True Companions

In Ginger Finds a Home by Charlotte Voake, readers learn how the star of Ginger first meets the girl who wins the cat's trust and takes him into her home. Voake's watercolor-and-ink drawings change moods as the sullen orange tabby, scrounging for food in a trash can or sleeping in a patch of weeds, gives in to a cautious optimism when he meets the gentle girl. His body language expresses a tenuous hope as he leans toward her, follows her home and at last allows her to pick him up. (Candlewick, $15.99 40p ages 3-7 ISBN 0-7636-1999-X; June)

The diminutive dog Mr. Winkle is back in A Winkle in Time: Mr. Winkle Celebrates the Underdogs of History, as told to Michael Regan, with photographs by Lara Jo Regan. The photogenic canine's many fans will enjoy watching him pose in a variety of costumes as he recounts the contributions of some of the world's lesser-known visionaries, from the Irish monks who rescued the texts of ancient Greece and Rome from oblivion, to Laika, the Soviet dog who roared into space on Sputnik II (and never came down). (Random, $14.95 48p ages 6-up ISBN 0-375-82487-1; May)

The Poetry for Young People series adds two renowned British Romantics: Samuel Taylor Coleridge, ed. by James Engell, illus. by Harvey Chan; and William Wordsworth, ed. by Alan Liu, illus. by James Muir. The first title features excerpts from some of Coleridge's most famous long narrative poems, such as "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," along with shorter works, such as "Answer to a Child's Question," which begins "Do you ask what the birds say? The sparrow, the dove,/ The linnet and the thrush say, 'I love and I love!' " Wordsworth is organized around topics such as "Nature" and "Children and Young People," and includes famous works such as "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud." The poet's love of nature shines throughout, as in the opening lines of "It Is a Beauteous Evening, Calm and Free": "It is a beauteous evening, calm and free,/ The holy time is quiet as a Nun/ Breathless with adoration." As befits each poet, the artwork for Coleridge tends toward the more mystical and fantastic, while that for Wordsworth focuses on realistic and natural scenes. (Sterling, $14.95 each 48p ages 8-up ISBN 0-8069-6951-2; -8277-2; June)

Charles de Lint and Charles Vess team up for the second time in A Circle of Cats, the prequel to the novella Seven Wild Sisters. Free-spirited orphan Lillian roams the wild woods until a poisonous snake bites her. To save her life, the cats turn her into a kitten. How the Apple Tree Man and the panther help her become a girl again is a fantastic tale indeed. (Viking, $16.99 48p all ages ISBN 0-670-03647-1; June)

As with his Raccoon on His Own, Armadillo's Orange by Jim Arnosky features another stranded creature whose journey home occasions an examination of the natural world. Young Armadillo doesn't bother to get to know his neighbors, the green snake and the rattlesnake, the old tortoise and the honeybees. But when the orange that had marked the entrance to his burrow rolls away, Armadillo must rely on his fellow creatures to find his way back. Golden-hued illustrations evoke the sunny southern setting of this gentle tale. (Putnam, $15.99 32p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-399-23412-8; June)

Rabbit and Hedgehog return in the paper-over-board What Do You Remember? by Paul Stewart, illus. by Chris Riddell. When Hedgehog wants to play "Remembering," Rabbit warns him "You know what always happens." Rabbit knows that they will remember things differently and will end up arguing; but this time an accident serves to remind them that they are best friends no matter what. Riddell's soft watercolor and pen-and-ink illustrations provide plenty of expressive emotions for the duo. (Andersen, [Trafalgar Square, dist.], $16.95 32p ages 3-5 ISBN 1-84270-080-4; June)

Off to Summer Camp?

Artist Frané Lessac collects the lyrics to a cornucopia of camp songs in Camp Granada: Sing-Along Camp Songs. From "If You're Happy" to "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh (Camp Granada)" to the closing "Taps" (when "Day is done, gone the sun"), camp song favorites chosen with an emphasis on participation will have young readers singing along in no time. Lessac's signature folk-art-style illustrations add to the homey humor. (Holt, $18.95 48 p ages 5-12 ISBN 0-8050-6683-7; June)

Explorations in Art

A variety of artistic expressions invite young readers to re-examine paintings they may take for granted or that might once have intimidated them. Art Is… by Bob Raczka pairs a simple rhyming text with a wide range of artwork designed to expand readers' appreciation of what constitutes art. For example, "Art is to kneel on" depicts an Anatolian prayer rug, while "Art is pasted" accompanies a Romare Bearden collage. The final page pairs "Art is how artists get you to think" with an image of Auguste Rodin's "The Thinker." A simple design puts the intriguing images front and center, and for museumgoers, the home of each work is listed. (Millbrook, $9.95 paper 32p ages 5-8 ISBN 0-7613-1832-1; May)

Nature's Art Box: From T-shirts to Twig Baskets, 65 Cool Projects for Crafty Kids to Make with Natural Materials You Can Find Anywhere, by Laura Martin, illus. by David Cain, presents projects anyone can make using natural objects. Dividing her text into seven sections such as "Gourds, Pods, Husks and Seeds" and "Flowers and Leaves," the author encourages kids to see artistic potential in a handful of twigs, pine cones and more. (Storey Books, $16.95 trade paper 224p ages 8-14 ISBN 1-58017-490-6; June)

The handsome paper-over-board Adventures in Art series continues with three titles about 20th-century artists. Edward Hopper: Summer at the Seashore by Deborah Lyons displays many of the artist's most famous paintings, watercolors and drawings of Cape Cod's summer landscapes and lighthouses. The text recounts significant events in Hopper's life and discusses the paintings' inspirations. Frida Kahlo: The Artist in the Blue House by Magdalena Holzhey tells the story of the Mexican artist's often difficult personal life, including many vintage photographs of Kahlo; she also offers readers an eyeful of Kahlo's intriguing, often surrealistic paintings along with lucid discussions of some of the mysterious images. Matisse: Cut-Out Fun with Matisse by Nina and Max Hollein examines the paper cut-outs the artist created late in life, when he was often too weak to stand and paint. The text offers a fictionalized story to link the boldly stylized images depicted here, and ends with suggestions for making cut-outs and perforated sheets of brightly colored paper with which to try one's hand. (Prestel, $14.95 each 28-32pp ages 10-up ISBN 3-7913-2737-2; -2863-8; -2858-1; Aug.)

Hello to New Series Stars

Two new characters begin their adventures in paper-over-board titles for youngest readers. Emma Chichester Clark introduces Mimi, a small monkey who bears a strong resemblance to Momo, the hero of her No More Kissing! In Mimi's Book of Opposites, the lovable heroine explores opposites with her baby brother: "In his bath he laughs. When he gets out he cries." In Mimi's Book of Counting, Grandma comes to stay with Mimi, her "one and only dumpling," and the two count up to Mimi's 10 teddy bears. Clark's vibrant watercolors, printed on cardboard stock designed to withstand multiple readings to the preschool set, paint a cheerfully reassuring world with just a glimmer of naughty fun. (Charlesbridge, $9.95 each 24p ages 2-7 ISBN 1-57091-574-1; -573-3; July)

Brian Paterson debuts with Zigby, "the zebra who trots into trouble," in two paper-over-board books: Zigby Hunts for Treasure and Zigby Camps Out. Both feature the striped fellow's friends, Bertie Bird, an African guinea fowl, and McMeer, a prankster meerkat. In Treasure, the friends set off for Parrot Island with a map and find "the best kind of treasure—the kind you can eat!" In Camps Out, the three head for the darkest jungle with a tent and a watermelon, only to discover there's no place quite as comfortable as home. Bold black outlines and citrus hues lend the artwork a friendly, cheerful feeling. (HarperCollins, $12.99 each, 32p ages 2-5 ISBN 0-06-052922-9; -052921-0; May)

Fun for the Road

For family car trips, these three titles offer plenty to keep backseat travelers busy. Nifty Plates from the Fifty States by Paul Beatrice reproduces all 50 state license plates on cardboard stock (arranged alphabetically), hole-punched and tied together with a thick red shoelace inside a corrugated plastic box. The front of each card depicts the license plates kids might see on the nation's highways, while the back offers facts about each state, from population and state flower to intriguing "fun facts" (for instance, "ninety percent of the toothpicks we use are produced in Maine") A foldout map of the United States gives readers the big picture. (Random, $12.99 52p ages 6-up ISBN 0-375-82394-8; June)

Rubber Neckers Jr.: Fun for Backseat Travelers by Mark and Matthew Lore, illus. by Robert Zimmerman, offers a boxed deck of laminated cards, each illustrated with simple items players might spot while on the road, from a convertible to a barn to a tunnel, and including concepts such as colors and numbers. Adults deal out the cards, and players receive one point for each object sighted; dealer determines the target of winning points. Two "share the road" cards ask players to interact with passengers in other vehicles. (Chronicle, $12.95 68p ages 3-up ISBN 0-8118-3733-5; June)

For sing-along fans, it's karaoke on wheels in David Schiller's All-American Car-I-Oke. This paper-over-board kit includes a CD with the music (no vocals), a spiral-bound book of lyrics, activities and trivia, as well as three booklets with the words for backseat singers who want to join in. The family-friendly selections are fun to sing, from "Proud Mary" (for which the book also includes choreography—"Dancing with your seat belt on") to "Give My Regards to Broadway." A "Gospel Sing-Along" section includes "Amazing Grace," "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" and "hand jive" movements for "Rise and Shine [...and give God the glory, glory]." (Workman, $14.95 56p ages 6-up ISBN 0-7611-3068-3; June)