Funny Book #6

Icicle the Turtle feels hopeless—he's slow-footed, ungainly, and convinced that Myrtle will never marry him because he can't dance well enough to win her heart. When a jitterbog contest is announced, Icicle's determination to learn wavers until a friendly beaver offers coaching, but discouragement sends him into despair. On the night of the big contest, fate intervenes in the most unexpected way, and Icicle discovers that sometimes being clumsy has its own kind of magic.

When Bobby Baxter's mother kicks him out of the guest room to make space for Uncle Turgid's visit, the resourceful boy sets out to find a new place to live—and encounters Mr. Quince, a kindly traveler with a magic soap bubble who's more than happy to show him around. Together they tour a series of fantastical homes: a gypsy wagon, an ice house near the North Pole, a mud dwelling in Africa, and a houseboat in China, each with its own peculiar charms and drawbacks. By the time their whirlwind tour comes to an end, Bobby discovers that maybe home isn't so bad after all.

Christopher Columbus Crow invites Top Notch the Rooster, Rip the Dog, and Willy Nilly to play "As the Crow Flies"—a follow-the-leader game where the crow takes flight while the others must walk in a perfectly straight line no matter the obstacles. What starts as a fun game becomes a hilarious trial of endurance as the determined followers encounter water, barbed wire, stubbed toes, and all manner of countryside hazards in pursuit of their airborne leader's direct path.

An ostrich hatches in a duck's nest and grows up believing he's one of them—until he discovers he can't swim, dive, or fly like his siblings. Feeling like a failure among the water-loving ducklings, he ventures into the desert and finds his true home, where his long legs are finally put to good use. When his old duck family visits, they learn that the ostrich's desert really is different from anything they expected.

A boy named Johnny and his animal companions—Woofy and Kitty-Cat—travel by little train across meadows and forests to help a weeping willow see behind itself. Their quest leads them through a series of encounters: they must outsmart a stubborn cow blocking the tracks, track down a mysterious crow for directions, and navigate a collapsed mountainside before finally reaching the Peacock Prince's home. Johnny and his friends discover that a little creativity and kindness can solve even the most peculiar problems.

A boastful dragon living high on a mountain peak loves nothing more than terrorizing the valley folk below—until a brave knight rides up to challenge him. When the dragon tries to prepare a grand dinner for his scheming relatives instead of fighting, his plans fall apart in the most unexpectedly comedic way, leading to a swift and satisfying end to his reign of bragging.

Little Otto is born an outcast among his fellow oysters because a large "R" marked on his shell makes the others fear him—after all, oysters are only eaten in months with an "R" in them. When fishermen catch Otto and threaten to net his friends unless he brings them pearls, the desperate young oyster discovers an unexpected solution that not only saves his family but transforms his entire life. A heartwarming tale of how being different can turn out to be your greatest strength.