The matter-of-fact tone paired with the wordplay really feels so cozy and transportive to me in a way that few other genres can satisfy!
I really love classic British children’s literature like Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan, and Alice in Wonderland, as well as the Phantom Tollbooth and the 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear.
Key examples:
Winnie the Pooh “living under the name Sanders” and literally having a sign with “Sanders” hanging on his doorway and living under it.
Milo from the Phantom Tollbooth arriving to the Isle of Conclusions by making a rash decision, a play on “jumping to conclusions”.
Peter Pan losing his shadow and attempting to reattach it with a bar of soap.
by xyfruit
4 Comments
You need Gerald Durrell.
The Wind in the Willows
Frog and Toad are Friends
If you’re considering these for read alouds to children, I highly recommend the “Toys Go Out” series. Quietly funny, quirky, modern but shot through with an old fashioned sensibility. And kids as young as four or so can follow along and really love them, even as they appeal to grown ups and older siblings.
Milo!