A Cottage for Kip

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

Kindly old Mr. Tiddleberry owns a china shop. His favorite item in the
shop is a tiny teapot that looks like a quaint little house. “It’s
so much like the cottage I lived in when I was a boy,” he says as he
runs his feather duster over it fondly. Alas, Mr. Tiddleberry becomes so
wrapped up in his daydreams, he accidentally knocks the pretty little
pot to the floor. The pot’s handle breaks off and Mr. Tiddleberry
sadly tosses the pot out the back window. The broken pot lands exactly
in the middle of a fairy ring owned by Kip, a sweet little elf who is a
born optimist. Kip thinks the pot is a gift from the Fairy Queen and
immediately moves in. Before long, Kip has a roommate. A frightened
little mouse asks Kip to help him escape a fierce black cat and a mean
old mole. Together, they find security and happiness in the cracked pot.

If you think the storyline in this book sounds old-fashioned, you
should see its simple, charming illustrations. This book is definitely
Potter-esque—Beatrix, not Harry. The result is a gentle tale that
strokes the nostalgia nerve like tea and home-baked cookies at an
old-fashioned church social. Recommended.