting off a chain reaction of panic among her farmyard friends.
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.
A bear wakes up from hibernation ravenous and thin, and as his forest friends bring him roots, berries, clover, and fish, his hunger keeps growing — until it's satisfied in a surprising way.
A girl named Mei Mei breaks her ama's favorite cup and, terrified of the consequences, lets the family cat take the blame — until the guilt becomes impossible to bear.
A bird wakes up too grumpy to fly, eat, or play, so he stomps off on a walk instead — and one by one, Sheep, Rabbit, Raccoon, Beaver, and Fox tag along.
A young mouse and her doll Eleanor are cornered by a trio of bullies on the road, until Hazel's mother arrives in a surprising, fierce rescue.
