Hear Them Roar

Just in time for Women's History Month, three titles sing the praises of outstanding women and girls. In Where the Action Was: Women War Correspondents in World War II, Penny Colman chronicles the contributions of the women who worked the front lines and, in so doing, laid a path for other female journalists. Margaret Bourke-White was "the only foreign photographer in the Soviet Union" when the Nazis attacked Moscow; Lee Miller—top-fashion-model-turned-Vogue-photographer—captured on film one of the first napalm explosions. Maps, newspaper headlines and more than 70 photographs supplement this comprehensive volume. (Crown, $17.95 128p ages 10-up ISBN 0-517-80075-6; Feb.)

The team behind Girls Think of Everything again pairs up for The Sky's the Limit: Stories of Discovery by Women and Girls by Catherine Thimmesh, illus. by Melissa Sweet. The enlightening volume, designed like a scrapbook with collage elements, drawings and photos, places well-known women, such as author Beatrix Potter and behaviorist Jane Goodall, alongside lesser-known figures such as Denise Schmandt-Besserat, who discovered the "roots of writing," and contemporary teens, eighth graders from Spokane, Wash., who in 1997 developed an environmentally sound solution to the local farmers' allergic complications, arising from their annual burning of the bluegrass fields. Back matter includes a list of organizations, Web sites, quotes, bibliography, a timeline of women's discoveries and an index. (Houghton, $16 80p ages 10-up ISBN 0-618-07698-0; Mar.)

The impressive, chronologically organized 33 Things Every Girl Should Know About Women's History: From Suffragettes to Skirt Lengths to the E.R.A., edited by Tonya Bolden, begins with Abigail Adams's 1776 letter to her husband, "Remember the Ladies," proceeds through Charlotte Perkins Gilman's groundbreaking "The Yellow Wallpaper" (excerpted) and includes thoughtful reflections on other leading women, such as Patricia McKissack's fictional essay narrated by Charlotte Woodward (the only woman in attendance at the Seneca Falls convention still alive to exercise her right to vote). Period photographs, quotes, timelines, bios and varied typography give the volume an attractive, accessible feel. (Crown, $12.95 paper 240p ages 12-up ISBN 0-375-81122-2; Feb.)

Happy 100th Birthday, Peter Rabbit

Marking the centennial of the publication of The Tale of Peter Rabbit, The Ultimate Peter Rabbit: A Visual Guide to the World of Beatrix Potter by Camilla Hallinan brings together more than 300 illustrations, original sketches and memorabilia. Although many fans may know the history of the tale's beginnings (as a letter to young bedridden Noel Moore, to entertain and cheer him), they may not be as familiar with Potter's early interest in drawing from nature, especially her pets (rabbits, mice, birds, etc.). The beautifully designed layout evokes a scrapbook and incorporates more than 50 photographs of Potter's English country home. (DK, $19.95 130p all ages ISBN 0-7894-8538-9; Mar.)

Musical Notes

Two new board books by Pamela Conn Beall and Susan Hagen Nipp, illus. by Hala Wittwer, coincide with the 25th anniversary of the Wee Sing series. If You're Happy and You Know It shows a ladybug clapping and a centipede stomping; Old McDonald features each farmyard animal oinking or mooing, solo, while the previously featured animals cheer. (PSS!, $4.99 each 26p ages 3-6 ISBN 0-8431-7759-4; -7758-6; Mar.)

Usborne's Carry-Me Books series presents four nursery classics—Mary Had a Little Lamb; One, Two, Buckle My Shoe; This Little Piggy and Sing a Song of Sixpence—in a tote-able format with sturdy curved handles on the paper-over-board covers. Laminated pages ensure durability, and Linda Edwards's cheerful illustrations and Eileen O'Brien's musical notes will strike a chord with preschoolers and parents. (EDC/Usborne, $5.95 each 16p ages 6mos-3yrs. ISBN 0-7945-0124-9; -0123-0; -0125-7; -0122-2; Jan.)

A trio of board books—The Lady with the Alligator Purse; Miss Mary Mack and Skip to My Lou—plus their words set to music make up the contents of Mary Ann Hoberman and Nadine Bernard Westcott's Sing-Along Songs: Three Books and Tape Set. A sturdy case with a plastic handle makes it easy to tote, and a Velcro closure ensures the books' easy accessibility for encore performances. (Little, Brown/Tingley, $14.95 22p each ages 6mos.-5yrs. ISBN 0-316-93021-0; Mar.)

Another handy carrying case, with a blue satin handle, contains A Box of Animal Crackers: Three Board Books by Jane Dyer. The three hand-size volumes—Animal Crackers: Bedtime; Animal Crackers: Nursery Rhymes; and Animal Crackers: Animal Friends— are excerpted from her Animal Crackers: A Delectable Collection of Pictures, Poems and Lullabies for the Very Young, which PW said, in a starred review, has "the power to entice youngest children to cherish the richness and diversity of both language and art." (Little, Brown, $12.95 16p ages 6mos.-5yrs. ISBN 0-316-19687-8; Mar.)

Those wishing to expand their repertoire will appreciate the 11 original songs collected by Tish Hinojasa in both English and Spanish in Cada Niño/Every Child: A Bilingual Songbook for Kids, illus. by Lucia Angela Perez. Melody line, guitar chords and piñata-bright mixed-media folk art provide lively accompaniment. (Cinco Puntos [Consortium, dist.], $18.95 56p all ages ISBN 0-938317-60-1; Apr.)

Ancient Civilizations

As he did in Gods and Goddesses of the Ancient Maya, Leonard Everett Fisher continues to explore mythology in Gods and Goddesses of the Ancient Norse. Set against bold portraits, informative passages explain each of the 14 deity's place in the pantheon. Endpapers contain a map, bibliography, pronunciation guide and a Norse gods family tree. (Holiday, $16.95 40p ages 6-10 ISBN 0-8234-1569-4; Feb.)

Readers who like a more in-depth approach to mythology will appreciate Sean Sheehan's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece. Marked by icons, "trails" such as "Gods & Goddesses," "Myths" and "Writers" guide readers to entries that will amplify each theme. Words in the text listed in bold type refer readers to additional entries. Full-color photographs, maps and artifacts illuminate the text. (Getty Publications, $19.95 160p ages 9-up ISBN 0-89236-667-2; Mar.)

A Dahl-ing Duo

This spring, two Roald Dahl classics reappear in collector's editions. In Roald Dahl's Revolting Rhymes, illus. in full color by Quentin Blake, originally published in 1982, the author puts his distinctive satirical spin on six traditional tales including "Snow White" ("From now on, Queen, you're Number Two./ Snow White is prettier than you!" says the Magic Mirror) and "The Three Little Pigs." Danny the Champion of the World, originally published in 1975, also illus. with pen-and-ink drawings by Blake, tells the story of a nine-year-old boy learning the art of poaching at his beloved father's knee (the BFG also makes an appearance here). Both volumes close with an interview given by the author in 1988, two years before his death. (Knopf, $15.95 each 64p ages 8-12 ISBN 0-375-81556-2; -81425-6; Feb.)

New Looks for Old Friends

From Little Bear's 1957 debut as the launch title in the I Can Read series to the direct-to-video release of The Little Bear Movie, the ursine hero, originally created by Else Holmelund Minarik and depicted in ink-and-watercolor wash by Maurice Sendak, takes center stage in five picture books by Minarik, based on the Nick Jr animated television series produced by Nelvana (which holds the copyright on the text). Artists chosen by Sendak illustrate the books. In Little Bear's New Friend, illus. by Heather Green, the fellow befriends a wild cub while camping on Pudding Hill. Father's Flying Flapjacks and To Grandmother's House, both illus. by David Wenzel,appear in board book editions, while A Present for Mother Bear and The Search for Spring, both illus. by Chris Hahner, are novelty titles. (HarperFestival, $16.95 32p ages 2-6 ISBN 0-06-623817-X; board books $5.99 each ages 2-4 ISBN 0-694-01687-X; -01688-8; novelty books $3.99 each ages 2-4 -01711-6; -01710-8; Apr.)

Another television star has spawned a new series of books. Nearly half a century since he first appeared in Crockett Johnson's Harold and the Purple Crayon (1955), the intrepid hero enjoys all-new adventures in a pair of easy readers. Both titles, The Birthday Present and The Giant Garden by Valerie Garfield, based on a teleplay by Don Gillies, illus. by Kevin Murawski, are adapted from HBO Family's animated series. (HarperFestival, $3.99 each paper 32p ages 4-7 ISBN 0-694-01642-X; -01641-1; Mar.)