Ellen Raskin

Deep in a lush green rainforest, a pig, a parrot, and a potto have a very important daily routine. Every afternoon, they gather together to enjoy a lovely tea party. There is just one giant problem ruining their perfect plans. It rains every single day at exactly the wrong time, soaking their biscuits and watering down their tea. The three friends try everything they can think of to stay dry, but the daily downpour is relentless. Just when they are about to give up on their favorite afternoon tradition entirely, they come up with a brilliant, funny solution to beat the weather. This clever and delightfully illustrated story proves that with a little bit of creative problem solving, you can still have a wonderful time even when things do not go exactly according to plan.

Alastair Pflug is absolutely convinced he is the most handsome and perfect man in the entire world. Looking for fame and fortune, he decides to travel the globe to collect a group of unusual creatures to star in a grand stage performance. He dreams of putting on the most spectacular and bizarre show anyone has ever seen. His journey takes him to the strange and distant land of Tizuvt, where he expects to find plenty of oddities to bring home. Instead, Alastair is in for a massive surprise. In this new place, the people look completely different, and to them, Alastair is the one who looks incredibly weird. This hilarious and thought-provoking tale turns the tables on a boastful character, showing how beauty and normalcy completely depend on where you are standing.

A sudden windstorm brings a giant surprise crashing right down in front of a moose and a goose. A red roof has blown away from its house, and sitting right beside it is a very small, very confused little animal. The tiny creature has no idea what his name is, where his mother went, or how to get back to his home. Moose and Goose immediately decide they must help their new friend, whom they affectionately call Little Nobody. Together, the three of them set off on a funny and determined search across the countryside to solve the mystery of his identity. Through silly mix-ups and clever teamwork, they will not stop until they figure out exactly who this little fellow is and find his missing family.

Chester Filbert sits on the curb with a grumpy frown, completely convinced that he lives on the most boring street in the entire world. He dreams of seeing fierce lions, brave heroes, and massive monsters, complaining loudly to anyone who will listen that absolutely nothing exciting will ever happen in his neighborhood. But while Chester is busy staring straight ahead and feeling sorry for himself, absolute chaos is erupting right behind his back. Without giving anything away, his ordinary street is suddenly filled with wild adventures, daring rescues, and hilarious mishaps that Chester completely misses. This incredibly funny story invites you to look closely at the background of every page, proving that amazing things are always happening if you simply remember to open your eyes and pay attention to the world around you.

Young Franklin Stein is tired of feeling lonely, so he decides to take matters into his own hands and build a friend from scratch. Using an odd collection of leftover odds and ends, he pieces together a highly unusual, towering creature that he names Fred. To Franklin, Fred is an absolute masterpiece and the perfect companion. The neighbors, however, do not feel the same way. When they look at Fred, they scream and call the gentle giant terrible names, terrified by his bizarre appearance. But Franklin refuses to give up on his handmade best friend. He bravely enters Fred into the local pet show, determined to prove that true friendship comes in all shapes and sizes. This funny, heartwarming story teaches a wonderful lesson about acceptance, showing that you should never judge a creature by its cover.

Iris Fogel is an imaginative young girl who sees the world in a very unique, and very blurry, way. When she looks around her neighborhood, she spots incredible things like a terrifying fire breathing dragon and a giant pygmy nuthatch bird hanging around her living room. To Iris, her world is a magical and slightly scary adventure. But as you flip the pages, the hilarious truth is revealed. The dragon is actually just her Great Aunt Fanny, and the strange creatures are just ordinary people and furniture! It turns out Iris does not live in a magical kingdom; she simply needs a good pair of glasses. Once she is finally fitted for her brand new spectacles, the blurry monsters disappear, and she discovers that seeing the real world clearly is its own kind of wonderful. This funny, creative story completely normalizes getting glasses for the first time.