Book picks similar to
The Enchanted Wood by Ruth Sanderson


picture-books
childrens
fantasy
fairy-tales

Grizzwold


Syd Hoff - 1958
    He's too big for most places, and too clumsy for others. He's not even any good as a live bearskin rug! Will Grizzwold ever find a home that's just right?

The Golden Sandal: A Middle Eastern Cinderella Story


Rebecca Hickox Ayres - 1998
    Since Maha's father is away fishing most of the time, there is no one to help or comfort her. All that begins to change when Maha finds a magical red fish. In return for sparing his life, the fish promises to help Maha whenever she calls him. On the night Maha is forbidden to attend a grand henna to celebrate the coming wedding of a wealthy merchant's daughter, the fish is true to his word. His magic sets in motion a chain of events that reward Maha with great happiness, and a dainty golden sandal is the key to it all.Rebecca Hickox's eloquent retelling and Will Hillenbrand's lush pictures offer a beguiling version of a story well-loved by many cultures the world over.

The Legend of Holly Claus


Brittney Ryan - 2004
    Holly's heart is frozen, and she must face her enemy, free her self, and save her father's kingdom.

Cinderella, or The Little Glass Slipper


Charles Perrault - 1697
    In this lavishly illustrated retelling of the classic fairytale, Camille Rose Garcia reimagines Cinderella through her distinctive visual aesthetic. Hers is a Cinderella for the twenty-first century: Dark, compelling, vibrant, and enthralling.

The Only Child


Guojing - 2015
    USA Today  declared it “a compelling and melancholy debut from an important new talent" as well as "an expansive and ageless book full of wonder, sadness, and wild bursts of imagination.” And like Shaun Tan's The Arrival and Raymond Briggs's The Snowman, it is quickly becoming a modern classic.   A little girl—lost and alone—follows a mysterious stag deep into the woods, and, like Alice down the rabbit hole, she finds herself in a strange and wondrous world. But... home and family are very far away. How will she get back there?   In this magnificently illustrated—and wordless—masterpiece, debut artist Guojing brilliantly captures the rich and deeply-felt emotional life of a child, filled with loneliness and longing as well as love and joy.

The Sigh


Marjane Satrapi - 2004
    Rose is one of three daughters of a rich merchant who always brings gifts for his girls from the market. One day Rose asks for the seed of a blue bean, but he fails to find one for her. She lets out a sigh in resignation, and her sigh attracts the Sigh, a mysterious being that brings the seed she desired to the merchant. But every debt has to be paid, and every gift has a price, and the Sigh returns a year later to take the merchant's daughter to a secret and distant palace.

Prince Ribbit


Jonathan Emmett - 2016
    Fairy tales are just stories, or so Princess Martha believes. But when her sisters meet a talking frog, they're convinced that giving him the royal treatment will turn him into Prince Charming. After all, that's what happens in their story books. Martha isn't so sure. The more she sees of Prince Ribbit, the more suspicious she becomes. Armed with the facts, Martha sets out to expose Prince Ribbit and prove to her sisters that just because it's in a book doesn't mean it's true. But before The End, Princess Martha might just learn that lesson for herself!

Not Last Night But the Night Before


Colin McNaughton - 2009
    NOT LAST NIGHT BUT THE NIGHT BEFORE, THREE BLACK CATS CAME KNOCKING AT THE DOOR. And before you know it, the man in the moon is knocking, followed by three little pigs, Little Bo-peep, Miss Muffet, and many more visitors, all in a rush. But where are they going so willy-nilly, gifts in hand? Colin McNaughton's energetic rhymes, whimsically illustrated by Emma Chichester Clark, transform one child's quiet night into a celebration full of beloved fairy-tale characters.

Go to Sleep, Monster!


Kevin Cornell - 2016
    But getting a monster to sleep? That’s an adventure.A funny and surprising twist on the typical monster-under-your-bed story.

The Goose Girl


Shannon Hale - 2003
    And when she was older, she watched as a colt was born, and she heard the first word on his tongue, his name, Falada.From the Grimm’s fairy tale of the princess who became a goose girl before she could become queen, Shannon Hale has woven an incredible, original, and magical tale of a girl who must find her own unusual talents before she can lead the people she has made her own.

Duffy and the Devil


Harve Zemach - 1973
    The Zemachs have interpreted the folk tale which the play dramatized, recognizable as a version of the widespread Rumpelstiltskin story. Its main themes are familiar, but the character and details of this picture book are entirely Cornish, as robust and distinctive as the higgledy-piggledy, cliff-hanging villages that dot England's southwestern coast from Penzance to Land's End.The language spoken by the Christmas players was a rich mixture of local English dialect and Old Cornish (similar to Welsh and Gaelic), and something of this flavor is preserved in Harve Zemach's retelling. Margot Zemach's pen-and-wash illustrations combine a refined sense of comedy with telling observation of character, felicitous drawing with decorative richness, to a degree that surpasses her own past accomplishments.Duffy and the Devil is a 1973 New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of the Year and Outstanding Book of the Year, a 1974 National Book Award Finalist for Children's Books, and the winner of the 1974 Caldecott Medal.

The Tale of Peter Rabbit


Beatrix Potter - 1901
    McGregor's garden."But what does Peter Rabbit do? Beatrix Potter's delightful 'Tale of Peter Rabbit' tells the story.

The Tooth Mouse


Susan Hood - 2012
    “I am not as spry as I used to be ... I have decided it is time to name my successor!” she tells the surprised crowd. Sophie, an energetic and very tiny mouse, desperately wants the job. “C'est moi!” Sophie thinks. “Choose me! Choose me!” But the position of Tooth Mouse --- or La Petite Souris --- isn't just given to anyone; it must be earned by participating in a difficult and dangerous three-part contest to determine which of all the mouse applicants is the most brave, honest and wise. Will Sophie, the smallest and daintiest of the aspirants, manage to beat the odds and win the challenging competition for her dream job?In the style of a classic fable, this gentle yet inspiring story is sure to captivate young children with the delightful idea of a small mouse making her way under the pillows of sleeping children at night instead of the Tooth Fairy. It also provides an irresistible and uplifting message that size doesn't have to determine who succeeds in life. Award-winning artist Janice Nadeau's lovely illustrations in soft, muted colors add a delicate whimsy to the tale. This book would be a fantastic read-aloud for any storytime. Sprinkled with French expressions and phrases throughout, it would make a terrific introduction to foreign languages as well.

The Talking Eggs: A Folktale from the American South


Robert D. San Souci - 1989
    A Southern folktale in which kind Blanche, following the instructions of an old witch, gains riches, while her greedy sister makes fun of the old woman and is duly rewarded.

The Rainbabies


Laura Krauss Melmed - 1992
    . . In the magic of a moonshower, a childless couple finds a dozen tiny babies in a meadow. Written in classic folktale tradition, illustrated with astonishing paintings, The Rainbabies is woven from magic and moonbeams.