Philip Christian Stead

"When Sebastian launches himself on a journey in a hot air balloon made entirely of Grandma's afghans and patchwork quilts, his boring day turns into the adventure of a lifetime"--

Zookeeper Amos McGee always makes time to visit his friends who live at the zoo until the day he stays home because he is sick.

When he misses his bus to the zoo, Amos McGee, a friendly zookeeper who was up late planning a surprise for his friends, gets some unexpected help.

"A wise old dog contemplates the limitless world of imagination through a window"--

When Jonathan's parents decide that he has gotten too old to have a stuffed animal, they trade his favorite bear, Frederick, for a toaster, so he sets off aboard a boat, looking for Frederick.

When friendly giant mammoth Samson falls asleep and wakes up in the middle of a blizzard, he finds and shelters a little red bird and a flower-loving mouse, beginning new friendships for all.

"A little girl goes on a long journey to deliver an elephant to her great aunt"--

"Ruby, a very small bird in a very big world, is looking for a friend, so she introduces herself..."--

"Aunt Josephine tells her niece Sadie the tale of her lifelong pursuit of a man-eating frog"--

"Vernon, Skunk, and Porcupine are back! The stars of Philip C. Stead's acclaimed Home for Bird have returned in three enchanting new stories, Waiting, Fishing, and Gardening, each brimming with the tenderness and wry humor that made their first appearance such a delight." -- Amazon's description.