Books like The Contest
By Nonny Hogrogian
For families who love a good caper story with a wink of mischief, this Armenian folktale turns two rival suitors' rivalry into a battle of wits worth watching unfold. Sly, playful, folk-tale mischief with a theatrical flourish.
A young princess falls ill and declares she'll only get better if she has the moon, sending the king's wisest advisors scrambling until the court jester finds an answer no one else thought to try.
A cheerful little woman chases a runaway rice dumpling deep underground, where she falls into the clutches of a wicked three-eyed oni and must use her wits to escape.
A child imagines an entire day as a horse — galloping through familiar settings, wondering if they'd fit in their clothes, and whether a little sister would get a ride.
A gloomy Inspector arrives at the symphony hall to solve a murder — the composer is dead — and interrogates every instrument section, each one a suspect with its own motive and alibi.
A trickster raven sets out to steal light from Sky Chief and give it to a world living in darkness, risking discovery to pull off his boldest transformation yet.
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.
Six classic fairy tales get turned inside out in rhyme, as Cinderella, Snow-White, Little Red Riding Hood and others swap their storybook endings for wickedly unexpected ones.
A student gets stuck with a science curse after his teacher claims poetry is everywhere in science, and suddenly every rhyme in his head turns into a poem about amoebas, black holes, or the food chain.
While the Petersons are away, their house decides it deserves a vacation too — but its rooms can't agree on a destination until the sunporch votes for the beach and leads the way.
A wordless chase story follows a woman clutching strawberries as a mysterious figure trails her through flower shops, brick streets, and a strange swamp — getting closer with every page.
In a tiny town where every meal falls from the sky, life is delicious until the food weather turns dangerous, growing bigger and wilder until the townspeople fear for their safety.
A curious kid wonders why snowmen look different every morning — crooked grins, shifted arms — and imagines the wild games they must be sneaking off to play all night long.
