May 10, 2026

Philip Stead Author Spotlight

The quietest picture books in our house — and the ones my kids keep coming back to.

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These are the books featured in this post — tap any cover to find it on Amazon.

Cover of A Potion, a Powder, a Little Bit of Magic

A Potion, a Powder, a Little Bit of Magic

by Philip C. Stead

Their newest, and our current bedtime read-aloud. It is hilarious and quiet at the same time. The chapters are out of order on purpose. The book opens somewhere in the middle, and Chapter One does not arrive until the end. My girls have been giggling about it for nights. Mom does not know what is going on either.

Cover of Bear Has a Story to Tell

Bear Has a Story to Tell

by Philip C. Stead

Bear wants to tell his friends a story before hibernation. But they are so busy preparing for winter that he never gets the chance. By the time he wakes up in spring, he has forgotten his own story. So he tells theirs instead.

Cover of Lenny & Lucy

Lenny & Lucy

by Philip C. Stead

A boy moves to a new house at the edge of a dark wood. So he builds two friends out of pillows and stuffing to keep watch with him. The book for the kid who is scared of a new place.

Cover of A Home for Bird

A Home for Bird

by Philip C. Stead

A small frog named Vernon finds a bird and walks the world looking for its home. Philip's solo illustration work. Tender, deadpan, exactly what it needs to be.

Cover of I'd Like to Be the Window for a Wise Old Dog

I'd Like to Be the Window for a Wise Old Dog

by Philip C. Stead

Told from the perspective of someone who wants to be all the small things that bring joy to a wise old dog. The window she watches. The raindrop on a turtle shell. Whimsical and warm. Philip's solo work, watercolor and graphite.

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