Books like Julia's House for Lost Creatures
By Ben Hatke
For the kid who wants to adopt every stray animal and lonely classmate they meet, this is a whole houseful of taking people in. Cozy, whimsical, gently chaotic — like a dollhouse that grew fairies and dragons overnight.
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.
Bored with ordinary weather, a king orders his royal magicians to invent something new to fall from the sky — and gets a sticky green goo called Oobleck that soon overwhelms his entire kingdom.
A little girl needs a birthday present for her mother, who loves red, yellow, green, and blue — so she and a talking rabbit puzzle over how to give her those exact colors.
A mistreated young girl is helped by her blue fairy godmother so she can attend the palace ball, where an endearing, somewhat overweight Prince Charming awaits.
A girl balances a basket of seven delicious fruits on her head, walking to surprise her friend Akeyo, while hungry animals secretly help themselves along the way.
With Calabria's Christmas feast bearing down and no time to spare, Strega Nona leans on bumbling Big Anthony to help pull off her holiday magic — but can he actually come through this time?
A boy strolls down Market Street from A to Z, buying a gift from each shopkeeper — who are dressed head-to-toe in exactly what they sell, from gloves to oranges to wigs.
A boy wakes up one morning shrunk to the size of a mouse, and has to handle everyday chores — making his bed, brushing his teeth, watching his baby brother — at a tiny scale, cat included.
A boy drifts off to sleep and dreams he's driving a night train through the countryside, stopping again and again to let endangered animals climb aboard.
A crew of pirates returns to Jeremy Jacob's backyard to dig up their buried treasure, but first they must quiet his wailing baby sister, Bonney Anne, whom they accidentally woke up.
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 little red book opens to reveal a ladybug reading a smaller orange book, which opens to reveal another animal with another book inside — each one nested inside the last.
