All A-board!

An octet of favorite picture books now appears as board book editions. Wanderlust sends a rooster to the road, and loneliness leads him to take on traveling companions in the adventure-cum-counting book Rooster's Off to See the World by Eric Carle. The type may be small, to fit the format, but symbols in the corner of each spread help readers keep track of the travelers' growing number. (S&S/Little Simon, $7.99 26p ages 2-5 ISBN 0-689-84901-X; Jan.)

"Tip-toe, tippity-toe/ Over the leaves and down below/ Off to Grandma's house we go/ Sings Little Mouse," in Off We Go! by Jane Yolen, illus. by Laurel Molk. Little Frog, Little Mole and others have the same idea in this rhythmic, repetitive jaunt. (Little, Brown, $5.95 16p ages 6 mos-5 yrs. ISBN 0-316-90972-6; Apr.)

Three books by Jonathan London, illus. by Michael Rex, commemorating everyday actions, cater to the littlest hands. Wiggle Waggle makes music out of the simplest animal actions. "How does a duck walk? Wiggle waggle, wiggle, waggle." The question repeats throughout, each time substituting a different creature. Snuggle Wuggle asks how animals hug; Crunch Munch is an homage to eating. (Harcourt/Red Wagon, $5.95 each 22p ages 6 mos.-3 yrs ISBN 0-15-216588-6; -216594-0; -216600-9; Mar.)

When a baby bear awakens to a "broken" TV, her parents hire a repair man in Fix-It by David McPhail. But when mother bear starts reading a book, Emma forgets all about her favorite shows. (Dutton, $6.99 24p ages 2-5 ISBN 0-525-46849-8; Jan.)

Caldecott Honor artist Leo Lionni's Let's Make Rabbits is tailor-made for a board book. Simple line drawings and cut-paper collage artwork illustrate the bare bones tale of a pencil and a pair of scissors that craft two bunnies who become "the best of friends." (Knopf, $6.99 28p ages 6 mos.-4 yrs. ISBN 0-375-81564-3; Jan.)

PW called Melissa Sweet's Fiddle-I-Fee an "ebullient take on a familiar nursery song," now built to endure for youngest music-lovers. (Little, Brown, $5.95 22p ages 6mos.-3yrs. ISBN 0-316-75861-2; Apr.)

Readin' and Eatin'

Special delivery! Five mouthwatering titles arrive to satisfy hungry kids. In Pizza! by Jan Pienkowski, "The king is coming for lunch," and his minions prepare a proper pizza feast for the golden-maned monarch with a giant roar. "Caterpillars," "bugs" and "tadpoles" number among the "creepy, crawly... toppings," which appear with the aid of a turning wheel. An assortment of pull tabs, liftable flaps and neon-bright pop-ups bring the kitchen to life. (Candlewick, $12.99 12p ages 3-7 ISBN 0-7636-1626-5; Apr.)

A young narrator takes readers behind the scenes at his family's restaurant, and serves up a surprise in the end, in Big Jimmy's Kum Kau Chinese Take Out by Caldecott Honor artist Ted Lewin. Realistic watercolors depict the food, family and Brooklyn neighborhood with flair. A recipe for "Buddha's Delight," a vegetable dish, is included. (HarperCollins, $16.95 40p ages 5-9 ISBN 0-688-16026-3; Jan.)

With its pillowy soft sesame-seed "bun," silky layers of "cheese," a terry cloth "patty" and layer of "lettuce," The Big Burger Book by Jocelyn Jamison may have kids wanting to take a bite out of it. An eight-line jingle-like text is sandwiched between the bun; the cardboard carrying case lends a fast food feel. (PSS!, $9.99 10p all ages ISBN 0-8431-7692-X; Feb.)

Health-conscious young chefs will appreciate The Jumbo Vegetarian Cookbook by Judi Gillies and Jennifer Glossup, illus. by Louise Phillips. Recipes range from garlic bread and mashed potatoes to more challenging dishes such as Mediterranean Couscous and Chickpea Curry. Introductory pages teach about nutrition, safety tips and cooking terms. (Kids Can, $14.95 paper 256p ages 8-up ISBN 1-55074-977-3; Mar.)

For dessert, try Ice Cream from the team behind Cow, Jules Older and Lyn Severance. The author chronicles the history of the confection introducing such famous figures as Marco Polo, who brought back "water ice" from China in the 13th century and Augustus Jackson, the White House chef—and "probably America's first black ice cream manufacturer"—who made the dessert for First Lady Dolly Madison. A timeline along the bottom of each page takes readers along the ice cream continuum. Severance, who designed the look of Ben and Jerry's carton art, brightens up the pages with bold graphics. (Charlesbridge, $16.95 32p ages 7-10 ISBN 0-88106-111-5; $6.95 paper -112-3; Feb.)

Natural Wonders

The team behind One Bean and Pumpkin Day, Pumpkin Night join up for a lesson on metamorphosis in Becoming Butterflies by Anne Rockwell, illus. by Megan Halsey. Cut-paper collage creates a three-dimensional effect in Miss Dana's classroom; the students' pictures record the chrysalis stage and the butterflies' emergence. Front endpapers label different caterpillars, while the back endpapers picture the butterflies they become, labeled with common and scientific names. (Walker, $15.95 32p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-8027-8797-5; Mar.)

Why does the grass snake sleep for more than 150 days straight and the cow chew its cud for 10 to 12 hours each day? Find out in The Laziest: Amazing Facts About Lazy Animals by Mymi Doinet. Each animal gets a spread with a full-color portrait and a fact bubble that shows its habitat on the major continents (plus size, weight and favorite foods). Other titles in the paper-over-board Faces of Nature series include The Loudest: Amazing Facts About Loud Animals; The Meanest: Amazing Facts About Aggressive Animals; and The Ugliest: Amazing Facts About Ugly Animals. (Random, $8.99 each 36p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-375-81408-6; -81406-X; -81407-8; -81409-4; Feb.)

Now (Re) Appearing

Providing a prescient vision of suburban sprawl, The House the Pecks Built by Helen and Alf Evers is as relevant today as when it was first published in 1940. Not content with their one-room house, the newly monied Pecks keep adding on. Soon, it's so large that tourists come to visit the "Biggest House in the World" and dinner guests travel "from the living room to the dining room by train." Three-color artwork adds nostalgic charm. (Overlook, $18.95 36p ages 9-12 ISBN 0-87951-726-3; Jan.)

Strong, centered and free from fear, a girl imagines herself as a skywriter bidding farewell to her dying uncle, a former pilot, in I'll See You in My Dreams (1993) by Mavis Jukes, illus. by Stacey Schuett—an unsentimental look at the rituals that attend the passage of life. (Knopf, $14.95 32p ages 6-10 ISBN 0-375-81518-X; Mar.)

Most Beloved Sister (1949) by the late Pippi Longstocking author Astrid Lindgren, trans. by Elizabeth Kallick Dyssegaard, is the nickname given to the heroine by her imaginary "twin sister." The author gives credence to this common childhood companion, while Hans Arnold's illustrations, added in 1973, create a lush world filled with magical inhabitants. (R&S [FSG, dist.], $15 28p ages 3-7 ISBN 91-29-65502-1; Apr.)

Four felines temporarily adopt a displaced puppy in Kitten for a Day (1974) by Ezra Jack Keats. "Next time let's all be puppies," he says to his friends when his mother comes to fetch him. Now, as ever, Keats's sunny illustrations reflect the joy of discovery. (Viking, $15.99 32p ages 2-5 ISBN 0-670-89227-0; Mar.)

"Would you rather... your dad did a dance at school or your mom made a fuss in a café?" John Burningham poses many more questions in Would You Rather... Humorous (and thought-provoking) vignettes accompany each possibility. (North-South/SeaStar, $15.95 32p ages 5-8 ISBN 1-58717-135-X; Mar.)

Circus performers break the bondage of the big top and strike out on their own in The Clown Said No by Mischa Damjan, trans. by Anthea Bell. Damjan, whose real name was Dimitrije Sidjanski, was the co-founder of the Swiss publisher Nord-Süd Verlag, and this was the first book the house published, in 1962. Christa Unzner provides new, psychologically complex illustrations. (North-South, $15.95 32p ages 5-8 ISBN 0-7358-1552-6; Apr.)

Storm Run: The Story of the First Woman to Win the Iditarod Sled Dog Race by Libby Riddles, illus. by Shannon Cartwright, recounts the 1,100-mile adventure, updating details in this new edition. An inspiring story packed with snapshots and detailed illustrations of winter gear, Iditarod equipment and the race route. (Sasquatch, $16.95 48p ages 6-10 ISBN 1-57061-298-6; $9.95 paper -293-5; Jan.)

On Their Honor

A collaboration with Girl Scouts of the USA, Every Girl Tells a Story: A Celebration of Girls Speaking Their Minds by photographer and documentary filmmaker Carolyn Jones, captures the voices and faces of 96 girls (some Girl Scouts, others not) aged 13-18 in full-color and b&w photographs to create one striking volume. They discuss their inspirations and their ambitions in their own words, from dreams of opening a women's clinic in Iran to becoming a U.S. senator. First Lady Laura Bush provides the foreword. (S&S, $19.95 86p 132p all ages ISBN 0-689-84872-2; Mar.)