Halloween Notes

A new crop of (sometimes creepy) board books aims to teach the basics. Kelly Asbury invites readers to turn out the lights and learn about circles, triangle and squares with a trio of Halloween Shaped Glow Books, Witch Dot; Candy Corn; and Frankensquare. (PSS!, $4.99 each 14 pages ages 3-up ISBN 0-8431-7696-2; -7694-6; -7695-2; Aug.)

In Clifford's Glow-in-the-Dark Halloween, the Big Red Dog goes trick-or-treating, meeting up with "spooky cats" and "scary bats" and, finally, his friends. (Scholastic/Cartwheel, $6.95 12p ages 2-5 ISBN 0-439-30566-7; Sept.)

My First Halloween Board Book, an addition to the My First Word Books series, offers a holiday vocabulary lesson. A photograph of "Dracula" labels the trick-or-treater's "cape"; a spread of "creepy creatures" shows a bat, toads and crows. Also available: My First Hanukkah Board Book. (DK, $6.95 each 32p ages 2-5 ISBN 0-7894-7857-9; -7890-0; Aug.)

With the fifth installment in the Toby board book series, Toby's Dinosaur Halloween, Cyndy Szekeres lets toddlers in on the fun as the titular mouse dresses up as a Tyrannosaurus Rex. In Santa Toby's Busy Christmas, the fellow completes the holiday preparations when Mama and Papa come down with the sniffles. (S&S/Little Simon, $4.99 each 14p ages 2-6 ISBN 0-689-82656-7; -82655-9; Oct.)

In Scratch and Sniff Halloween, a simple text and full-color photographs dare children to sniff a "big, spooky pumpkin" and "scary, skull pizza." Also available in the same format, Scratch and Sniff Christmas offers yuletide scents. (DK, $6.95 each 12p Halloween ages 6 mos.-3 yrs. ISBN 0-7894-7858-7; July; Christmas ages 2-5 -7891-9; Aug.)

In Make Your Own Halloween Treats by Sonali Fry, illus. by Judith Moffatt, readers are invited to decorate a cupcake and add candy to the trick-or-treaters' sacks with the brightly colored stickers provided in the back. (Scholastic/Cartwheel, $6.99 12p ages 3-5; ISBN 0-439-28278-0; Sept.)

The Cheerios Halloween Play Book by Lee Wade encourages youngsters to reach for the cereal to complete the pictures of black cats with glasses and ghosts shouting "Boo." (S&S/Little Simon; $5.99 14p ages 6 mos.-4 yrs. ISBN 0-689-84684-3; Sept.)

Book lovers can make their own picture book with The Ultimate Wizards and Witches Glow in the Dark Sticker Book. More than 60 reusable stickers (included) finish off a frightening forest scene or, on another page, illustrate a haunting text. The reusable stickers in The Ultimate Ghosts Glow in the Dark Sticker Book complete a scary graveyard. (DK, $6.95 8p each ages 5-8 ISBN 0-7894-7870-6; -7868-4; July)

Two new beginning readers will entice the school-age set. Grandma's Trick-or-Treat by Emily Arnold McCully tells the story of Pip and her friend, Pip's two very different grandmas and a night of unexpected fun and surprises. (HarperCollins, $14.95 48p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-06-028730-6; Sept.)

It's all about the costume in Karen Gray Ruelle's Spookier Than a Ghost. A brother and sister pair work out the costume kinks, coming up with an outfit that surprises everyone. (Holiday, $14.95 32p ages 5-8 ISBN 0-8234-1667-4; Sept.)

Nothing is what it seems in Matt Novak's On Halloween Street. Each sturdy page follows a lone trick-or-treater as she meets a mail carrier who delivers cheese, a chef who eats bugs and a doctor who hops. Readers lift the flap to find out what lies behind their behavior. (S&S/Little Simon, $7.99 20p ages 3-6 ISBN 0-689-84514-6; Sept.)

Shadowy figures haunt the night in A Trick or a Treat? A Not-Too-Scary Window Surprise Book by Keith Faulkner, illus. by Manhar Chauhan. Readers turn the pages to find out what's lurking behind each acetate window. (Dutton, $10.99 14p ages 3-7 ISBN 0-525-46765-3; Aug.)

Witch Zelda's Birthday Cake by Eva Tatchevaoffers a visual banquet on every page. Zelda, "Head of Coven, Queen of Grunge, Wickedest of the Wicked Witches" is having a birthday. Readers meet Zelda as she pops out of the first spread, pull the tab to help the Bibble Babbles saw slices from a giant pumpkin and to reveal the true identities of her party guests. (Abrams, $17.95 14p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-8109-4567-3; Oct.) Jokes jump off the pages in Colin and Jacqui Hawkins's Creepy Castle. Text along the bottom of each spread sets the scene. Above, cartoon bubbles issue from ghostly mouths: "What do you do with a green monster?" A turn of the flap reveals the punchline: "Wait until he's ripe!" (Barron's, $10.95 16p ages 4-9 ISBN 0-7641-5438-9; Aug.)

Monsters pop up everywhere in Who Will You Meet on Scary Street? by Christine Tagg, illus. by Charles Fuge. A gruesome witch of a teacher greets the students at Scary School, where "junior ghoul[s]... learn to spell,/ fly brooms as well,/ and how to screech and wail." (Little, Brown, $14.95 22p ages 6-8 ISBN 0-316-25606-4; Sept.)

In Corduroy's Best Halloween Ever! based on Don Freeman's popular character, illus. by Lisa McCue, the fellow gets ready for a Halloween party. His inventive use of a tablecloth earns him costume kudos and extra treats. (Grosset & Dunlap, $3.49 paper 32p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-448-42499-1; June)

Another stuffed bear dons a costume in Teddy's Halloween Secret by Gerlinde Wiencirz, illus. by Giuliano Lunelli. Teddy's owner, Paul, hosts a costume party and Teddy wants to dress up, too. With a little help from his forest friends, he comes up with a costume that keeps everyone guessing. (North-South, $15.95 32p ages 5-7 ISBN 0-7358-1530-5; Aug.)

A trio of teddies hits the town in Teddy Bears' Trick or Treat by Sam Williams, illus. by Jacqueline McQuade. Rhyming text leads readers through a haunted hamlet and, as the threesome knocks on numbered doors they're met with pop-up monsters, a screeching owl and a "crickly and crackly" skeleton. (Scholastic/Cartwheel, $14.95 12p ages 3-6 ISBN 0-439-20403-8; Sept.)

Thanksgiving Notes

Originally published in 1965 as Thanksgiving Day, The Story of Thanksgiving by Robert Merrill Bartlett, with new luminescent pastel drawings by Sally Wern Comport, offers an informative narrative that puts the holiday in the context of a long tradition of harvest festivals before describing the landing of the Pilgrims. (HarperCollins,$14.95 40p ages 7-10 ISBN 0-06-028778-0; Sept.)

In the newest addition to their books about children of the 1620s, Kate Waters and Russ Kendall present a reenactment of that first holiday, Giving Thanks: The 1621 Harvest Feast . Photographs taken on Massachusetts' Plimoth Plantation, a glossary and suggested reading list make this a solid resource. (Scholastic, $16.95 40p ages 6-9 ISBN 0-439-24395-5; Sept.)

In another reenactment, Thanksgiving Mice! by Bethany Roberts, illus. by Doug Cushman, rodents are the stars. Simple rhyming text and historical basics come together as the Holiday Mice present a play. (Clarion, $13 32p ages 3-6 ISBN 0-618-12040-8; Sept.)

In Franklin's Thanksgiving, based on characters created by Paulette Bourgeois and Brenda Clark, the turtle and his family are disappointed when Grandma and Grandpa can't make it, but they find unexpected fun and friendship as they prepare for the annual feast. (Kids Can, $10.95 32p ages 3-8 ISBN 1-55074-798-3; Sept.)

Little Bill learns the true meaning of the holiday in The Extra-Thankful Thanksgiving by Kim Watson, illus. by Jane Howell. This seasonal addition to the Nick Jr. series created by Bill Cosby comes with 56 stickers, grouped by page number, to complete each illustration. (S&S, $3.99, 16p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-689-84190-6; Oct.)

Natasha Wing takes a flight of fancy in The Night Before Thanksgiving, illus. by Tammie Lyon. Based on Moore's poem, the tale begins: " 'Twas the night before Thanksgiving,/ and all through the nation/ families got ready/ for the big celebration." (Grosset & Dunlap, $3.49 paper 24p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-448-42529-7; Aug.)

Hanukkah Notes

Little ones learn and play with Hanukkah's Here!, a mini Soft Shapes book by Kate Davis, illus. by Bob Filipowich. Each squishy spread of this 4"× 4" book features a question on the left ("What has candles/ burning bright?") and a pop-out play piece (a yellow menorah) on the right. (Innovative Kids, $5.99 8p ages 1-4 ISBN 1-58476-081-8; Oct.)

Rhyming couplets explain the holiday in Judith Moffet's Chanukah Lights. Stories, songs, spinning dreidels and fried latkes lend a festive feel. This addition to the Night Glow board books series boasts collage illustrations with glow-in-the-dark accents. (S&S/Little Simon, $5.99 12p ages 2-5 ISBN 0-689-84389-5; Oct.)

Christmas Notes

Board books and novelty titles abound this season. Kay Chorao's Baby's Christmas Treasury is now available for youngest readers. From Clement C. Moore's A Visit from St. Nicholas to traditional Christmas songs, Chorao's whimsical pen-and-ink accompaniment shines. (Random, $7.99 26p ages 6mos.-4yrs. ISBN 0-375-81257-1; Sept.)

Christmas Is Coming! by Claire Masurel, illus. by Marie H. Henry, also a board book, captures a child's anticipation. Juliette and her stuffed animals trim the tree and hang the stockings, but only the animals get to sneak a peek at Santa. (Chronicle, $6.95 .34p ages 6mos-3yrs. ISBN 0-8118-3322-4; Dec.)

Salina Yoon's oversize board book, My Shimmery Christmas Book, is a picture dictionary of sorts; she labels each colorful illustration of traditional Christmas treats and toys, accented with decorative foil. (Piggy Toes, $8.95 10p ages 2-up ISBN 1-58117-045-9; Aug.)

Presented as part of the DoorKnobbers series, The Christmas Story, illus. by Kristina Stephensen, is packaged as three separate die-cut board books that can hang from a doorknob in a handy pouch and tell the Nativity story. (Zonderkidz, $7.99 16p ages 6mos.-4yrs. ISBN 0-310-70193-7; Oct.)

Two pint-sized board books jingle when shaken: Jingle Santa and Jingle Reindeer by Kim Ostrow, illus. by Summer Durantz. The soft Santa hat and fuzzy antlers sewn into the covers hold the cheerful little bell. (S&S/Little Simon, $4.99 each 12p ages 3-6 ISBN 0-689-84281-3; -84282-1; Oct.) 'Tis the season to lift-the-flaps. In The Great Christmas Tree Celebration, illus. by Barbara Lanza, 40 flaps fill the lively forest scenes of this 10"×11" board book. Ten punch-out ornaments decorate the tree on the last spread. (Scholastic/Cartwheel, $10.95 12p ages 2-5 ISBN 0-439-28200-4; Oct.)

Packed with pop-ups, pull tabs and liftable flaps, Richard Scarry's Mr. Fixit's Mixed-Up Christmas! follows the hero as he moves through the town, leaving Easter eggs, Valentines and birthday cakes in his wake. Brief text and funny phrases wind around the perimeter of each spread. (S&S/Little Simon, $14.95 12p ages 4-7 ISBN 0-689-84487-5; Oct.)

The Pigglytoes family has different ideas about what makes Christmas special, but baby piglet understands that it doesn't come wrapped in a box. A.J. Wood's rhyming text and Maggie Kneen's illustrations, with foldout flaps and sparkling foil, combine to form The Christmas Surprise. (Chronicle, $14.95 20p ages 2-6 ISBN 0-8118-3210-4; Oct.)

Carolers can simply press the button on the sturdy board book to hear the familiar strains of Santa Claus Is Coming to Town. Cheerfully illustrated by Laura Blanken Merer, each spread shows a multiethnic cast of characters preparing for St. Nick's visit. (HarperFestival, $6.95 6p ages 6mos.-3yrs. ISBN 0-694-01559-8; Oct.)

Christmastime Is Cookie Time by William Boniface, illus. by Ronnie Rooney, comes with an assortment of 30 cookies (shiny angels, glittering snowflakes); rhyming text on the left tells what kind of cookie to "bake," and a baking sheet, opposite, features cutout slots in the thick board book page. (PSS, $9.99 12p ages 3-6 ISBN 0-8431-7678-4; Sept.)

Counting to Christmas by Gillian Chapman, illus. by Peter Stevenson, puts a fresh spin on the Advent calendar: 24 1''x 1'' board books depict mice engaged in wintertime activities. Bright red cords attached to the corners give the books a double life as Christmas decorations. (S&S/Little Simon, $12.95 ages 2-5 ISBN 0-689-84371-2; Oct.)

Send a snappy season's greeting with Cool Christmas Cheer. From the squishy green cover to the bright and spacey cartoon graphics, American Greetings' Bubblegum characters invite readers to "Show off your merry style/ With funky spunk and sass!" (S&S/Little Simon, $7.99 32p ages 8-up ISBN 0-689-84705-X; Oct.)

In Hanna's Christmas by Melissa Peterson, illus. by Melissa Iwai, ostensibly about Santa Lucia Day, the Swedish tradition associated with Christmas, homesickness for her homeland and grandmother hits Hanna hard as she makes preparations in her new American home. A magical "tomten" helps solve Hanna's problems. Hanna Andersson clothing figures prominently in the pictures. (HarperFestival/Hanna Andersson, $14.95 32p ages 4-up ISBN 0-694-01371-4; Oct.)

Sam McKendry's Christmas Activity Fun Pack, illus. by Kathy Couri, features a pull-out drawer containing gift tags, a Christmas calendar, stationery and a cookie recipe. (Barron's, $10.95 12p ages 3-6 ISBN 0-7641-7493-2; Sept.)

Tucked into a handy carrying case, Santa's Little Library of Christmas Stories comes with 12 board books and a plastic handle on top that makes it easy for little ones to tote. (McGraw-Hill, $12.95 ages 3-7 ISBN 1-58845-235-2; Aug.)

Her many fans will welcome Jan Brett's Christmas Treasury. This oversize gift edition gathers together seven complete, previously published stories, including The Mitten and The Hat as well as The Twelve Days of Christmas. (Putnam, $39.95 254p all ages ISBN 0-399-23741-0; Sept.)

After making a smashing debut in a bestselling picture book, the inimitable leading lady is back in the Auntie Claus Gift Set. The elegant package contains a hardcover, a CD narrated by actress Ellen Burstyn and an ornament in the shape of a golden key. (Harcourt/Silver Whistle, $24.95 40p ages 4-up ISBN 0-15-216259-3; Oct.) Actor Jason Alexander reads Laura Numeroff's story in the If You Take a Mouse to the Movies Book and Tape set, which includes a paper-over-board mini-book edition, illus. by Felicia Bond, and music by Sarah Weeks—"Mouse's Twelve Days of Christmas" and a medley of favorite Christmas songs. (HarperFestival, $11.95 32p ages 3-7 ISBN 0-694-70105-X; Oct.)

In How Santa Lost His Job by Stephen Krensky, illus. by S.D. Schindler, downsizing hits the North Pole when the elves vote to sack Santa in the name of efficiency. Clever, humorous details abound in Schindler's pen-and-ink art (the elves upgrade to computer ordering; reindeer help Santa clean house). A fitting follow-up to How Santa Got His Job. (S&S, $15 32 pages 4-6 ISBN 0-689-83173-0; Oct.)

Julie Andrews Edwards's and Emma Walton Hamilton's hero returns in Dumpy Saves Christmas, illus. by Tony Walton. He provides Santa with a midnight ride around the world. (Hyperion, $15.99 32p ages 3-7 ISBN 0-7868-0743-1; Aug.) Another popular character makes an appearance in Pookie Believes in Santa Claus by Ivy Wallace. Young and old alike will delight in the nostalgic illustrations, first published in the U.K. in 1953 and newly available in the U.S. (HarperCollins [Trafalgar Square, dist.], $16.95 32p ages 5-9 ISBN 0-00-198380-6; Oct.)

The lovable pup returns in Merry Christmas from Biscuit by Alyssa Satin Capucilli, illus. by Pat Schories, to join his owner in creating a Christmas photo album for the girl's grandparents. In the back of the paper-over-board book, children can showcase their own pictures. (HarperFestival, $9.95 32p ages 2-6 ISBN 0-694-01522-9; Oct.)

Santa Comes to Little House, illus. by Renée Graef, lifts the Christmas chapter out of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on the Prairie (HarperCollins, $15.95 32 pages 4-8 ISBN 0-06-025938-8; Oct.).

Kathryn Lasky adds to the Dear America series with Christmas After All: The Great Depression Diary of Minnie Swift, set in Indianapolis, Ind., in 1932. Even though things look bleak, Minnie's family figures out a way to celebrate the holiday. Period photographs and the lyrics to Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? add historical color. (Scholastic, $10.95 192p ages 9-14 ISBN 0-439-21943-4; Nov.)

With a dose of seasonal enchantment, the latest Magic Tree House installment takes readers not to a historical era, but to the legendary Round Table in Christmas in Camelot by Mary Pope Osborne, illus. by Sal Murdocca. (Random, $11.95 144p ages 6-9 ISBN 0-375-81373-4; Oct.)

Crafty kids will enjoy Amazing Christmas Mosaics by Sarah Kelly. With easy-to-follow instructions and diagrams, the book teaches children how to make colorful greeting cards, sparkling ornaments and festive Christmas crowns, and includes 13 reproducible templates. (Barron's, $8.95 paper 48p ages 8-up ISBN 0-7641-1897-8; Sept.)

Disney's Christmas Crafts by Marge Kennedy provides more than 50 ideas for holiday decorations, wrappings and gifts. Included in this spiral-bound edition are instructions for making "Mickey's Handy Welcome Wreath" and "Bambi's Frosty Forest Scene" (a snow globe). A few projects are complicated and children may need the aid of an adult. (Disney/Roundtable, $12.99 80p ages 4-7 ISBN 0-7868-3299-1; Sept.)

Several reissues make a reappearance this season. Leading the list is a facsimile edition of Miracle on 34th Street by Valentine Davies. The handsome volume re-creates the 1947 edition with heavy cream-colored paper and a font that emulates the original hot-metal type. (Harcourt, $12.95 136p all ages ISBN 0-15-216377-8; Oct.)

Spirit Child: A Story of the Nativity, trans. by John Bierhorst, illus. by Barbara Cooney, and originally published in 1984, relates an ancient Aztec tale that dates back to the 16th century. Cooney evokes distinctive, spare desert landscapes, period dress and artifacts. (North-South, $15.95 32p ages 5-8 ISBN 1-58717-087-6; $5.95 paper -088-4; Aug.)

Lisbeth Zwerger's glorious watercolors for Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol, first published in 1988, once again prove that she is as adept at creating the terrifying image of Christmas Yet to Come as she is showing the miraculous transformation of Scrooge. (North-South, $19.95 72p all ages ISBN 0-7358-1259-4; Sept.) Youngsters can learn about the all-

important tree trimmer in Cobweb Christmas: The Tradition of Tinsel (1982) by Shirley Climo, illus. by Jane Manning. Set in Germany, this charming story asserts that curious spiders paying a visit to Grandma's tree are responsible for the tinsel tradition. (HarperCollins, $15.95 32p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-06-029033-1; Oct.)

Misfit and cranky beasts of burden find joy and acceptance in the stable where Jesus was born in a quartet of spunky holiday stories, in The Christmas Sheep and Other Stories (1997) by Avril Rowlands, illus. by Rosslyn Moran. (Good Books, $16 48p ages 3-8 ISBN 1-56148-336-2; Oct.)

Little Porcupine is, quite literally, the star of the holiday play. First published in 1982 as How Little Porcupine Played Christmas, Joseph Slate's Little Porcupine's Christmas, illus. by Felicia Bond, remains as charming as ever. (HarperCollins/ Geringer, $9.95 32p ages 3-6 ISBN 0-06-029533-3; Oct.) Readers can sing along to Hilary Knight's edition of The Twelve Days of Christmas (1981). A bear courts his beloved with a bevy of woodland gifts (the 12 frog "lords a-leaping" are especially noteworthy); a surprise awaits in a concluding foldout spread. (S&S, $17 40p all ages ISBN 0-689-83547-7; Oct.)

Carolers can also sing along with The Little Drummer Boy, illus. by Kristina Rodanas. The artist's majestic desert landscapes offer dramatic contrast to the intimacy of the modest stable. (Clarion, $15 32p ages 5-up ISBN 0-395-97015-6; Sept.) Julie Paschkis's eclectic illustrations accompany this adaptation of E.T.A. Hoffman's The Nutcracker, which includes some darker tales that never made it into the dance and a CD of Tchaikovsky's musical score, performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. (Chronicle, $19.95 40p all ages ISBN 0-8118-2962-6; Nov.)

The fearless leader of Santa's sleigh was a character created by Robert L. May in his book, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, in 1939 as part of a giveaway from Montgomery Ward. Though the text, which gives a nod to Clement C. Moore, is somewhat forced, the book gets a boost from David Wenzel's illustrations of a warm, appealing Santa. (Grosset &Dunlap, $9.99 40p ages 3-up ISBN 0-448-42534-3; Sept.)

In another nod to Moore, The Teacher's Night Before Christmas by Steven L. Layne, illus. by James Rice, St. Nick drives a school bus through the skies, with his elves and workshop in tow, extolling the virtues of instructors everywhere. (Pelican, $14.95 32p ages 9-12 ISBN 1-56554-833-7; Sept.)

The Young Oxford Book of Christmas Poems, edited by Michael Harrison and Christopher Stuart-Clark, gathers some 100 poems, by Sylvia Plath, Ted Hughes, William Blake and others. Artwork by an array of artists provide a pleasingly festive backdrop. (Oxford, $19.95 160p ages 10-up ISBN 0-19-276247-8; Nov.)