Several reissued picture books are just right for kids who love poring over detailed pages. The paper-over-board Look-Alikes: The More You Look, The More You See by Joan Steiner, first published in 1998, collects 11 photographic scenes of a train station, a city, a general store, a park, a circus and more, each composed of hundreds of everyday objects used in unexpected ways. A giant coffeepot becomes a train engine, razors resemble vacuum cleaners, and a tambourine transforms into a sandbox. A complete list of look-alikes provides an answer key at the end of the book. (Little, Brown/Tingley, $13.95 32p all ages ISBN 0-316-71348-1; Oct.)
Who Needs Donuts? (1973) by Mark Alan Stamaty is a zany visual extravaganza. Sam wants donuts, "not just a few but hundreds and thousands and millions" of them. He heads to the big city where he finds them—and much more—in large, bustling scenes bursting with absurd details. A street sign says, "No swimming here to corner," a subway train crosses high above the street on a clothesline, and they discover several donuts under the stovepipe hat of Abe Lincoln, who's out walking his dog. Jam-packed pages full of surprises and a vintage 1970s message that love is all you need will delight children, young and old. (Random, $16.95 40p all ages ISBN 0-375-82550-9; Oct.)
In another big-city adventure, My New York by Kathy Jakobsen, Becky tours the Big Apple, with elaborate paintings of popular destinations such as the Central Park Zoo, FAO Schwarz and Chinatown. Fold-out pages depict a sweeping view from the top of the Empire State Building, and a towering Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. First published in 1993, and praised in a PW starred review as "a splendid tribute to the city that never sleeps," this updated edition includes additional scenes such as the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, New Year's Eve in Times Square and a 4th of July celebration with a view of the twin beams of light in homage to the World Trade Center. (Little, Brown, $18.95 48p all ages ISBN 0-316-71350-3; Oct.)
In Bruno Munari's ABC (1960), bold illustrations in saturated colors by an acclaimed artist and graphic designer depict an assortment of objects from A to Z, with playful details such as a fly who shows up on various pages from F, "a Fly," to Z, "a fly going Zzzz...." (Chronicle/Seuil, $15.95 48p ages 3-6 ISBN 2-02-061075-2; Oct.)
Antics! Gift Edition by Cathi Hepworth takes 26 terms containing the word ant and pairs them with clever caricatures (e.g., "Enchanter" depicts an ant bathed in violet light with a Merlin's cap and flowing beard); the compositions often borrow from the movies or history. PW wrote of the book, first published in 1992, "The witty premise, affable, anthropomorphic ants and swank blended colors are a winning combination." (Putnam, $10.99 32p all ages ISBN 0-399-24184-1; Oct.)
Great Gifts
Interactive books and kits provide hands-on fun and learning for kids. The Little Box of Magic Tricks: Over 80 Tricks to Amaze Your Friends! by Janet Sacks includes eight mini-books plus assorted magic props in an attractive magic box designed like a treasure chest. The tiny hardcovers—Mindbending Tricks; Science Tricks; Clever Tricks; Optical Tricks; Coin Tricks; Paper Tricks; Stick Tricks; and Card Tricks —give step-by-step directions for each trick on laminated pages, and rate them for beginners or "master magicians." Enclosed props include playing cards, foam balls, plastic egg and scarf, rope and more. (Barron's, $16.95 32p ages 8-up ISBN 0-7641-7698-6; Oct.)
My First Purse, illus. by Scott McBee, is a purse-shaped book complete with handle and clasp. A girl goes on various errands with her mother, from bank to market, to post office and department store. Thick corrugated pages include punch-out pieces of a shopping list, cell phone, picture frame and more. (Scholastic/Cartwheel, $9.95 12p ages 3-up 0-439-46879-5; Nov.)
Kids can learn to read and write with hieroglyphs in the spiral-bound Write Like an Ancient Egyptian! with art from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection. A hieroglyphic alphabet chart shows the symbols that correspond with each letter sound, and a bound-in plastic stencil page helps kids draw those symbols. The directions are then followed by word finds, crossword puzzles and match games, for extra practice. Kids can use 12 sheets of stationery (with a decoder guide on the back of each sheet) to send messages to friends plus three pages of stickers to seal their messages. (Scholastic/Tangerine, $12.99 64p ages 8-12 ISBN 0-439-54988-4; Oct.)
Kids can harness "the mysterious power of the wind" with Spike and Jeff's Sailcar Kit. The smartly written guidebook, Sailcars Ahoy, gives step-by-step instructions for using the enclosed materials (wooden wheels, paper sails, masts and axles) to make four sailcars (a homemade toy with a sail and wheels), plus tips for decorating and even naming them, and gives tips for using easy-to-find items to make additional sailcars. (Chronicle, $9.95 24p ages 6-up ISBN 0-8118-3856-0; Oct.)
The Hit Kit: All You Need to Record a Hit by Steve Levine combines a high-quality microphone, an audio sample CD, a music production software CD and The Recording Guidebook, packaged together in a large box with a tray and peek-through window. The paperback book and a dedicated Web site provide information on setting up your recording space, getting the best sound from your instruments, recording, mixing, sequencing and more. (DK, $29.99 24p ages 8-up ISBN 0-7894-9965-7; Oct.)
Moving parts provide interactive fun in The Squiggly Wigglys by E.A. Koda-Callan, from the shifting eyes on the cover to interior illustrations that change as readers move and tilt the book. As Sam's family prepares for an elaborate breakfast feast, the outline of Mrs. Wiggly's dress changes shape and size, Mr. Wiggly's nose "goes up and down," and Uncle Marty's handlebar mustache gets "wild and squiggly." (Workman, $14.95 24p ages 4-up ISBN 0-7611-2821-2; Nov.)
Growing Pains
Growing up brings new concerns and pressures for many kids. Dealing with the Stuff That Makes Life Tough: The 10 Things That Stress Girls Out and How to Cope with Them by Jill Zimmerman Rutledge addresses body image, depression, boys, smoking, drinking and drugs, divorce, homosexuality and other sources of stress and anxiety for teenage girls. Testimonials of girls who have faced difficult situations reassure readers that they're not alone and provide concrete suggestions for addressing problems. (McGraw-Hill/Contemporary Books, $14.95 paper 240p ages 12-up ISBN 0-07-142326-5; Oct.)
Learn how to eat right and feel good with Be Healthy! It's a Girl Thing: Food, Fitness, and Feeling Great! by Mavis Jukes and Lilian Cheung. This guide to a healthy lifestyle includes nutritional information, the "Cactus Plan" of food and physical activity guidelines (a diagram in the shape of a cactus), tips for vegetarians, a guide to reading food labels, exercise ideas and more. (Crown, $12.95 paper 128p ages 10-up ISBN 0-679-89029-7; Dec.)
Art Appreciation
The Adventures in Art series adds two titles.The Mad, Mad, Mad World of Salvador Dalí by Angela Wenzel focuses on the strange images in Dalí's paintings. The author asks (and answers) such questions as what is hidden in the drawers in the woman's body in The Burning Giraffe, and why are there strange melting clocks in The Persistence of Memory? (the artist had eaten a gooey Camembert cheese the night he came up with the idea to add the clocks). Intriguing background information reveals the influence of such personal details plus the larger ideas of the day (such as Freud's) on Dalí's work. Joseph Cornell: Secrets in a Box by Alison Baverstock explores the artist's unusual collages and collage boxes made of familiar objects, such as shells, owls, pictures of women in 19th-century dresses and images of the night sky. (Prestel [212-995-2720], $14.95 each 32p ages 8-up ISBN 3-7913-2944-8; -2928-6; Dec.)
More Than Meets the Eye: Seeing Art with All Five Senses by Bob Raczka, a companion to his No One Saw: Ordinary Things Through the Eyes of an Artist and Art Is..., asks sensory questions. "Have you ever tasted a painting?" seems a logical question when accompanied by Apples in a Tin Pail (1892) by Levi Wells Prentice. The Banjo Lesson by Henry Ossawa Tanner (1893) illustrates sound and James Wyeth's Portrait of a Pig captures the sense of smell. This lighthearted appreciation of the art world takes readers through the five senses, with reproductions of paintings that may well stimulate them all. (Millbrook, $9.95 paper 32p ages 5-8 ISBN 0-7613-1994-8; Dec.)
