Chip off the Old Block

Sports columnists around the country have been eloquent in their anticipation, and the moment has arrived: Fiery Fullback, the never-before-published, 24th and final volume of the Chip Hilton sports series written by the late Hall of Famer coach Clair Bee in the '40s, '50s and '60s, is now in print in dual editions. The publication marks the culmination of Broadman & Holman's steady reissue (since 1998) of the first 23 volumes, as updated by Bee's daughter and son-in-law. This final installment finds Chip, now a senior at State, hoping to quarterback the football team all the way to the Rose Bowl—and using his wholesome values to enlist the full support of a troublesome new player. Adult fans reliving the pleasures of their youths will be pleased that the hardcover edition appears just as Bee wrote it ("Young ladies will not be permitted in Jefferson Hall at any time," intones the dorm superintendent); it also uses line drawings from the original series, and its cover matches the originals as well. Cultural observers take note: the front matter for the hardcover includes an interfaith pre-game prayer for athletes and a statement from Richard Nixon about the merits of competition. (Broadman & Holman, $17.99 198p ages 9-12 ISBN 0-8054-2418-0; paper $5.99 -2395-8; Aug.)

'B' As in Bible

Among the spate of new children's Bibles are two that cater to beginning readers. First in a line of Growing Reader products, The Growing Reader Phonics Bible by Joy McKenzie, illus. by Jill Newton, retells 61 biblical stories in easy-to-read language. In each story a different phoneme is highlighted in red, starting with "a" and finishing with "ending blends." The look, however, is anything but institutional: Newton's warm, ever-so-slightly whimsical paintings, many of them full-bleed, give this volume polish and style. (Tyndale, $18.99 428p ages 3-8 ISBN 0-8423-5373-9; Aug.)

Bestselling CBA author Mary Manz Simon's The Young Learner's Bible Storybook, illus. by Piers Harper, offers 52 stories from the Bible, each keyed not only to a "Bible truth" and "memory verse" but also to specific educational activities. Colored fonts draw attention to such concepts as opposites, numbers, consonant sounds, etc., in the various entries. (Standard, $17.99 336p ages 3-7 ISBN 0-7847-1277-8; Aug.)

Eye on Islam

DK's Eyewitness series expands to take in Islam by Philip Wilkinson. The photo-heavy spreads focus on topics as primary as the Prophet Muhammad and as specific as arms and armor. Contemporary sections stress that Islam promotes tolerance between Muslims and non-Muslims and that Muslim women can be found in high-profile professions. (DK, $15.99 64p ages 8-12 ISBN 0-7894-8870-1; Sept.)

For Sukkot

Barbara Diamond Goldin's 1995 picture book Night Lights: A Sukkot Story is being reissued, with new illustrations by Laura Sucher. Goldin smoothly blends her contemporary story, about a boy's fears of sleeping under the open roof of his family sukkah, with an explanation of the festival of Sukkot (which this year begins on September 20). An endnote elaborates on the meaning of Sukkot, which commemorates the wandering of the Jews in the desert after the Exodus from Egypt. Where Louise August's pictures for the original edition were just the right side of scary, Sucher's limpid, sketchy watercolors are persistently friendly: as biblical Israelites wander in the desert, a moon on the horizon smiles. (UAHC, $12 ages 4-8 ISBN 0-8074-0803-4; Sept.)