As in past seasons, many of the most creative and engaging new sidelines for summer 1999 target children, little and big.

CUDDLE 'N' READ: Soundprints' new board books on animals come with cute plush toys

Kamp Kids, a new stationery line from Patnie Papers Ltd., in Katonah, N.Y., works both sides of the sleep-away fence: kids at camp, who want mail, and parents back home, who crave news. Each of the 16 colorful images and bright greetings focus on traditional camp themes, including lack of homeward-bound mail, tips on telling spooky campfire stories, wish lists for visiting day (select items, cut out and mail home as a postcard) and the shock of a cleaned room. A fresh addition to any camper's mail call. Phone (800) 764-0953, fax (914) 232-3584.

For kids at home, or campers on a rainy day, Gamewright of Newton, Mass., has a cool twist on 3-D tick-tack-t called Ice Blocks. Using clear and light blue interlocking cubes, players build a pyramid-shaped wall of cubes: each player attempts to stack his or her color blocks so that they connect; at the same time each one tries to prevent the other from doing the same thing. (For ages eight and up.) Gamewright also announces Ask the Genie, a fortune-telling card game of small dimensions, but big fun. Some 55 fortune-telling cards plus a clip-and-carry travel pouch allow you to take this one on the road (or camp bunk). Four card decks vary genie's answers (and his commands); each deck includes a Magic Eye and Hidden Picture cards as well as Stinky Stickers. (For ages seven and up.) Precampers ages three and up can enjoy a new board game concerning friendship and far-away places based on the Holly Hobbie book Toot & Puddle (Little, Brown). This year Gamewright itself celebrates its fifth birthday as a creator of educational games for children. Call (800) 638-7568, fax (800) 735-7020.

The folks at Magnetic P try, Minneapolis, Minn., are getting visual this year, introducing Photo Faces and Misc. Magnets. Photo Faces are a set of variously sized magnetic tiles picturing eyes, mouths, noses and ears of humans and animals, ready to be mixed and matched to make some very distinctive visages. Misc. Magnets, over 180 tiles with colorful, symbolic images, are designed to frame and embellish photos and clippings, as one might a high-school locker. Monster Faces takes off from Photo Faces and gets creepy, with fangs, schnozzles, eyes and ears to combine in a ghoulish entity or apply sparingly to tweak photographs of family or friends. Sign Language sets consist of tiles with English (word or letter) on one side and the appropriate hand sign on the other. Adults and children can do portable MagPo, too, using metallic portfolio-style journals that come with starter word sets. Spooky campfire MagPo this summer? Call (800) 370-7697, fax (612) 338-6399.

For the younger set, Peponi, of Lake Havasu City, Ariz., makes Fat Dragons, colorful, plump plush toys that are more cuddly than fierce, yet full of personality (companion coloring book available). Beanosaurs combine the miniplush craze with the ever-popular dinosaur in brightly hued, pint-size versions of our favorite species: stegosaur, hadrosaur, pterodactyl, triceratops and the king himself, T-Rex, among others (Beanosaurs collectors book available). Ideal for the vacation backpack and snuggles away from home. Call (800) 314-4750, fax (520) 855-8898.

Soundprints, a Futech Interactive Products, Inc. company in Waukesha, Wis., specializes in marvelous nature and multicultural books and coordinated plush toys or cassettes, often published in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution or The Nature Conservancy. New this fall is a series of Let's Go to the Zoo! books featuring real-life photographs of animals in the Smithsonian Institution's National Zoological Park. Each 16-page board book highlights one animal in a factual manner young children (ages 18 months to 3 years) can relate to: Panda's Busy Day, Orang Utan's Play Time, Rhinoceros's Bathtime and New Baby Giraffe. Titles are available as single books or as gift sets with book and adorable 6- or 7-inch plush toy. Call (800) 541-2205, fax (414) 544-2022.

To help very young readers mark their places, King Plush, of Carson, Calif., has devised Bookmark Buddies, a line of elasticized bookmarks topped with miniature plush animal figures: pop Puddles D. Pig into the binding and see his head at one end and feet at the other. Not only pigs, but mice, bunnies, ducks, dogs, pandas, brown bears, zebras and monkeys get the stretch treatment. Call (800) 473-3402, fax (310) 638-3235.

The cheery gang at Fun-n-Nuf, Cleveland, Ohio, has also managed to make bookmarks immensely delightful and to keep on adding new creatures to their colorful, clip-over-the-page plastic products: wiggling into kids' summer reading this year is Willy the Bookworm. Any critter in the Fun-n-Nuf line makes a great party favor or gift package tie-on. Call (800) 333-3266, fax (614) 221-5775.