Good Reads, Reissued
This summer, old and new favorites get a second run. Originally published in 1956, Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion, illus. by Margaret Bloy Graham, chronicles the messy adventures of a runaway canine and his transformation "from a white dog with black spots to a black dog with white spots." Despite his showboating, his family doesn't recognize him until he's scrubbed clean. In this reissued edition, Graham has added splashes of color to some of her original pictures. (HarperCollins, $15.99 32p ages 3-8 ISBN 0-06-026865-4; June)
Transplanted from India to England, eight-year-old Nona Fells finds comfort in two Japanese dolls sent to her by her grandmother in Miss Happiness and Miss Flower by Rumer Godden, first published in 1961. (HarperTrophy, $4.95 paper 128p ages 8-12 ISBN 0-06-602919-31; June)
Eric Carle takes readers on an interactive romp as two children run for their lives in Watch Out! A Giant!, which was first published in 1978. Flaps that lift to show pages underneath aid the journey through Carle's distinctive collages. (S&S/Little Simon, $14.95 32p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-689-84964-8; June)
Let's Get Interactive
Little ones will be able to wrap their hands around this group of interactive offerings. In Two Bears Beneath the Stairs: A Lift-the-Flap Counting Story by Elizabeth Spurr, illus. by Nadine Bernard Westcott, a girl searches the house for imaginary animals. The story is told in verse ("Beneath my mother's vanity/ ten tenderhearted…/ leaf monkeys…"), while liftable flaps let readers join the search. Westcott's cheerful illustrations compensate for some skewed rhymes. (S&S/Little Simon, $8.99 16p ages 3-6 ISBN 0-689-84759-9; May)
Readers travel with Arthur and D.W. to such exotic locales as the African grasslands, a South American rainforest, the Arctic and the Australian outback in Arthur's Animal Adventure by Marc Brown. The board book's liftable flaps reveal hidden creatures, and the final spread displays Arthur's snapshots from his travels, which children can complete with 26 A-Z animal stickers. (Random, $7.99 10p ages 4-7 ISBN 0-375-80699-7; Apr.)
A girl creeps past cupboards, closets and more in The Kissing Monster: A Lift-the-Flap Story by Marion Dane Bauer, illus. by Kathy Couri. "There's a kissing monster in the house/ that's going to get you, I think./ It could be hiding inside the cupboard./ It might be below the sink." A pop-up surprise greets the child in the end. (S&S/Little Simon, $5.99 16p ages 3-6 ISBN 0-689-84899-4; Apr.)
Paper engineer and author Matthew Reinhart teaches word pairs in Animal Popposites: A Pop-up Book of Opposites. Framed in white, colorful cards open to reveal the opposing word in 3-D detail. "Dark," for example, shows two raccoons rummaging through the garbage at night; the flaps fold out to reveal "bright," which places the raccoons beside a beaming pop-up firefly. (S&S/Little Simon, $13.95 12p ages 3-6 ISBN 0-689-84423-9; June)
"On Monday I asked Mommy, 'Can we play?' 'Not now,' she said. 'I'm going to work, but on Sunday we can..." In Can We Play?: A Pop-Up, Lift-the-Flap Story About the Days of the Week by Mara Van Der Meer, readers turn back the flap to reveal the activities that can be planned for play day. Double-page spreads, a gatefold and a removable miniature version of the book tucked in the last page make for good fun. (Abrams, $14.95 17p ages 3-6 ISBN 0-8109-0379-2; June)
Dinosaurs: The World of Dinosaurs with Lift-the-Flaps by Anna Casalis, illus. by Franco Tempesta, presents a plethora of dino facts. The oversize edition features sturdy board pages; 55 flaps reveal additional information and add new dimensions to the dramatic illustrations. (S&S/Little Simon, $9.99 10p ages 3-6 ISBN 0-689-85130-8; June)
Mechanics in the making will get good training with Garage by Steve Augarde. "It's a busy day at the garage. Our first job is to check the brakes on this car. Let's put it up on the hydraulic lift." A turning wheel lets kids do just that. Pull-out drawers store tools; pull tabs open and close the body shop. (Charlesbridge, $14.95 10p ages 3-7 ISBN 1-57091-507-5; July)
In Night Night Toes: A Lift-the-Flap Story by Ashala Gabriel, illus. by Sue Porter, a bear says good night to all his body parts, starting with his toes. But beyond his toes, readers see other animals. For example, a flap on the "Night night nose" page reveals a mother dog licking her baby's nose. On the final spread, the little bear is asleep. (S&S/Little Simon, $12.95 24p ages 1-4 ISBN 0-689-85089-1; June)
Corduroy Goes to School: A Lift-the-Flap Book by B.G. Hennessey, illus. by Lisa McCue, puts Don Freeman's classic character in a classroom setting. Flaps let readers peek in the class hamster cage, open a book and paint on an easel. (Viking, $11.99 18p ages 1-5 ISBN 0-670-03514-9; July)
"Twenty mattresses. One hidden pea. One sleepless night." The Princess and the Pea, adapted by Sarah Aronson, illus. by Chris Demarest, breaks it down to basics, with spare text that leaves the pictures to tell most of the story. Throughout, pop-ups and pull-tabs bring the tale to life while tiny mice throw in their two cents via humorous talk-balloons. (S&S/Little Simon, $14.95 14p all ages ISBN 0-689-84685-1; Aug.)
Another princess appears in Once Upon a Time… by Nick Sharratt. "Once upon a time there was a beautiful princess," reads the opening. "She lived on top of a hill, in a [blank]." Illustrated slots allow kids to complete the sentence with one of 36 press-out pieces; the device gives readers plenty of room to shape the tale whatever way they like. (Candlewick, $8.99 18p ages 3-6 ISBN 0-7636-1695-8; June)
"The animals are having fun. Can you color in the party?" Kids can complete the pictures on the wipe-off pages of Crayon Coloring Play Book by Lee Wade, the creator of other brand-centered books like The Cheerios Play Book. Sturdy pages ensure longevity. (S&S/Little Simon, $5.99 14p ages 2-5 ISBN 0-689-84812-9; June)
Making a Difference
Aimed at adults, two new titles suggest ways to make a difference in the lives of children. From donating to online charities to volunteering as a child's advocate in court, 50 Ways to Save Our Children: Small, Medium, & Big Ways You Can Change a Child's Life by Cheryl Saban, executive director of the Saban Children's Foundation and founder of www.50ways.org, covers the bases. Parenting tips and inspirational quotes appear throughout chapters with titles like "Goodwill Industries" and "Make-a-Wish Foundation"; a listing of useful Web site addresses is also included. (HarperTrophy, $8.95 paper 128p all ages ISBN 0-06-44903-86; June)
Come on, Dad!: 75 Things for Fathers and Sons to Do Together by Ed Avis, illus. by Geneviève Després, offers everyday ways to nurture the parent-child bond, such as exploring nature at night and building a fort from fallen leaves. (Lobster Press, $14.95 paper 128p ages 4-8 ISBN 1-894222-72-5; May)
Generation Fix: Young Ideas for a Better World by Child magazine columnist Elizabeth Rusch aims to inspire a younger audience. The spiral-bound volume contains 15 true tales of kids like Hannah Jukovsky, Test Boycotter, Ryan Tripp, Organ Donation Advocate, and Davon and Charlie King Jr., Racial Profiling Plaintiffs. The "All About Volunteering" section rounds out the volume with an extensive listing of volunteer organizations and awards programs, some of which offer scholarships. (Beyond Words, $9.95 144 ages 9-12 ISBN 1-58270-067-2; June)
"Let someone get ahead of you in line" makes the list of 60 Good Deeds. "A supply of someone's favorite candy bar" is one of 10 Great Gifts That Cost Under $10. With more than 300 lists and thousands of ideas, children will enjoy The All-New Book of Lists for Kids by Sandra and Harry Choron. a revised edition of The Book of Lists for Kids. But it's not all so altruistic: also included is a list of 13 Horrible Names to Call Kids Who Wear Braces. (Houghton, $10 paper 407p ages 8-12 ISBN 0-618-22370-3; June)
Sesame School
Random House launches the Sesame Beginnings series, a line of board books designed to teach pre-literacy skills to babies and toddlers. The books are leveled 1-5 to correspond to different developmental stages, and the first book, Baby Faces by Wendy Cheyette Lewison, illus. by Christopher Moroney, connects the facial expressions of familiar Sesame Street characters with phrases such as "Boo-boo" and "Bye-bye." Peekaboo! I See You!, by the same team, engages youngsters with the familiar game; flaps lift to reveal the names of each character ("Someone is hiding./ Do you know who?/ Peekaboo, Big Bird! I see you!). Cookie See! Cookie Do! by Anna Jane Hays, illus. by Barry Goldberg, uses gatefold spreads to highlight the growing physical competency of two-year-olds ("Elmo says, Reach up high./ Stand up tall"). Toddlers learn simple games and songs in Pat-a-Cake and Other First Baby Games and Sing a Song of Sixpence and Other First Songs for Baby, both illus. by Tom Brannon. (Random/Sesame Workshop, Faces $6.99 12p ages up to 6mos. ISBN 0-375-81538-4; Peekaboo $7.99 10p ages 6-12mos -81512-0; Cookie $7.99 22p ages 12-18mos -81542-2; Pat-a-Cake $7.99 22p ages 18-24mos. -81557-0; Sixpence, $7.99 22p ages 2-3 -81528-7; May) Elmo and Cookie Monster star in two small-sized picture books illus. by Mike Pantuso. In 1, 2, 3 "by" Elmo, readers count to 10; Food! "by" Cookie Monster focuses on nutrition with vibrant paintings. (Random/ Sesame Workshop, $9.99 each 32p all ages ISBN 0-375-81390-X; -81391-8; June)
The board books Who Took the Cookie?, illus. by Tom Brannon and What's in Oscar's Trash Can? by Lisa Findlay, illus. by Joe Ewers, are just for fun. The first offers a twist on the well-known rhyme ("Who took the cookie from Cookie's jar? Bert took the cookie from Cookie's jar!"); five treats disappear and Bert, Zoe, Grover and Oscar are suspected of stealing. In the second title, Oscar searches for his worm, Slimey, while flaps lift to let readers join the fun. (Random/Sesame Workshop, $4.99 12p ages 1-4 ISBN 0-375-81606-2; $6.99 -81580-5; June)
Getting to the Heart of the Matter
Two titles teach life lessons. "I still don't see why we have to do this every week," says nine-year-old Tamika Louella Jordan about Sunday visits to the nursing home. "Half the time Momma Lou doesn't even know who we are." In Singing with Momma Lou by Linda Jacobs Altman, illus. by Larry Johnson, Tamika searches for a way to help her grandmother, who suffers from Alzheimer's, access her memories. Back matter includes information about the disease and provides the names of three related organizations. (Lee & Low, $16.95 32p ages 6-10 ISBN 1-58430-040-X; May)
Rainbow Fish creator Marcus Pfister has crafted a novel ode to self-acceptance in Just the Way You Are, trans. by Marianne Martens. Throughout, die-cut pages picture animals envious of other animals: Lion would like to have Toucan's beak, Toucan would like to be as big and strong as Elephant. But in the end, the animals accept their individual qualities. The Spanish-language edition Somos como somos, trans. by Ariel Almohar, is also available. (North-South, $15.95 32p ages 5-8 ISBN 0-7358-1615-8; Spanish-language -1654-9; May)
Yeah, Baby!
"On the day you were born/ the Earth turned, the Moon pulled,/ the Sun flared, and, then, with a push,/ you slipped out of the dark quiet/ where suddenly you could hear.../ ...a circle of people singing/ with voices familiar and clear." The On the Day You Were Born Gift Set by Debra Frasier contains a copy of her popular picture book and a 100% cotton flannel welcoming blanket (approximately 30'' x 40'') decorated with the same birds and stars seen in the book. The pair comes packaged in a sizeable gift box. (Harcourt/Red Wagon, $22.95 40p ages 6mos-3yrs ISBN 0-15-216693-9; May)
Babies Are a Bit of Heaven by Joan Walsh Anglund also celebrates new arrivals. "Babies are a bit of heaven, here on earth…. / Right from the beginning, they are all lovable." A small trim size and simple pen-and-ink illustrations of storks, babies, bunnies and the like give the book the feel of an expanded greeting card. (S&S, $9.95 32p all ages ISBN 0-689-83988-X; June)
Board Book Bonanza
Eric Carle offers a board book edition of Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too? "Yes! / A kangaroo has a mother./ Just like me and you," reads the opening. "Does a lion have a mother, too?" Carle's signature collages punctuate the repetitive phrasing, which invite participation. (HarperFestival, $7.95 28p ages 2-6 ISBN 0-694-01456-7; Apr.)
Animals introduce a series of first words in Monkey's Play Time and Bear's Good Night, both by Jane Cabrera. In the first, colorful illustrations feature Monkey cavorting with "Bear," "Dog" and "Sheep." A foldout spread wraps it up, revealing all the friends aboard a big horse. In the second, Bear cozies up with "Monkey," "Teddy" and "book." (Candlewick, $4.99 each 12p ages 2-5 ISBN 0-7636-1795-4; -1796-2; May)
A boy joins the bears for a magical forest feast in the board book edition of The Teddy Bears' Picnic by Jimmy Kennedy, illus. by Michael Hague. (Holt, $6.95 26p ages 4-7 ISBN 0-8050-6853-8; May)
Gastronomes-in-training who ate up First Book of Sushi by Amy Wilson Sanger get a second helping with Sanger's ¡Hola! Jalapeño, the latest dish in the World Snacks board book series. "Corn tortillas make my tacos,/ my tostada,.../ and my chips./ Tomato salsa, por favor, and guacamole dip!" Vibrant collages of burritos, tacos and melting cheese will make mouths water. (Tricycle, $6.95 20p ages 1-3 ISBN 1-58246-072-8; May)
Are We There Yet?
Price Stern Sloan has two titles just right for road trips. The Mighty Big Book of Travel Games by Dina Anastassio, Leslie McGuire, Richard Latta and Ann Braybrooks, illus. by Shari Warren, Sharon Kitazawa, Richard Latta and Ruta Daugavietis, provides a plethora of activities organized in such categories as "The True You," "Super Scrambles," "Math Mania" and more. In The Mighty Big Book of Travel Mysteries by David LaRochelle, readers help Detective Dave do his daily sleuthing. Each activity is introduced by the intrepid detective: "If we want to get to Consternation Station, do we take the A, B, or C train?" Opposite, a maze awaits. (Price Stern Sloan, $5.99 each paper 288p ages 8-12 ISBN 0-8431-7730-0; -7734-9; May)
The Teen Scene
"It's survival of the fittest, especially in matters of the heart. Have you been training?" The sequel to Girlosophy: A Soul Survival Kit, Girlosophy 2: The Love Survival Kit by Anthea Paul, wraps spirituality and self-esteem in a graphically hip package. Based on the seven chakras, and characterized by color photography and sleek design, chapters like Survival, Heart and Unity emanate an aura of cool; a "Girlossary" defines terms like compassion, karma and marriage. A list of Paul's favorite books (e.g., The Autobiography of the Dalai Lama of Tibet) rounds out the volume. (Allen & Unwin [IPG,.dist] $16.95 paper 250p ages 12-up ISBN 1-86508-585-5; May)
The Dream Book: A Young Person's Guide to Understanding Dreams by Patricia Garfield, author of the adult title Creative Dreaming, aims to help readers develop self-awareness through dream analysis. A discussion on nightmares and ways to tame them is also included. (Tundra, $9.95 paper 144p ages 12-up ISBN 0-88776-594-7; June)
Tweens, teens and other dairy devotees will drink up Milk Mustache Mania by Bernie Hogya and Sal Taibi, which collects images from the popular Got Milk? advertising campaign, with photographs by Annie Leibovitz, David LaChapelle and others. The paperback original contains reproductions of more than 65 ads and features stars as varied as Kermit the Frog, Britney Spears, Mike Myers and '70s rock icons Kiss—whose photo shows frontman Gene Simmons dripping the liquid from his legendary tongue. (Scholastic, $9.95 paper 80p ages 11-up ISBN 0-439-38889-9; May)