Book picks similar to
The Tortoise's Tug Of War by Giulio Maestro


picture-books
fairytales
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The Most Wonderful Thing in The World


Vivian French - 2015
    When a king and a queen promise to marry their daughter Lucia to the man who can show them the most wonderful thing in the world, suitors descend on the palace bearing gifts. Roses, jewels and exotic birds; dancing girls, wind machines and mythical beasts – but nothing feels quite right. As the last suitor leaves, his weapons of mass destruction rejected, the king and queen are exhausted. But when a shy, young man, who isn’t a suitor at all, steps forward, they finally understand what the most wonderful thing in the world really is. Vivian French’s masterful retelling of a forgotten story is both funny and heart-warming, and Angela Barrett’s breathtaking illustrations give life to an enchanting and romantic fairytale city.

Flower Fairies of the Summer


Cicely Mary Barker - 1925
    This book celebrates the beauty of summer and introduces children to the season's flowers by making them magical.

Little Hobbin


Theodor Storm - 1926
    After his mother becomes exhausted wheeling him around the room, Little Hobbin devises a way to keep his crib rolling and, with the help of the moon, rolls out of the house, into the street, to the end of the world, and into the sky.

Turtle's Penguin Day


Valeri Gorbachev - 2008
    After his Daddy reads a book about penguins, a young turtle decides to spend his day at kindergarten sliding on his belly, waddling, and playing pass-the-egg.

Finklehopper Frog


Irene Livingston - 2003
    But Finklehopper learns that it’s best to be himself and do what he loves--because that’s the perfect way for him!Book Details: Format: Paperback Publication Date: 3/1/2008 Pages: 32 Reading Level: Age 3 and Up

Tatsinda


Elizabeth Enright - 1963
    Her talent as a weaver has ensured that she can support herself--and perhaps win the love of the handsome Prince. But when an evil giant takes Tatsinda prisoner and plans to destroy the kingdom, it will take all the magic, skill, and love that Tatsinda and the Prince can muster to foil the giant and restore peace and beauty to the mountain. “This timeless story will make an absorbing read-aloud.”--School Library Journal

Wait! No Paint!


Bruce Whatley - 2001
    The three little pigs go off to build their separate houses one out of straw, one out of sticks, and one out of bricks.But wait! Who just spilled juice on the first little pig′s house? Why are the pigs turning green? And what is that mysterious Voice the pigs keep hearing?Ages 4 - 8

The Prince's New Pet


Brian Anderson - 2011
    Years ago the Prince's father had banned all color from the kingdom, so the Prince now received the same gray gifts wrapped in the same gray paper and ate the same gray birthday cake, while outside gray skies loomed. But when a special package arrives at his party, the Prince is surprised to see a very unusual creature emerge. Will his new pet bring a splash of color to the kingdom?

The Legend of the Golden Snail


Graeme Base - 2010
    When it journeyed through its magical realm, it took on the shape of a fantastical golden sailing ship. One day the ship was captured by a Great Enchanter and put under his spell. After he became bored with the Snail, the Enchanter banished it to the Ends of the Earth so no one else could ever sail in it. There it remains until a new master comes to claim it. Could a young boy named Wilbur be the next master?Featuring Graeme Base's visually stunning signature art (packed with details, including a hidden snail and crossbones to search for in each picture) and a bonus mini book (bound in, nonremovable), The Legend of the Golden Snail is an adventure unlike any other.

The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess


Tom Gauld - 2021
    Their wish was twice granted when an engineer and a witch gave them a little wooden robot and an enchanted log princess. There's just one catch, every night when the log princess sleeps, she transforms back into an ordinary log. She can only be woken with the magic words Awake, little log, awake.The two are inseparable until one day when the sleeping log princess is accidentally carted off to parts unknown. Now it's up to her devoted brother to find her and return her safely to the kingdom. They need to take turns to get each other home, and on the way, they face a host of adventures involving the Queen of Mushrooms, a magic pudding, a baby in a rosebush, and an old lady in a bottle.This is acclaimed graphic novelist Tom Gauld's first picture book for children, inspired by a bedtime story he made up for his daughter. In his words, I was trying to make a book inspired by three different sets of books: The books that I remember enjoying as a child, the books that I watched my daughters enjoying, and the books I enjoy now as an adult. I wanted the book to have its own quirky feeling but also to function like a classic bedtime story.

Prince & Knight


Daniel Haack - 2018
    The three of them traveled the land far and wide, but the prince didn't quite find what he was looking for in the princesses they met. While they were away, a terrible dragon threatened their land, and all the soldiers fled. The prince rushed back to save his kingdom from the perilous beast and was met by a brave knight in a suit of brightly shining armor. Together they fought the dragon and discovered that special something the prince was looking for all along.

It's Not Jack and the Beanstalk


Josh Funk - 2017
    In fact, he doesn’t want to follow the story line at all. Who says Jack needs to enter a life of daring, thievery, and giant trickery? He takes his story into his own hands—and you’ll never guess what happens next!With laugh-out-loud dialogue and bold, playful art (including hidden fairy tale creatures for kids to find), this Jack and the Beanstalk retelling will have children rolling with laughter till Bessie the cow comes home.

Fairy Tales for Mr. Barker: A Peek-Through Story


Jessica Ahlberg - 2016
    Barker, see on their fairy-tale adventure? Peek through from scene to scene to guess who they might meet next.Lucy is reading a fairy tale to Mr. Barker, but her dog has other ideas. When he jumps out the window — landing in a cottage with a broken chair, three bowls of porridge, and a little golden-haired girl — Lucy is right behind him. Goldilocks would rather not be there when the bears return, so she joins Lucy and Mr. Barker as they continue on their way, adding a trio of pigs, a boy with a goose, and a just-awakened princess during their journey. What happens next? Cutout windows throughout add visual surprises to this lighthearted fractured fairy tale.

Spike, the Mixed-up Monster


Susan Hood - 2012
    And since Spike lives in Mexico (he is an endangered species called the axolotl), this story is peppered with easy-to-understand Spanish words. In addition to a charming tale of friendship, this picture book contains nonfiction information about the axolotl and a Spanish/English glossary.

Dragon Guard of Drakkaris Box Set


Terry Bolryder - 2019
    1200+ five star reviews and over 100000 copies sold across the series! Enjoy six full standalone romances filled magic, mystery and characters you’ll never want to leave! An elite SWAT team of dragons is about to embark on their most difficult mission yet: to save earth, and their own lives, by finding mates to love and protect! No cheating. No cliffhangers. Just safe, fun, fantasy romance with a happy ending every time. Includes the bestselling books: Lead Dragon, Cadmium Dragon, Arsenic Dragon, Zinc Dragon, Cobalt Dragon and Chromium Dragon! Lead Dragon: Lead, captain of the dragon guard, is about to embark on the most difficult mission he's ever undertaken: trying not to fall in love with the cute, curvy woman he saved and is now tasked with protecting. But how is he supposed to do that when everything inside the honor-obsessed dragon roars ‘mate’? Cadmium Dragon: The Cadmium dragon has found his mate, and now he’s on the hunt. The hunt for things to buy online so he has an excuse to see the curvy delivery woman that brings him his packages. And when a chance occurrence gives him the opportunity to get to know her better, he springs into action to show her just how much a dragon can offer - inside the bedroom and out. Arsenic Dragon: Arsenic, second in command of the Drakkaris dragon guard and legendary assassin, knows that he's not worthy of a mate. How could a professional killer possibly find love? And yet, when a dangerous mission to save an imprisoned human leads to the task of being her personal bodyguard, the stand-offish dragon just might have to reconsider everything he knows (or thinks he knows) about love. Zinc Dragon: The Zinc dragon has always known the toxic metals in his bloodstream could end him. But now, separated from his friends and barely clinging to the hope of rescue, he's finally resigned to his fate. At least he gets to spend his last days with a wonderfully kind, curvy woman that he would give anything to have met under different circumstances. Cobalt Dragon: The Cobalt dragon is ready for a mate. At least, the bookish intellectual thinks he is. But when he and his crew are sent on a mission to rescue another dragon heart, only to find that she's already rescued herself, Cobalt will find that fate has someone much different than what he had in mind. Chromium Dragon: Chromium, the last unmated dragon guard and former royal bodyguard of the Drakkaris court, has a secret. He’s been sneaking out at night to serve vigilante justice and taste new things in the human world. When he runs across a curvy restaurant owner with a sweet personality and a lasagna to die for, he knows he has found his mate. Now he just has to stay in her world long enough to protect her from those who want to hurt her.