Books like Heckedy Peg
By Audrey Wood
For families who love a story with real fright in it, this one balances a genuinely menacing witch with the deep comfort of a mother who won't give up on her children. Eerie, atmospheric, and ultimately comforting — shadowy artwork with a warm resolution.
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 young donkey finds a magic pebble that grants wishes, but a panicked wish during a scary encounter with a lion turns him into a rock — with no way to wish himself back.
A miller's daughter is locked in a room and ordered to spin straw into gold, so a strange little man appears offering to do it for her — in exchange for a price that grows more dangerous with each visit.
A witch famous throughout Russia for eating children is secretly a lonely old woman who longs for a grandchild, so she disguises herself as a village babushka to find one.
A spider sets off on a dangerous journey and is rescued in turn by his six sons — then faces a puzzle: which son deserves the glowing reward he found?
A great-grandson wanders through his grandfather's topiary garden, where hedges shaped like a farmboy, a soldier, and a chickenpox-covered kid retell a whole lifetime one memory at a time.
A sturdy farm girl named Fanny Agnes waits in her garden for a fairy godmother to whisk her off to the mayor's grand ball and her destined prince — but who actually shows up changes everything.
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 brave boy ignores his grandfather's warnings and heads out alone, determined to catch a wolf lurking near his garden — with help from his animal friends.
A carpenter named Caleb gets into a spat with his wife Kate, then wakes up transformed into a dog — unable to speak or explain who he really is, so he stays close to her as her loyal companion.
A rich king who prizes gold above all else is granted his wish that everything he touches turns to gold — until he accidentally touches his own daughter.
