Class Acts

Favorite characters help ease the transition back to school (or, for newcomers, through the classroom door). Siblings Lola and Charlie (first introduced in I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato) return in I Am Too Absolutely Small for School by Lauren Child. Charlie must convince Lola to give school a chance, though she is full of reasons why she doesn't need it: "I don't need to learn up to one hundred. I already know up to ten, and that is plenty." Per usual, Charlie works his big brother magic as Child's collages delight the eye. (Candlewick, $16.99 32p ages 3-6 ISBN 0-7636-2403-9; Aug.)

A companion to her Kindergarten ABC, Jacqueline Rogers's latest paper-over-board primer, Kindergarten Count to 100, follows a boy as he heads off to class, noting the seven "giant steps from the fountain to my door" and the 14 cars and trucks he proudly displays at Show-and-Tell. Readers can also name colors, observe a calendar and learn the meaning of first, second and third as the students wait their turn. (Scholastic/Cartwheel, $10.95 40p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-439-60741-8; July)

The mouse from Kindergarten, Here I Come doesn't want a turn in Henry's Show and Tell by Nancy Carlson. He is terrified to speak in class: "Whenever Henry tried to share, he felt all shaky." With his teacher's encouragement, the hero overcomes his fear, and the book ends on a humorous note. (Viking, $15.99 32p ages 3-up ISBN 0-670-03695-1; July)

After her debut in The Night Before Christmas, Ann Estelle wants to be Queen of the Class by greeting-card-illustrator Mary Engelbreit (which comes with a paper doll of the plucky girl). Initially bristling at being overlooked for the role of queen in the class play, Ann Estelle learns that being stage manager can make a girl feel regal, too. (HarperCollins, $15.99 32p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-06-008178-3; July)

Second Grade Rules, Amber Brown by Paula Danziger, illus. by Tony Ross, shows evidence of the "characteristic love of puns and her kid-targeted sense of humor" that PW praised in earlier installments about the spunky gal. Here, Amber struggles to keep her desk neat in hopes of being rewarded by a visit from Deskarina, the "desk fairy." (Putnam, $13.99 48p ages 5-up ISBN 0-399-23472-1; July)

Exploring emotions, Lizzy's Ups and Downs:Notan Ordinary School Day by Jessica Harper, illus. by Lindsay Harper duPont, is a follow-up to Lizzy's Do's and Don'ts. Here, Lizzy recounts her day to her mother, emphasizing her every emotion: "My new umbrella broke, so I was very irritated!" Lizzy also must contend with an annoying classmate and a friend moving away. (HarperCollins, $15.99 32p ages 3-8 ISBN 0-06-052063-9; June)

Little Critter finds out he is Just Big Enough in Mercer Mayer's latest. When the big kids won't let him play football and they take all the cupcakes, Little Critter tries vegetables, exercise and even a growing machine to spur his growth—before he learns that bigger isn't always better. (HarperFestival, $10.99 40p ages 3-7 ISBN 0-06-053963-1; July)

Fearsome educators get their due in My Creature Teacher by Laura Leuck, illus. by Scott Nash, narrated by the hero from My Beastly Brother. The hairy fellow rhapsodizes poetic about his stern, but loving, lizard-like teacher: "She takes us out for recess time/ to jump and play in piles of slime." Nash's semi-spooky cartoons are well paired to the mildly subversive rhymes. (HarperCollins, $15.99 32p ages 3-6 ISBN 0-06-029694-1; July)

An euphoric narrator announces I Love School! in this paper-over-board companion to I Love Trains! and other vehicular tributes by Philemon Sturges, illus. by Shari Halpern. Completely free of uncertainty and negativity, these kids embrace every aspect of class, from painting to trading lunches and story time. (HarperCollins, $12.99 32p ages 3-6 ISBN 0-06-009284-X; July)

Judy Moody, M.D.: The Doctor Is In! by Megan McDonald, illus. by Peter Reynolds, brings back the irrepressible heroine as her class studies the human body. Taking a field trip to the hospital, performing an operation on a zucchini (they first "take the Hippo oath [and] swear to the Hippo guy [to do their] doctor best") and getting tonsillitis are just a few of Judy's adventures this time around. (Candlewick, $15.99 176p ages 6-10 ISBN 0-7636-2024-6; Aug.)

The kids from Class Clown, Fourth-Grade Fuss by Johanna Hurwitz, illus. by Andy Hammond, finds Julio, Cricket and Lucas navigating typical school events, including a statewide standardized test, an ice-skating party and school picture day. (HarperCollins, $15.99 144p ages 8-12 ISBN 0-06-052343-3; Aug.)

Concept Fun

For those not yet ready for school but eager to learn, a smattering of interactive titles show off their bells and whistles. Lucy Cousins's omnipresent mouse counts from one to five in the paper-over-board, die-cut Maisy's Twinkly Crinkly Fun Book. Multiple textured accoutrements on each page include a bevy of furry animals, a gauzy tutu for Tallulah and a fuzzy sweater for Maisy. The straightforward text lists each number, followed by an action that creates a sound effect (e.g. "Splish-splash" as Maisy and Cyril engage in some "crinkly" puddle-jumping). (Candlewick, $10.99 12p ages 1-3 ISBN 0-7636-2273-7; June)

The paper-over-board One Some Many by Marthe Jocelyn, with a similar design to artist Tom Slaughter's 1 2 3, offers new insight into numerical concepts: "A few is more than two./ A few is three./ Or four./ Or more." Slaughter's vivid modern art paper collages illustrate a variety of objects including pears, fish and pencils. (Tundra, $11.95 32p ages 2-5 ISBN 0-88776-675-7; June)

For those who like to play school, two board book titles with actual chalkboards prompt plenty of pretend-classroom fun: My Little Chalkboard: Animal Friends and My Little Chalkboard: Playing with Numbers by Nancy Krulik, illus. by Barroux. Sections of each spread are designed to be written on with the chalk provided (along with eraser and cleaning cloth). The first title features creatures from pigs to ants, with a demonstration of how to write the animals' names, and a few brief facts about them, plus some creativity tips ("Draw your favorite place to sing"). The second title spans one to 10, with lines for writing both the numerals and their written spellings. (Running Press, $12.95 each 20p ages 3-6 ISBN 0-7624-1435-9; ISBN 0-7624-1436-7; June)

Youngsters can sharpen their visual skills with another Walter Wick offering, Can You See What I See? Seymour and the Juice Box Boat, third in the paper-over-board series. The text asks readers to scan the photographed landscape of blocks, toys and figurines to find objects as Seymour gathers tools: "Can you see 2 ducks, a pencil that's red?/ Can you help Seymour find some thread?" (Scholastic/Cartwheel, $8.99 32p ages 3-5 ISBN 0-439-61778-2; June)

And, speaking of finding things, Stu Smith's Dinosaur Hide-and-Seek pairs his rhymes with a lift-the-flap set-up that showcases Christopher Santoro's illustrations of prehistoric playtime. As a baby stegosaur counts, the other dinosaurs comedically hunt for hiding spots: "Behind a small bush hid the huge Spinosaur./ It was obvious to all he'd not played much before." The chubby creatures, zany rodents making silly faces in the grass and the weeping Titanosaur with nowhere to hide should appeal to youngsters. (HarperFestival, $8.99 20p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-694-01305-6; June)

Just for fun, the latest bug-infested celebration, Birthday Bugs: A Pop-up Party by David A. Carter features a present on every page. Each can be untied, opened and otherwise unwrapped to see the bugs within: Balloon Bugs, a Smoocher Bug—and bug candles that readers can insert into a climactic buggy birthday cake. (S&S/Little Simon, $10.95 16p ages 3-7 ISBN 0-689-81858-0; June)

Books for the Beach Bag

Four paperback titles kick off the Sunscreen series of self-help books aimed at teens. Just Us Girls by Moka, with Melissa Daly, illus. by Éric Heliot, divided into "phases" (sections) tackle subjects such as girls' changing bodies, self-awareness and relating to others—plus lighter fare such as "experimenting with makeup."

Sex Explained by Magali Clausener-Petit, with Daly, illus. by Soledad, navigates the body's changes (for boys and girls) during puberty, as well as such topics as intercourse, contraception and sexual crimes (e.g., rape and incest), offering advice on how not to become a victim. My Parents Are Getting Divorced by Florence Cadier, with Daly, illus. by Claire Gandini, can help kids caught in the middle, providing reassurance and advice: "Just listening to their fighting is hard enough; you shouldn't have to referee." Finally, Feeling Freakish? by Véronique le Jeune and Philippe Eliakim, with Daly, illus. by Princess H, tackles self-esteem issues and ends with quotes from real kids. Cartoons mix a comic touch with compassion: a girl confesses to a boy, "I can't go out with you because my ears stick out... I'm sure you understand." (Abrams/Amulet, $9.95 each paper 112p ISBN 0-8109-9161-6; ISBN 0-8109-9162-4; ISBN 0-8109-9163-2; ISBN 0-8109-9164-0; June)