Magical Mystery Tours

Three reissues highlight different kinds of magic. In Brian Selznick's The Houdini Box, nine-year-old Victor's fascination with the enigmatic magician leads him to lock himself in trunks, hold his breath in the bath and walk through walls, all to no avail. Then one day he meets Houdini at the train station. "In his arresting, informative blend of fact and fiction, Selznick splendidly captures the sense of wonder surrounding Houdini," said PW of the book, originally published in 1991. (S&S/Atheneum, $17 64p all ages ISBN 0-689-84488-3; Aladdin, paper $4.99 -84451-4; Sept.)

Caldecott Honor artist Peter Sís (Tibet Through the Red Box) unlocks the mystery of his native Prague with The Three Golden Keys (1994). When his wayward hot air balloon alights in the city of his youth, a young man journeys through memory-laden streets in search of the keys that will open the padlocks now bolted to his family home. In a starred review, PW called Sís's volume, with its mix of mystery, magic and Czech folklore "a treasure." (FSG/Foster, $23 64p all ages ISBN 0-374-37525-9; Oct.) Robert Frost's Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening with Susan Jeffers's 1978 illustrations plays up a festive family atmosphere. Jeffers warms the snowy b&w scenes by accenting coats, blankets and birds with muted colors. A frosty vellum cover evokes a wintry feel. (Dutton, $15.99 32p ages 4-up ISBN 0-525-46734-3; Sept.)

All Aboard!

Five familiar titles are now available as board books. A barnyard springs to life in Flora McDonnell's I Love Animals. The girl narrator tells readers that she loves the "donkey braying 'hee-haw!' " and the "cat washing her kittens." (Candlewick, $6.99 24p ages 3 mos.-3 yrs. ISBN 0-7636-1546-3; Aug.) A new kitten arrives in Ginger by Charlotte Voake, but reigning feline "Ginger didn't want a new friend, especially one like this." Cat lovers and families with new babies will savor this story of how the two learn to live with each other and have fun. (Candlewick, $6.99 28p ages 3 mos.-4 yrs. ISBN 0-7636-1540-4; Sept.)

Ten in the Bed retold by Penny Dale shows a boy's stuffed animals banging, thumping and bonking out of his bed as they "Roll over, roll over!" in this counting rhyme. Once Hedgehog, Zebra and the others are on the floor, the "little one said, 'I'm cold! I miss you!' "(Candlewick, $6.99 24p ages 18 mos.-3 yrs. ISBN 0-7636-1575-7; Sept.) Another countdown begins in 10 Minutes Till Bedtime by Peggy Rathmann, as an entire community of hamsters joins a boy and his own pet hamster in getting ready for bed. Loads of activity on each spread finally causes the boy to scream, "BED TIME!" and all go peacefully off to sleep. (Putnam, $7.99 42p ages 2-6 ISBN 0-399-23770-4; Sept.) One more bedtime counting book will soothe readers and inspire dreams. While You Were Sleeping by John Butler tells young children that "One tiger went hunting in the jungle" and "Four baby owls sat wide-eyed in an old oak tree." All 10 animals appear realistically painted in their natural settings. (Peachtree, $6.95 24p ages 3 mos.-4 yrs. ISBN 1-56145-254-8; Sept.)

In his first board-book format, Kevin Henkes brings the star of Sheila Rae, the Brave back in Sheila Rae's Peppermint Stick. Here, the familiar theme of sibling rivalry surfaces between the heroine and her younger sister, Louise. As one might suspect, Sheila Rae meets her comeuppance, and in the end, all is well. (HarperFestival, $6.95 24p ages 2-4 ISBN 0-06-029451-5; Aug.)

Melanie Walsh presents early concepts in two lift-the-flap board books. In What's There? children find that the cat is "behind the door," a frog is "under the lily pad" and a moth is "near the light bulb." A lift of the flap in Big and Little causes each picture to change into its opposite. For example, on one page, a child is at the bottom of a ladder; the opened flap shows the child's feet at the top. (Candlewick, $4.99 each 14p ages 2-up ISBN 0-7636-1509-9; -1512-9; Aug.)

Damon Burnard invites readers to play the familiar "I Spy" game on each page of I Spy in the Ocean and I Spy in the Jungle, both illus. by Julia Cairns. In a spread for Ocean, for example, "something beginning with the letter A" highlights "A" in a circle, and readers can see part of a sea creature through a die-cut circle on the opposite page. Once the page is turned, the "A" shows through the circle, to begin the word "Angelfish," while the background of the full-bleed spread features the fish swimming past in colorful waters. Each book provides relevant "Animal Facts" at the end. (Chronicle, $6.95 each 24p ages 2-5 ISBN 0-8118-2988-X; -2987-1; Aug.)

Tricycle Press kicks off a new series called World Snacks with First Book of Sushi by Amy Wilson Sanger. A simple rhyming text demonstrates the different kinds of sushi children can eat: "I'll take yellowtail hamachi/ and a red maguro slice./ Big, BIG futomaki/ has so many grains of rice!" A pronunciation guide would have been helpful for novice diners, but the bright collage illustrations help to identify the menu items. (Tricycle, $6.95 20p ages 1-3 ISBN 1-58246-050-7; Sept.)

And finally, the Look Baby! series adds two titles by Margaret Miller. Close-up photos of baby faces appear in Boo! Baby and the babies are dressed up in costumes. In Peekaboo Baby youngsters can play their favorite game. (S&S/Little Simon, $5.99 each 14p ages 3 mos.-2 yrs. ISBN 0-689-84432-8; -84433-6; Sept.)

Pottermania

Father/daughter team Allan Zola Kronzek and Elizabeth Kronzek target the wizard's mature fans with The Sorcerer's Companion: A Guide to the Magical World of Harry Potter. Each alphabetically organized entry contains a potent blend of fact, fiction and folklore. The "Broomstick" entry, for instance, details the effects of a purported "flying ointment" that witches rub into their brooms to prepare for takeoff. The section on "The Sorcerer's Stone" explains the ancient Egyptian art of alchemy. A note at the end of each section shows readers where to find the reference in the Harry Potter books. Thorough research and period prints combine to create a memorable book. (Random/Broadway, $15 304p all ages ISBN 0-7679-0847-3; Sept.)

In the opening of Kids' Letters to Harry Potter from Around the World, editor Bill Adler says, "Kids from all over the world sent us letters. Some came via e-mail, some by conventional mail. Some were collected by teachers and librarians and sent to us in a bundle." Adler does not explain how the letters were solicited or whether Potter author J.K. Rowling ever saw this "unauthorized collection." Interviews with the children break the monotony, but the absence of any organizing principle makes this book a thick read. (Carroll & Graf [PGW, dist.], $18 200p all ages ISBN 0-7867-0890-5; Aug.)

Editor Sharon Moore also rounds up children's letters in Harry Potter, You're the Best!: A Tribute from Fans the World Over. This follow-up to We Love You Harry Potter! We'll Tell You Why organizes correspondence by themes such as "Our Most and Least Favorite Characters," and includes poems, songs, recipes—even a crossword puzzle. Their drawings illustrate the book. An appendix suggests fiction and nonfiction titles for further reading. (St. Martin's, $6.99 paper 154p all ages ISBN 0-312-28254-0; Aug.)