Book picks similar to
Cinderelephant by Emma Dodd


picture-books
fairy-tales
picture-book
animals

Rapunzel


Paul O. Zelinsky - 1997
    Zelinsky has once again with unmatched emotional authority, control of space, and narrativecapability brought forth a unique vision for an age-old tale. Few artists at work today can touch the level at which his paintings tell a story and exert their hold.Zelinsky's retelling of Rapunzel reaches back beyond the Grimms to a late-seventeenth-century French tale by Mlle. la Force, who based hers on the Neapolitan tale Petrosinella in a collection popular at the time. The artist understands the story's fundamentals to be about possessiveness, confinement, and separation, rather than about punishment and deprivation. Thus the tower the sorceress gives Rapunzel here is not a desolate, barren structure of denial but one of esoteric beauty on the outside and physical luxury within. And the world the artist creates through the elements in his paintings the palette, control of light, landscape, characters, architecture,interiors, costumes speaks to us not of an ugly witch who cruelly imprisons a beautiful young girl, but of a mother figure who powerfully resists her child's inevitable growth, and of a young woman and man who must struggle in the wilderness for the self-reliance that is the true beginningof their adulthood.As ever, and yet always somehow in newly arresting fashion, Paul O. Zelinsky's work thrillingly shows us the events of the story while guiding us beyond them to the truths that have made it endure.

The Three Little Tamales


Eric A. Kimmel - 2009
    "You’ll be eaten. You’d better run!" he tells them. And so the tamales jump out the window. The first runs to the prairie and builds a house of sagebrush. The second runs to a cornfield and builds a house of cornstalks. The third runs to the desrt and builds a house of cactus. Then who should come along but Señor Lobo, the Big Bad Wolf, who plans to blow their houses down!Valeria Docampo’s oil-and-pencil illustrations add zest and humor to this rollicking southwestern version of a popular tale.

A Unicorn Named Sparkle


Amy Young - 2016
    She imagines the flowers that she'll braid into his beautiful pink mane, and she even picks the perfect name for him: Sparkle. But when Sparkle arrives, his ears are too long, his horn is too short, he smells funny--and oh, he has fleas. Lucy isn't pleased, but in the end she warms up to Sparkle and realizes that even though he wasn't exactly the unicorn she wanted, he might be just the one she needs.

Ellie


Mike Wu - 2015
    While the other animals are busy working, Ellie finds a brush and some paints, and gives the zoo a big splash of color! Will her bright new talent be enough to keep the zoo's gates open for good?

You Are (Not) Small


Anna Kang - 2014
    Two fuzzy creatures can't agree on who is small and who is big, until a couple of surprise guests show up, settling it once and for all!The simple text of Anna Kang and bold illustrations of New Yorker cartoonist Christopher Weyant tell an original and very funny story about size -- it all depends on who's standing next to you.

Mr. Tiger Goes Wild


Peter Brown - 2013
    So he decides to go wild. But does he go too far? There is a time and place for everything...even going wild.

Thump, Quack, Moo: A Whacky Adventure


Doreen Cronin - 2008
     The farm is bursting with activity. Cluck Whack! The chickens build a fence around the cornfield. Moo Thwack! The cows give the barn a fresh coat of paint. Thump. Quack! Duck builds the ticket booth for the hot-air balloon ride. Everyone is excited. Well, Duck is not excited exactly. But he has a plan. As Farmer Brown designs the corn maze for the festival, Duck does some designing of his own. Guess who's in for a big surprise? The always-creative, always-hilarious, always-champions-of-corn-mazes pair who brought you Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type; Giggle, Giggle, Quack; and Duck for President have planned a terrific event. Step right up, folks.

The Rough-Face Girl


Rafe Martin - 1998
    But only the girl who proves she can see him will be his bride. The two beautiful but spoiled daughters of a poor village man try their best to be chosen, but it is their Rough-Face-Girl sister, scarred on her face and arms from tending fires, who sees the Invisible Being in the wonder of the natural world.The dramatic illustrations reflect the vibrant earth colors of the native landscape and the wisdom and sensitivity of the protagonist.

Chicken Little


Rebecca Emberley - 2009
    A brilliant collaboration brings us a bold and colorful retelling of the classic tale, as crazy-eyed Chicken and all his panicked friends run away from the sky and right into an eye-catching gatefold surprise.

Little Red Riding Hood


Trina Schart Hyman - 1983
    On her way to deliver a basket of food to her sick grandmother, Elisabeth encounters a sly wolf.Book Details: Format: Library Binding Publication Date: 6/1/1982 Pages: 32 Reading Level: Age 5 and Up

We Don't Eat Our Classmates


Ryan T. Higgins - 2018
    But it’s hard to make human friends when they’re so darn delicious! That is, until Penelope gets a taste of her own medicine and finds she may not be at the top of the food chain after all... Readers will gobble up this hilarious new story from award-winning author-illustrator Ryan T. Higgins.

There Are No Bears in This Bakery


Julia Sarcone-Roach - 2019
    But there are no bears here. Not on Muffin's watch.One night, Muffin hears a suspicious noise. Mouse? Raccoon? Bat? Nope, not the usual suspects. But Muffin hears . . . growling. Could it be? Yup. A bear. Just a cub. Whose stomach is definitely growling. Muffin's got this case solved--clearly this bear needs some donuts.

Please, Mr. Panda


Steve Antony - 2014
    Panda for doughnuts?Patiently and politely, Mr. Panda asks the animals he comes across if they would like a doughnut. A penguin, a skunk, and a whale all say yes, but they do not remember to say "please" and "thank you." Is anyone worthy of Mr. Panda's doughnuts?Steve Antony has captured a cute panda, delightful animals hungry for doughnuts, and a manners lesson. With the black-and-white animals, plain backgrounds, and brightly colored doughnuts, Antony's art is bold, striking, and engaging.

Chu's Day


Neil Gaiman - 2013
    Chu is a little panda with a big sneeze.When Chu sneezes, bad things happen.In dusty library, diner pepper, circus tent, Will Chu sneeze today?

Vegetables in Underwear


Jared Chapman - 2015
    The unexpectedness of vegetables in their unmentionables is enough to draw giggles, but the pride with which the “big kid” attire is flaunted in front of the baby carrots in diapers will tickle readers of all ages. With rhyming text that begs to be chanted aloud and art that looks good enough to eat, this vibrant story will encourage preschoolers to celebrate having left those diapers behind!