Tomie DePaola

Strega Nona sends home gifts of candy and bubble bath while on vacation, but when Bambolona grabs the candy, Big Anthony is left with a lot of bubbles.

Little Gopher follows his destiny, as revealed in a Dream-Vision, of becoming an artist for his people and eventually is able to bring the colors of the sunset down to the earth.

"This folkloric picture book tells the story of a magical robe that goes missing, and the kingdom that hangs in the balance"--

Having learned to be creative in drawing pictures at home, young Tommy is dismayed when he goes to school and finds the art lesson there much more regimented.

Grandma Concetta heals everyone with her remedies and advice, and when she retires, she leaves Nona her magic pasta pot with its secret ingredient.

"Young Jack meets a host of animals on his way to ask the king for a house"--

Aside from having the same name, Tommy and his grandfather Tom share a wonderful sense of humor, a happy array of adventures, and a warm and special relationship.

Strega Nona tries to teach Big Anthony about gardening and the importance of order, but when Anthony does not follow her directions and uses her growing spell, his small vegetable patch turns into an uncontrollable jungle.

Bill the crocodile and his toothbrush, Pete the plover, set out to save Bill's cousin, who has been captured along with other endangered animals and taken from Egypt to Bad Guy's Big Bad Brother's Exotic Animal Farm near New Orleans, Louisiana.

When William Everett Crocodile is chosen to be a suitcase, his talking toothbrush becomes his salvation.