Books like Tye May and the Magic Brush by Molly Bang
A poor orphan, Tye May, dreams of painting and discovers a magical brush that brings to life everything she paints. As she uses the brush, she gains magical abilities, including the power to heal and perform small miracles. Tye embarks on a journey to find a way to return the brush to its proper owner, hoping to help others in her orphanage.
First publish date: 1981
Genre: Children's Fiction/Children's Fantasy
Authors: Molly Bang
★
★
★
★
★
0.0 (0 community ratings)
How are these books recommended?
The books recommended for Tye May and the Magic Brush by Molly Bang are shaped by reader interaction. Votes on how closely books relate, user ratings, and community comments all help refine these recommendations and highlight books readers genuinely find similar in theme, ideas, and overall reading experience.
Have you read any of these books?
Your votes, ratings, and comments help improve recommendations and make it easier
for other readers to discover books they’ll enjoy.
Books similar to Tye May and the Magic Brush (28 similar books)
A spirited boy named Max embarks on an imaginative journey to a land of wild creatures and becomes their king.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A vivid picture book follows a hungry caterpillar as it searches for food, experiences a tummy ache, and discovers a healthy leaf. An astonishing transformation awaits—discover it in this engaging children's tale.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A young boy named Harold uses his imagination and a purple crayon to explore the animal kingdom, traveling through forests, deserts, and icy regions alongside elephants, camels, cheetahs, and penguins.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Vashti doubts her drawing talent, but an art teacher’s encouragement sparks a confidence‑building journey that proves anyone can create a masterpiece.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Seph, a 16‑year‑old orphan wizard, struggles to control his exploding powers and is expelled from several private schools. He finds refuge at a boys’ school where a headmaster exploits student magic for personal gain, thrusting him into a dangerous conflict.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
In "Ruin and Rising," Alina deepens her connection with Mal as they seek Morozova's amplifier, while the Darkling’s buried past reshapes their understanding of power and loyalty in Ravka.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Not a Box follows a curious rabbit who discovers that an ordinary box can unfold into a world of wonder and imagination. Perfect for children 2‑5, this picture book invites young readers to dream beyond the everyday.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A young boy’s belief in the carrot he plants fuels hope and discovery in a simple, illustrated garden adventure.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Merle and the Flowing Queen journey to Hell to enlist Lord Light's aid for Venice as Egyptian forces besiege the city, while Serafin joins a resistance group commanded by an ancient sphinx.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Rose flees a grim orphanage and discovers her new home, Mr. Fountain's mansion, brimming with sparkling magic. When children start vanishing, her emerging powers must be tested to rescue the missing orphans.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A playful pop‑up work that shows kids reading that mistakes are fine, turning torn, crinkled and smudged paper into creative shapes and images.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A twelve‑year‑old boy, Aidan Cain, runs from grief and a foster home to the magic‑laden Melstone House, where he teams up with the boyish grandson of a sorcerer to battle sinister forces threatening the countryside.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Young protagonist loses confidence in drawing but gains inspiration from his sister, symbolizing the importance of self-assurance and creativity in children's literature.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
When two fourteen‑year‑old human‑waterwalkers, called polliwogs, find themselves pursued in a 1706‑style Caribbean, they rely on a mysterious Ghost Trader and a band of pirates to evade the looming threat.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Maerad, a bard, and her brother Hem must confront great trials to unlock the Tree of Song, awaken ancient music, and vanquish the Nameless One.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A poor orphan turned apprentice to the king’s chief magician is called upon to rescue the vanished princess, confronting rumors of dark magic before the kingdom falls apart.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Five animal toys wait for surprising moments, exploring the joys of imagination, friendship, and the changing seasons in a vivid picture book aged 2–5.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
An orphan named Bee is taken in as an apprentice by a kind baker in the poor kingdom of Aradyn. When she encounters Princess Anika and the tyrannical mage Joris, she must use her baking talents and courage to free the princess and restore rightful rule.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Little Star loves the mooncake her mama bakes, but her parents forbid any bites—until a curious nibble leads to a sweet lesson about the moon’s phases.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A chroming spray of a magic paintbrush lifts young Steve and his elderly caretakers out of a modest Chinatown flat in San Francisco into a realm of wonder, where wishes can come true.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Archie Greene, a twelve‑year‑old orphan living with his grandmother, receives a mysterious package bound for a secret bookshop in Oxford, where he joins a society that protects magical books and learns he has a hidden family.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A magic paintbrush and a boy's heart: the story of a gifted artist and the magic of creativity.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A hungry young Chinese boy dreams of painting, but poverty keeps him from a proper brush until a wizard appears with a magical one.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
In a superstitious village where woodcarvers are feared as witches, Plain Kate, a skilled carver, must navigate a fog‑clouded crisis and a mysterious bargain that threatens her heart’s wish to escape.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Three sisters—Storm, Aurora, and baby Any—escape a menacing hunter and his wolves into the woods, using Storm’s magical pipe to navigate peril and fight for their survival and the realm’s future.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
In a forbidden, book‑filled library, a curious girl must confront magical creatures inside stories to recover her lost family and protect the world of Readers.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Have a similar book in mind? Let others know!
Please login to submit books!