Books like Nonsense! The Curious Story of Edward Gorey
By Lori Mortensen
For the kid who loves things a little spooky, a little strange, and completely their own, this is proof that being different is often the whole point. Quirky, wry, a little gothic, and full of affection for the strange.
A girl who loves to paint runs out of blue when it's time to make a sky for her school's mural, so she watches the world change color and dreams up a new way to see it.
A book of playful nonsense declares that stars are made of lemon juice, elbows grow on tickle trees, and rain makes applesauce — pure silly talk stacked line upon line.
A young Chinese American girl notices color everywhere in her everyday world, from red dragons and firecrackers to lychees, and brown in her own teddy bear.
A collection of poems imagines a curious inn run by poet William Blake, where dragons, angels, and a Man in the Moon all check in for the night.
A young musical prodigy masters the violin, flute, trombone, and drums with dazzling skill, but keeps growing restless — until he discovers the one role that finally satisfies him.
A boy walks home from school and imagines wilder and wilder sights on Mulberry Street, building a story fantastic enough to tell his father.
A team of kid inventors heads to the zoo armed with zany traps and rhyming plans, determined to outsmart and catch the rainbow-maned unicorn.
A young boy sets off on a moonlit walk armed with only an oversize purple crayon, drawing his own path through woods, seas, and dragons before finding his way safely back to bed.
A single yellow dot invites the reader to press it, tap it, and tilt the book — and with each turn of the page, the dots multiply, scatter, and change color right before your eyes.
A young inventor imagines the ultimate car — complete with a snack bar, a swimming pool, and a robot chauffeur named Robert — then takes it out for a wild test drive with his dad.
