Book picks similar to
The Magic Paintbrush by Robin Muller


picture-books
fantasy
story-books
folk-tails-fairy-tales

Ella's Big Chance: A Jazz-Age Cinderella


Shirley Hughes - 2003
     Ella Cinders loves helping her father in his dress shop and laughing with her friend Buttons, the store's delivery boy. Then comes the terrible day when her father remarries and everything changes. Her stepmother makes her sew in the dreary basement. Her stepsisters mock her shabby dress. And to top it off, the new Mrs. Cinders forbids Ella to attend the duke's grand ball. Heartbroken, Ella is sure that her life will never be what she dreamed. But with the help of a fairy godmother and some sparkling courage of her own, this Cinderella discovers that dreams can come true in the most unexpected of ways. Join Ella amidst the dazzle and fashion of the roaring twenties as she takes happily ever after into her own hands!

The Truth Pixie


Matt Haig - 2018
    Just as cats go miaow and cows go moo, The Truth Pixie can only say things that are true.

The Grudge Keeper


Mara Rockliff - 2014
    No one, that is, except old Cornelius, the Grudge Keeper.Ruffled feathers, petty snits, minor tiffs and major huffs, insults, umbrage, squabbles, dust-ups, and imbroglios--the Grudge Keeper received them all, large and small, tucking each one carefully away in his ramshackle cottage.But when a storm flings the people together and their grudges to the wind, will the Grudge Keeper be out of a job?

Not Your Typical Dragon


Dan Bar-el - 2013
    But when Crispin tries to breathe fire on his seventh birthday, fire doesn't come out—only whipped cream! Each time Crispin tries to breathe fire, he ends up with Band-Aids marshmallows teddy bears? Crispin wonders if he’ll ever find his inner fire. But when a family emergency breaks out, it takes a little dragon with not-so-typical abilities to save the day. With wry humor and whimsical illustrations, Not Your Typical Dragon is the perfect story for any child who can't help feeling a little bit different.

Federico and the Wolf


Rebecca J. Gomez - 2020
    But on the way, he meets a hungry wolf. And now his grandfather bears a striking resemblance to el lobo. Fortunately, Federico is quick and clever—and just happens to be carrying a spicy surprise! Federico drives the wolf away, and he and Abuelo celebrate with a special salsa. Recipe included.

The Three Little Aliens and the Big Bad Robot


Margaret McNamara - 2011
    Margaret McNamara (How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin?) and Mark Fearing (The Book that Eats People) have created a humorous and visually stunning story that kids will adore—and that will introduce them to the planets and the solar system. The endpapers even include a labeled diagram of all the planets.

Unicorns Are the Worst!


Alex Willan - 2020
    Or are they?

The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine


Mark Twain - 2017
    In a hotel in Paris one evening in 1879, Mark Twain sat with his young daughters, who begged their father for a story. After the girls chose a picture from a magazine to get started, Twain began telling them the tale of Johnny, a poor boy in possession of some magical seeds. Later, Twain would jot down some rough notes about the story, but the tale was left unfinished . . . until now. Plucked from the Mark Twain archive at the University of California at Berkeley, Twain’s notes now form the foundation of a fairy tale picked up over a century later. With only Twain’s fragmentary script and a story that stops partway as his guide, author Philip Stead has written a tale that imagines what might have been if Twain had fully realized this work: Johnny, forlorn and alone except for his pet chicken, meets a kind woman who gives him seeds that change his fortune, allowing him to speak with animals and sending him on a quest to rescue a stolen prince. In the face of a bullying tyrant king, Johnny and his animal friends come to understand that generosity, empathy, and quiet courage are gifts more precious in this world than power and gold. Illuminated by Erin Stead’s graceful, humorous, and achingly poignant artwork, this is a story that reaches through time and brings us a new book from America’s most legendary writer, envisioned by two of today’s most important names in children’s literature.

The Wolf Who Cried Boy


Bob Hartman - 2002
    How he wishes his mother would serve up a nice platter of his favorite dish: Boy! But Boy is hard to come by these days. As Little Wolf trudges home from school one day, he decides to postpone his boring dinner by shouting "Boy! Boy!" But what will happen when a real boy finally comes along? In this hilarious twisted tale, Little Wolf learns the same timeless lesson that the boy who cried "Wolf!" did so many years ago.

Voyage of the Basset


James C. Christensen - 1996
    Through richly detailed full-color paintings and line drawings, magical kingdoms emerge from a sea of dreams. Cassandra Aisling, who is nine years and eleven months old, doesn't care “a jot” about what sensible people think. She likes strange, mysterious, and magical things. So when her world gets tumbled upside down, she boards the H.M.S. Basset, ready to explore the landscape of her imagination. Pledging allegiance to the Basset's motto, “Credendo do Vides...Believing is Seeing,” Cassandra, her skeptical older sister Miranda, and their father, Professor Algernon Aisling, set out in search of the ancient legends. From the flickering flight of fairies and the mermaids' siren songs to a labyrinth-bound Minotaur and a fire-breathing dragon, the Aisling family witnesses firsthand the wonder of mythological worlds. In this lavishly illustrated edition, Cassandra's adventures intertwine with her father's scientific scribblings to present both new tales and the essence of classical myths. From the two voices, readers learn the power of imagination, the importance of believing in oneself, the value of family, and the need for creative, cooperative problem-solving. The story of a magical journey and the exquisite fantasy artwork will appeal to young and old alike.

I Want My Hat Back


Jon Klassen - 2011
    Patiently and politely, he asks the animals he comes across, one by one, whether they have seen it. Each animal says no, some more elaborately than others. But just as the bear begins to despond, a deer comes by and asks a simple question that sparks the bear’s memory and renews his search with a vengeance. Told completely in dialogue, this delicious take on the classic repetitive tale plays out in sly illustrations laced with visual humor—and winks at the reader with a wry irreverence that will have kids of all ages thrilled to be in on the joke.

The Magic Pillow


Demi - 2008
    Ping sees what a lifetime of wealth and power would be like, and discovers that the riches of family and freedom are much more valuable.