Ongoing Series

This season, several series get new additions. Younger brother Robbie comes up with a plan to improve his mother's mood—and saves the rest of the unsuspecting family—in When Mommy Was Mad by Lynne Jonell, illus. by Petra Mathers. Framed in white, Mathers's colored-pencil vignettes once again use a minimalist approach to convey an array of emotions. (Putnam, $13.99 32p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-399-23433-0; May)

When they adopt Marcos, a Spanish-speaking toddler, the Barkers become bilingual in the latest addition to Tomie dePaola's popular series A New Barker in the House. The youngsters engage in various activities, with thought balloons describing the English and Spanish words. (Putnam, $13.99 32p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-399-23865-4; Apr.)

In the sequel to Little Bo, the feline heroine and her sailor friend Billy Bates hitchhike to Paris in Little Bo in France: The Further Adventures of Bonnie Boadicea by Julie Andrews Edwards, illus. by Henry Cole. The illustrated tour includes the Eiffel Tower and Montmartre before the pair boards a barge bound for the South of France. (Hyperion, $18.99 128p ages 3-7 ISBN 0-7868-0658-3; Apr.)

The star of the bestselling What Is Mr. Winkle? takes readers behind the scenes in Winkle's World by Lara Jo Regan. Readers trail the canine curiosity as he reads e-mail from fans and poses for a photo before traveling to a personal appearance. (Random, $14.95 40p ages 4-up ISBN 0-375-81543-0; May)

A scary storybook inspires Kipper to go camping in Kipper's Monster by Mick Inkpen, but when the frightened pup drops his flashlight, the image of a tiny snail seems supersized. (Harcourt/Red Wagon, $13.95 32p ages 3-7 ISBN 0-15-216614-9; May)

Just in time for Mother's Day and Father's Day, a pair of books by Todd Parr celebrates different kinds of parents. "Some mommies work at home/ Some mommies work in big buildings," states The Mommy Book, accompanied by Parr's signature combination of simple text and neon-bright contrasting colors with bold black line. Similarly, The Daddy Book highlights the differences between dads. (Little, Brown/Tingley, $14.95 each 32p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-316-60827-0; -60799-1; Apr.)

Miss Irma Birmbaum ("the toughest teacher in town"), star of The Attack of the 50-Foot Teacher, here takes a headlong fall into the party treats she is preparing for her students ("prune pudding, kidney bean cookies," etc.)—and turns into The Incredible Shrinking Teacher by Lisa Passen. Sci-fi—inspired watercolors bring the hilarity to life. (Holt, $15.95 32p ages 5-8 ISBN 0-8050-6452-4; Apr.)

"Wake up, ears./ Wake up, eyes./ No more lazy,/ sleepy sighs." Simple quatrains and sunny watercolors evoke the mood and rituals of a toddler's morning in Wake Up, Me! by Marni McGee, illus. by Sam Williams, the companion volume to Sleepy Me. (S&S, $17 40p ages 2-5 ISBN 0-689-83163-3; Apr.)

The fourth and final installment in a series about the seasons (including The Winter Gift), The Sea House by Deborah Turney Zagwÿn finds Clee and her little brother off for a summer holiday aboard their uncle's battered boat. (Tricycle, $15.95 32p ages 5-8 ISBN 1-58246-030-2; Apr.)

The third adventure starring the titular heroine, Oh My Gosh, Mrs. McNosh! by Sarah Weeks, illus. by Nadine Bernard Westcott, follows her through a series of surprises as she chases her runaway dog, including crashing a wedding party and disrupting a baseball game. (HarperCollins, $15.95 32p ages 3-up ISBN 0-694-01204-1; May)

Fuzzy Bear's Potty Book by Dawn Bentley, illus. by Krisztina Nagy, encourages little ones to make the transition: "It's time to use the potty—my mom will teach me how!" Pull-tabs unroll the toilet paper, flush the toilet and run the sink. (Piggy Toes, $10.95 10p ages 2-4 ISBN 1-58117-161-7; Mar.)

Shirley Neitzel and Nancy Winslow Parker collaborate on their eighth endeavor, Our Class Took a Trip to the Zoo. Parker's illustrations stand in for each missing item in the cumulative text, about a boy who loses his hat and even his pants during his zoo visit. (HarperCollins/Greenwillow, $15.95 32p ages 4-up ISBN 0-688-15543-X; Apr.)

"Prepositions/ show us where,/ like in / your bed,/ beside the chair—" With snappy rhyme and comic illustrations, Under, over, by the Clover: What Is a Preposition? marks the fourth book in the Words Are Categorical series by Brian P. Cleary, illus. by Brian Gable. This summer, look for the paperback edition of their To Root, to Toot, to Parachute: What Is a Verb?(Lerner/Carolrhoda, $14.95 32p ages 7-9 ISBN 1-57505-524-4; Apr.; To Root, $5.95 paper -418-3; Aug.)

Artistic Inclinations

Several new offerings open up the world of art for young readers. Monet and the Impressionists for Kids: Their Lives and Ideas by art educator Carol Sabbeth provides a compelling introduction to this 19th-century movement, from the ill-received first exhibition to the artists' later acceptance; she also addresses the life and work of individuals such as Renoir, Degas, Cézanne and Mary Cassatt, and includes reproductions, 21 activities and instructions on how to "spot" an artist's work. (Chicago Review, $17.95 paper 144p ages 9-up ISBN 1-55652-397-1; Apr.)

The Smart About Art series continues with Henri Matisse: Drawing with Scissors by Jane O'Connor, illus. by Jessie Hartland. Presented and organized in the style of a grade-school report (and written from the perspective of the fictitious "Keesie Johnson"), the latest installment covers the Fauve movement and Matisse's shift from painting to cut-paper collage. (Grosset & Dunlap, $5.99 paper 32p ages 5-9 ISBN 0-448-42519-X; Mar.)

Matisse also figures prominently in The Museum of Modern Art's Art Safari Collage Activity Kit by Joyce Raimondo, former Family Programs Coordinator at the Museum of Modern Art. Focusing on animal-themed artwork from the museum's expansive collection (Henry Klee and John Miró are among the five artists highlighted), she frames questions to inspire critical thinking and offers open-ended activities to help children look at art through new eyes. The kit contains materials to make eight collages: scissors, sequins, fake fur and glue fit inside the box and a slide-out drawer holds colored paper. (North-South/SeaStar, $19.95 24p ages 6-12 ISBN 1-58717-130-9; Apr.)

Anyone can be an artist with Ed Emberley's Drawing Book of Trucks and Trains, a welcome addition to his other drawing books. The opening page pictures the simple shapes and letters necessary to do the drawings. He then shows two lines of images, explaining, "The bottom row tells what to draw. The top row tells where to put it." Interior pages similarly show each step in the process of drawing a train—from engine to caboose—truck, trolley car and more. (Little, Brown, $15.95 32p ages 7-up ISBN 0-316-23898-8; $6.95 paper -23786-8; Apr.)

Packed with sticker sheets, magnets, bookmarks and iron-on transfer paper for making custom T-shirts, the American Girl Doodle Studio kit, illus. by Amanda Haley, encourages doodling for all occasions. A guidebook contains easy-to-follow instructions for creating more than 100 drawings; and a "Doodle Diary" provides a place for preserving one's work. (Pleasant/American Girl, $14.95 96p ages 7-up ISBN 1-58485-507-X; Mar.)

Art educator and therapist Mary Wallace offers 19 absorbing activities in Art for the Heart: Creative Art Expression for You and Your Friends, illus. by Claudia Dávila, part of the Girl Zone series. Sections on art materials, techniques and terminology provide a foundation, followed by how-to lessons on how to use watercolors, mix media, etc. "Arty Fact" sidebars, an index and a list of recommended books and Web sites complete the volume. (Maple Tree [Firefly, dist.], $21.95 64p ages 9-14 ISBN 1-894379-29-2; $12.95 paper -30-6; Apr.)

Teacher-tested and student-approved, Easy Art Fun! Do-It-Yourself Crafts for Beginning Readers by Jill Frankel Hauser teaches kids to create a paper lei, a kazoo and a pair of strap-on wings while building reading skills in a purposeful context. The Kids' Guide to Making Scrapbooks & Photo Albums! How to Collect, Design, Assemble, Decorate by Laura Check, illus. by Betsy Day, offers suggestions such as making a decoupage cover out of old magazines and favorite photos. (Williamson, $12.95 each paper 128p ages 4-8 ISBN 1-885593-62-7; ages 8-up -59-7; Mar.)

Two board books by Julie Merberg and Suzanne Bober introduce the works of world-renowned artists to the youngest audience. In each, lyrical text accompanies 10 masterpieces. A Magical Day with Matisse, for example, features his famous ring of dancers in Dance II ("Let's dance and fly,/ hold hands and sing,/ and spin round and round/ in a rosie ring"). In the Garden with Van Gogh includes Sunflowers, Irises and The Starry Night. Back matter contains a list of the paintings and the museums in which they appear. (Chronicle, $6.95 each 22p ages 1-4 ISBN 0-8118-3414-X; -3415-8; May)