Heroes, Hope & Healing

A year after the tragedy of September 11, a second wave of titles arrives to inspire and comfort youngsters (see Children's Forecasts, July 29 for additional titles). The Hero's Trail: A Guide for a Heroic Life by T.A. Barron profiles people who exemplify heroic qualities, both well-known and less recognizable. Illustrating the importance of survival instincts in times of crisis, for example, the author mixes stories about Satchel Paige and Abraham Lincoln, Ruby Bridges and Anne Frank with the story of 10-year-old Joshua Dennis, who sang and prayed before being rescued from the mine where he was trapped for five days in 1989. Each chapter opens with a hiking story that illustrates a heroic quality and an inspirational quote; "More Quotations for the Trail" rounds out the volume. (Philomel, $14.99 160p ages 8-12 ISBN 0-399-23860-3; Sept.)

Similarly, Rabbi Marc Gellman (he and Monsignor Thomas Hartman together are known as the God Squad) offers stories for sustenance in And God Cried, Too: A Kid's Book of Healing and Hope. The collection stars Mikey, a "guardian-angel-in-training" and his teacher, "chief angel," Gabe. Each chapter is based on one of Mikey's questions ("What if nothing makes any sense?" and "What can I do when I'm afraid?" among them); Gellman's "Things to think about" section sums up each chapter. (HarperTrophy, $5.99 paper 128p ages 7-up ISBN 0-06-009886-4; Sept.)

New York's Bravest are the models for Firemouse by Nina Barbaresi, first issued in 1987. Mack, the titular mouse, moves into his neighborhood firehouse after his own is destroyed in a blaze. There, he and a group of mice start their own squad—the Brooklyn Blazers—and fight their first fire. As Barbaresi explains in her dedication, the work was guided by the men of Brooklyn's Squad 1, many of whom died on September 11, 2001. (Knopf, $12.95 32p ages 5-8 ISBN 0-375-82294-1; Aug.)

Here Come Our Firefighters! by Chris Demarest offers a behind-the-scenes tour of the station house. A firetruck stretches across the length of one spread that folds out into three panels; labels name each part (e.g. extension ladder and tow hook). Pull-tabs help a firefighter slide down a pole, while a pop-up highlights a burning building. (S&S/Little Simon, $10.95 18p ages 4-7 ISBN 0-689-84834-X; Sept.) Patriotism is the name of the game in Uncle Sam: A Press Out and Play Book by Steve Light. The work opens with a brief history of how the name came to be; sturdy red, white and blue pieces pop out from the thick board book's pages. Assembly instructions are included; string (to pull the wheeled, parade-ready model) is not. (Abrams, $7.95 8p ages 3-6 ISBN 0-8109-3498-1; Sept.)

True Companions

A bevy of companion titles arrives just in time for back-to-school reading. With nary a note of text (save a pointed front-page explanation and one-word labels, as in his other drawing books), Ed Emberley's Drawing Book of Weirdos uses hieroglyphics-like spreads to teach the art of illustrating characters such as "Evil Eva" and "Napoleon Bonyparts." Other monsters include a witch, werewolf and vampire. (Little, Brown, $15.95 32p ages 7-up ISBN 0-316-23546-6; paper $7.95 -23314-5; Sept.) In signature style, Melanie Walsh (Do Monkeys Tweet?, etc.) continues her exploration of the animal kingdom in My Beak, Your Beak. "Dachshunds are long with little legs./ Dalmatians are tall and spotty. But…/ they both love chasing sticks!" My Nose, Your Nose spotlights an array of people ("Arthur's hair is brown and straight./ Kit's hair is black and spiky. But.../ they both don't like shampoo!"). (Houghton, $15 each 32p ages 2-6 ISBN 0-618-15079-X;-15077-3; Sept.)

Collaborators on The Adventures of Bert, Allan Ahlberg and Raymond Briggs team up for a second round of silliness in A Bit More Bert. Cheeky chapters introduce absurd scenarios (in "Bert's Dog," Bert takes his dog, also named Bert, for a walk; in "Bert's Chips," the boy shares his snack with Grandma Bert, Baby Bert and Bert the dog); the unadulterated text and comic strip—style illustrations play up the slapstick humor. (FSG, $16 32p ages 3-6 ISBN 0-374-32489-1; Oct.)

The team behind The Grapes of Math and Math for All Seasons follows up with a third title for aspiring mathematicians: The Best of Times: Math Strategies That Multiply by Greg Tang, illus. by Harry Briggs. Tang eschews multiplication tables in favor of emphasizing a better understanding of numbers and quantities. Bouncy, rhyming ditties remind kids, among other things, that 0 times anything is zero ("For every problem it's the same,/ zilch or zero is its name!") Briggs's cheery signature artwork, featuring an active menagerie, keeps the concepts clear and the mood light. (Scholastic, $16.95 32p ages 7-10 ISBN 0-439-21044-5; Sept.)

Elinor J. Pinczes and Randall Enos (Inchworm and a Half) also add another mathematically inspired title to the equation with My Full Moon Is Square. Here, fireflies band together to form a froggy nightlight so the fellow can read: "Their total of four was the smallest of squares./ 'How kind,' said the frog to the two daring pairs". Enos's linocuts of the ever-growing luminous square adds comedy to the pondlife scenes. (Houghton, $15 32p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-618-15489-2; Sept.)

Children count to 10 and back in Quilt Counting by Lesa Cline-Ransome, illus. by James E. Ransome. This follow-up to Quilt Alphabet celebrates the ways in which a quilt ("a legacy handcrafted") stitches together the generations of a farm family and, in turn, exemplifies their love for the land. Ransome's luxuriant palette exhibits Matisse-like intensity. (North-South/SeaStar, $15.95 40p ages 4-7 ISBN 1-58717-177-5; Aug.)

The sequel to Big Al, Big Al and Shrimpy by Andrew Clements, illus. by Yoshi, explores the friendship between the mismatched fish; an unlikely turn of events signals certain change in the smaller fish's popularity. The full-bleed spreads of the ocean depths are every bit as appealing as in the previous book. (S&S, $16.95 40p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-689-84247-3; Sept.) Tacky steals the show—but not in the way he had hoped—in Tackylocks and the Three Bears, the fifth title in the Tacky series by Helen Lester, illus. by Lynn Munsinger. This time around he joins up with penguin pals Goodly, Lovely, Angel, Neatly and Perfect to put on a play for Miss Beakly's class. (Houghton/Lorraine, $15 32p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-618-22490-4; Sept.)

Fans of Elizabeti's Doll and Mama Elizabeti will welcome the third title in the series, Elizabeti's School by Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen, illus. by Christy Hale. Elizabeti looks forward to her first day of school but, once she arrives, she wonders what her family is doing at home. (Lee & Low, $16.95 32p ages 4-8 ISBN 1-58430-043-4; Sept.) As he did in While You Were Sleeping, John Butler deftly portrays animals in their natural setting in Hush, Little Ones. Soft light and lilting rhyme ("Hush, little rabbits,/ don't make a sound./ Sleep tight in your burrow, deep underground") are certain to soothe. (Peachtree, $15.95 32p ages 1-5 ISBN 1-56145-269-6; Sept.)

At Your Fingertips

Two fun references with punchy graphics hit bookstores this season. Completely revised and updated, The World Almanac for Kids 2003 covers more than 35 subjects including Animals, Computers, the Environment, and Sports alongside full-color photographs and a zippy design featuring neon-bright color-coded tabs by subject. All new games, puzzles and activities as well as "Did You Know?" factoids have been added; some sections, like the one on the US military, have been expanded. A timeline—"Remembering September 11"—opens the volume, followed by "Faces and Places," a special section focusing on popular people and events from the past year (e.g., Olympic Gold Medalist Sarah Hughes and five-time Grammy winner Alicia Keys). A companion Web site (www.worldalmanacforkids.com) expands on several of the categories and offers additional puzzles and games. (World Almanac Books [St. Martin's, dist.], $11.95 paper 336p ages 8-14 ISBN 0-88687-878-0; July)

The creators of TIME for Kids classroom magazines present The 2003 Time for Kids Almanac, ed. by Holly Hartman. The comprehensive volume contains facts on Books, Dinosaurs, Fashion, Government, Language and Religion—more than 30 subjects in all—enhanced by color photographs, diagrams and maps. The volume opens with a survey of last year's top news, including a look back at September 11, 2001; a section called Homework Helper teaches study and test-taking skills as well as how to write reports and conduct interviews. (Time for Kids [800-327-6388], $11.99 paper 340p ages 8-12 ISBN 1-929-04952-8; July)