Books like The Rainbabies
By Laura Krauss Melmed
For families who love a good old-fashioned folktale, this is a hushed, tender story about longing for a child and having that wish answered in the strangest, most magical way. Hushed, moonlit, and folktale-warm, with a gentle sense of wonder.
A poor washerwoman on the island of Martinique uses her mother's magic wand to help her beloved goddaughter Cendrillon win the heart of a rich man's son.
A servant girl in her own home dreams of attending the royal ball, until a fairy godmother's magic gives her a gown, a coach, and one midnight deadline.
A lonely little girl finds a star that has fallen out of the sky and becomes its friend, but when the star grows sick, she must decide whether to let it go home.
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 little bear cub coughs HCK HCK! right at bedtime, and Mrs. Bear tries syrup, comfort, and quiet care to see him through the cold night.
A know-it-all big sister explains exactly what babies are like — they eat books instead of reading them, scream with a special plug in their mouth, and don't even know if they're a boy or a girl.
A boy returns with his family to their yearly camping spot at Mountain Pond, but this trip is different — he's headed into first grade, and a tiger has appeared in the woods.
A mother sings the same lullaby to her son from infancy through adulthood, rocking him each night — until he is grown and gently rocks her in return.
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.
On Christmas Eve, a doubting boy boards a mysterious train bound for the North Pole, where Santa Claus himself will present one child with the first gift of Christmas.
A gentle tour through nature at dusk, as mother animals — owl, fox, whale, and more — each tell their babies just how deep and boundless their love runs.
A young boy rides the bus across town with his grandmother every Sunday, grumbling about the rain and the wait, until she helps him see the beauty and music hiding in their ordinary route.
