All A-Board!

Several popular picture books now appear as board books. In Emma's Pet (1985) by David McPhail, the ursine hero's search for a "big soft cuddly pet" yields disappointing results. But before the day is through, she makes an amazing discovery. With its subject matter and just a few words per page, it makes an ideal book for smallest hands. (Dutton, $6.99 24p ages 2-5 ISBN 0-525-47047-6; Mar.)

The sequel to Where's My Teddy?, Jez Alborough's My Friend Bear (1998) returns as a board book. Though the type may be small in this new incarnation, PW said this tale about a sad boy named Eddie and his chance encounter with a great big bear "will endear itself to pint-size preschoolers." (Candlewick, $6.99 28p ages 2-4 ISBN 0-7636-2017-3; Feb.)

First published in James Marshall's Mother Goose (1979) and illustrated in his signature style, Marshall's Hickory, Dickory, Dock & Other Mother Goose Rhymes and Hey Diddle Diddle have been broken out as hand-sized board books. Both offerings crackle with Marshall's sly humor; an electric orange, green and yellow palette adds zip. (FSG, $5.95 each 10p ages 1-4 ISBN 0-374-33068-9; -33067-0; Apr.)

Originally published in 1949 (two years after its companion, Goodnight Moon), My World by Margaret Wise Brown, illus. by Clement Hurd, was reissued in 2001 (after being out of print for more than 30 years)—and here neatly adapts to a board book format. PW wrote, "The volume's words and pictures stretch the boundaries of its time-honored predecessor, affirming that there is, indeed, a warm and welcoming world beyond the great green room." (HarperFestival, $7.99 36p ages 1-4 ISBN 0-694-00862-1; Jan.)

A quartet of animal friends attempt to soothe a crying infant in What Shall We Do with the Boo-Hoo Baby? by Cressida Cowell, illus. by Ingrid Godon. PW said of the picture book, published in 2000, "Cowell's sense of economy and pacing move the story along at a fast clip, while Godon calls attention to the situation's vaudevillian qualities." (Scholastic, $7.99 24p ages 6 mos.-4 yrs. ISBN 0-439-44266-4; Apr.)

Six selections from works previously published come together in the big squarish Animal Fun: First Noises, Words and Rhymes. The clearly labeled opening spread features "Farm Friends" from Catherine and Laurence Anholt's First Words and Pictures, followed by Louise Voce's "On Safari" and "Under the Sea" from My First Book of Animals, and selections from Amy McDonald's Let's Pretend, illus. by Maureen Roffey, encourage youngsters to "fly like a bird" and "wriggle like a worm." (Candlewick, $6.99 14p ages 2-5 ISBN 0-7636-1973-6; Apr.)

A quartet of board books—I Touch; I See; I Can; and I Hear—unite for one oversize volume: Helen Oxenbury's Big Baby Book. Each page divides into a trio of panels, in which the baby explores the world around him ("I touch.../ a worm/ my ball/ Granddad's beard") and demonstrates his growing physical competence ("I can.../ crawl/ sit/ stamp/ jump/ fall/ dance," etc.). Nursery-hued pencil-and-watercolor illustrations demonstrate each thing or action. (Candlewick, $7.99 10p ages 1-3 ISBN 0-7636-2016-5; Feb.)

The long-eared star of What Have You Done, Davy? and other tales stars in two hand-size board books by Brigitte Weninger, illus. by Eve Tharlet. He gets a sibling in A Baby for Davy: "Couldn't we get a pet mouse instead of a baby?" he asks, in this gentle discussion starter for older siblings-to-be. But he soon comes around when his baby sister will stop crying only in his arms. No Hugs for Davy after he eats a bowl of juicy berries intended for the whole family; but after he picks enough berries to refill the bowl, his mother rewards him with a hug. (North-South, $6.95 each 16p ages 2-4 ISBN 0-7358-1746-4; 1656-5; Feb.)

Welcome Back

Beloved novels return for a new generation of readers. Lloyd Alexander's first fantasy, Time Cat: The Remarkable Journeys of Jason and Gareth was published in 1963, before he went on to write the Newbery Honor book The Black Cauldron (1965) and The High King, winner of the 1969 Newbery Medal. Here, Gareth, a magical cat, and his human friend Jason travel to the past, visiting nine different eras all over the world, including ancient Egypt. (Holt, $16.95 224p ages 8-12 ISBN 0-8050-7270-5; Apr.)

Now in 35th-anniversary editions, John Christopher's Tripod trilogy, about a race of three-legged machines who rule the planet, appears with a new introduction from the author and revised texts. The White Mountains introduces 13-year-old Will as he flees the capping ceremony, a rite of passage in which the Tripods enslave their subjects by fitting them with metal headgear, and heads to Switzerland's White Mountains in search of the world's only remaining community of free people. The follow-up, The City of Gold and Lead, finds Will and friends living in Switzerland and training to overthrow the Tripods. But he must travel to the City of the Tripods, from which few return, to acquire vital information. In the final installment, The Pool of Fire, Will and friends fight against time to defend the human race from extinction, the end result of the Tripods' scheme. (S&S, $16.95 each 192p ages 12-up ISBN 0-689-85504-4; -85505-2; -85506-0; Apr.)

Following up on the successful reissue of Enchantress from the Stars, its companion, The Far Side of Evil by Sylvia Louise Engdahl, takes up after Elana's graduation from the Anthropological Service Academy. Sent on a dangerous assignment to the planet Toris, Elana has been deployed as an observer and must not betray her identity as an outsider. Yet the Torisians are poised for nuclear war. Can she stand by and simply watch, while her agent-partner feels compelled to intervene? (Walker, $18.95 336p ages 14-up ISBN 0-8027-8848-3; Apr.)

A pair of reissued novels addresses diverse chapters in American history. First published in 1968, and based on true events in 19th-century Maryland, The Gold-lined Box by Marjory Hall finds 16-year-old Matilda O'Neill confronting the admiral of the British ship where her father is detained during the War of 1812. In the second, when in 1846 Mormon leader Brigham Young commands her father to fight in the Mexican War, headstrong Corey Tremaine finds herself an unwilling partner in an arranged marriage in Wilderness Bride by Annabel and Edgar Johnson, a story first published in 1963. (Green Mansion [Midpoint, dist.], $11.95 each 224p ages 10-up; 12-up; ISBN 0-9714612-6-0; -7-9; Feb.)

On the Nature Trail

Several titles encourage budding nature lovers. Follow the Trail: A Young Person's Guide to the Great Outdoors by Jessica Loy, lists suggestions for beginning campers, from planning the trip (the author suggests "car camping in a private campground" for first-timers), to tips for setting up camp to what to include in a first aid kit when you're out on a hike. Hikers will appreciate photographic spreads of flora and fauna (complete with instructions on how to do leaf rubbings). Recipes for campfire stew, s'mores and more provide sustenance. (Holt, $18.95 48p ages 7-12 ISBN 0-8050-6195-9; May)

For those who wish to stay closer to home, the paper-over-board The Gardening Book by Jane Bull offers approaches to gardening "with or without a garden." The author begins with the basics, suggesting that gravel line the bottom of a planter to keep the roots from getting soggy. Photographs illustrate her ideas for year 'round "Pocket Plots" (miniature gardens that fit on the lid of a jar) as well as classic flower and vegetable gardens. "Grass People" and painting "Picture Pots" offer fun for the less ambitious. (DK, $12.99 48p ages 5-8 ISBN 0-7894-8884-1; Feb.)

From house plants to ant colonies, The Life and Times of the Ant by Charles Micucci comes to the fore with cutaway views and detailed explanations of the ant community's inner workings. A spread of an anthill shows how it "absorbs the sun's rays and transfers the heat down into the nest," while a cutaway view shows the insects' "house," complete with "day nursery" and "night nursery" as well as a "room" for food storage. Other watercolor illustrations demonstrate how "ants dig tunnels under streams and other obstacles." No creatures of leisure, the ants lead busy lives indeed. (Houghton, $16 32p ages 6-10 ISBN 0-618-00559-5; Mar.)

Organized by questions phrased the way a child might pose them, Everything Dog: What Kids Really Want to Know About Dogs by Marty Crisp answers a plethora of queries, from "Do dogs come from dinosaurs?" to "Do dogs cry?" (No, the author says, "They use body language [tail between legs, head down] or sounds [howls and whimpers]" to express grief). Photographs of adorable pups and adult dogs emphasize the author's answers. (NorthWord [952-936-4700], $9.95 64p ages 8-11 ISBN 1-55971-839-0; paper $6.95 -854-4; Mar.)

Hide and Seek

Hans de Beers's books about the Arctic cub inspire a quartet of novelty Little Polar Bear Stories, adapted by Susan Hill Long, illus. by DiCicco Studios. In I Found You! Lars the polar bear cub visits the jungle and plays hide-and-seek with his friend Henry, a hippo. A liftable flap extends each spread and reveals an additional friend. In the second, Where Is Mother?, the hero follows various sets of footprints (their owners are revealed with a lift of the flap) in search of his mother. The last pair of titles provides two pages of stickers with which readers can illustrate the story. Lars and friends try to teach snow goose Pieps how to fly in You Can Do It! and discover an old shipwreck in The Secret Hideout. (North-South/Night Sky, $3.99 each paper 16p ages 3-6 ISBN 1-59014-108-3; -109-1; -104-0; -105-9; Apr.)

Yves Got's Sam series continues with the oversize paper-overboard lift-the-flap book Where's Sam? Here, Sam plays a dual game of dress-up and hide-and-seek. For "Who is hiding behind the balloons?" readers lift a colorful flap to discover "It's Sam the clown!" The bunny also masquerades as a pirate, crocodile and knight, among other characters. (Chronicle, $10.95 12p ages 6 mos.-3 yrs. ISBN 0-8118-3764-5; Mar.)