Stuart Little is a bit of an odd duck—or mouse. Unlike the movies, which turned it into a standard 'adoption' story, the book is a series of loosely connected adventures that starts with a human woman giving birth to a mouse. It’s weird, charming, and beautifully written.

Modern kids used to fast-paced Pixar plots might find the lack of a tidy resolution frustrating, but the imagery of the Central Park boat race is worth the read alone. It’s a quiet, thoughtful alternative to the 'brain rot' humor found in a lot of modern early readers.