Books like Fish is Fish
By Leo Lionni
For the kid who hates being left behind when a friend learns something new or grows in a way they can't yet follow — this is the story of that ache, and what happens when imagination tries to close the gap. Gentle, thoughtful, a little wistful, with Lionni's collage-style artwork giving the pond a quiet glow.
A friendly ghost named Leo loves drawing and making snacks, but when a new family misunderstands his attempts to help, he leaves home to find where he truly belongs.
A small boy is invited to tea at the palace and always asks the same question — may he bring a friend? — and each time, a surprising animal guest shows up beautifully behaved.
After an owl attack knocks a baby fruit bat from her mother's grasp, she lands in a bird's nest and is raised alongside three baby birds, learning to live by their rules — until she finds her way back to her own kind.
A tiny snail longing to see the world hitches a ride on a humpback whale's tail, and together they sail to icebergs and volcanoes — until the whale gets stranded and needs the smallest friend to save her.
A lion wanders into the library one day, and since there aren't any rules against lions, he stays — quiet-footed, story-hour pillow, rule-follower — until an emergency forces him to break the one rule that matters.
A little girl waits eagerly for a new hat from her favorite aunt, but when it arrives plain and ordinary, she sets out to make it beautiful herself.
A little rabbit named Llewellyn collects ordinary treasures in jars until his friend Evelyn joins him, gathering wonders like rainbows and ocean sounds — then she must move away.
A curious fox sets out just to watch a mysterious parade of animals heading somewhere unknown, freeing a caged pair of doves along the way, until he finds his reason for joining them waiting by a great wooden ship.
A foreign exchange student named Eric moves in with a suburban family, asking curious questions his hosts can't always answer, until his farewell leaves behind an unforgettable surprise.
A girl named Emily writes to her teacher, Mr. Blueberry, insisting a blue whale is living in her pond, and the two trade letters all summer as he tries to set her straight.
A girl and her house full of rescued, misfit creatures grow restless and decide to move on — but when every one of her careful plans falls apart, she has to find another way forward.
A janitor and his loyal dog, cramped and weary of their crowded one-room life, accept a mysterious bird's offer of paradise on a floating island — only to discover the price of that easy life.
