Books like Gilgamesh the King
By Ludmila Zeman
For kids captivated by ancient myths and larger-than-life kings, this is a way into one of the oldest stories ever written, retold with real weight. Epic, ancient, and mythic, with moments of real tenderness beneath the grandeur.
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.
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 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 lonely little girl finds a star that has fallen out of the sky and becomes its friend, but when the star grows sick, she must decide whether to let it go home.
A fish and his best friend, a tadpole, grow up together in a pond until the tadpole becomes a frog and hops off to explore dry land, leaving the fish desperate to follow.
Scarred from tending the fire, a girl and her two beautiful but cruel sisters all try to win the hand of a rich, powerful Invisible Being — but only his sister's watchful gaze can tell who has truly seen him.
A discarded toy clown is thrown out with the rubbish and sets off through town on a wordless adventure, determined to find a home for himself and his toy friends.
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 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 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 gorilla with nearly everything he could want is still missing one thing — a friend — so his keepers try pairing him with a tiny kitten to see what happens.
