Books like Hey, Al
By Arthur Yorinks
For the kid who's ever grumbled that home isn't good enough, this story quietly asks what paradise really costs. Wistful, dreamlike, and quietly unsettling, with a warm relief at the end.
After causing havoc in his wolf suit, a boy sent to bed without supper sails to an island of monstrous Wild Things, who crown him king before he chooses to sail home.
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 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 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 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.
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 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 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?
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 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.
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 girl who loves gorillas longs for her too-busy father to take her to see one, until the night before her birthday brings an extraordinary, moonlit visitor.
