If You Like Growing Home…

Growing Home by Beth Ferry and the Fan Brothers (2025) is a sweet and funny book about a plant and a goldfish and the family with whom they live. This exciting adventure includes the non-human characters developing superpowers. There is also treasure (in the form of rare antiques) and an attempted burglary!

Below are other books from unusual perspectives. We have main characters and narrators who are plants, animals, toys, and a typewriter.

Dimwood Chronicles by Avi and Brian Floca (started 1995)

This beloved series focuses on the animals of Dimwood Forest, including mice Poppy and Rye and porcupine Ereth. The villains range from the owl Mr. Ocax, who keeps an eye (and hungry stomach) on all the small creatures), to beavers, who flood the valley the animals call home. The illustrations by Floca are a perfect pairing to Avi’s compelling prose.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo and Bagram Ibatoulline (2006)

The titular character is a china rabbit owned by a girl named Abilene. Edward falls overboard on a sea voyage and then begins a series of adventures, passing from person to person. The story begins in the 1930s and moves through time as Edward does. Edward feels deep connections to people throughout his journey and one of the big lessons imparted in the book is to keep opening yourself up to love.

Garlic and the Vampire by Bree Paulsen (2021)

A witch and her vegetable creatures have to figure out what to do when the old abandoned house isn’t abandoned any more. Brave Garlic goes to face the new inhabitant. Cute and charming graphic novel.

Olivetti by Allie Millington (2024)

The narrator of this book is a typewriter. Olivetti has been with the Brindle family for years and has learned about their lives and struggles through what they type. But Olivetti can also type to communicate with the family, a skill he reveals when the family is in crisis. To say more would be to risk ruining the pleasure of reading this gem.

The Winter of the Dollhouse by Laura Amy Schlitz (2025)

A girl in a blended family yearns to own a doll and dollhouse sold at the toy shop in town. A solitary woman decides to fix up the dollhouse she was given by her father. When their paths cross, the two become friendly and support each other through the loneliness they experience. Half of the book is narrated from the perspective of the doll that the girl wants to own and feature the adventures she has.