Many Happy Returns

Several titles make a comeback this winter. In the paper-over-board reissue of the 1976 title I'll Give You Kisses by Diane Paterson (originally published as Smile for Auntie), dumpy meets frumpy (though it's difficult to say which is which). Auntie will try anything to get a dough-eyed baby to crack a smile; she tries singing, dancing and tickling. Paterson's zany pictures of the corpulent, well-intentioned ogre of an aunt make it easy to understand the baby's growing agitation—and what finally wins a smile. (Dial, $5.99 32p ISBN 0-8037-2961-8; Dec.)

Judith Viorst's Earrings!, illus. by Nola Langner Malone, returns as a miniature paper-over-board hardcover, packaged to include a tiny set of pink heart earrings for pierced ears. About the original, published in 1990, PW wrote, "Who has pierced ears, which girls have mothers who won't let them get their ears pierced, who gets to wear dangle earrings and when, are some of the burning questions haunting this picture book's characters." (S&S/Atheneum, $9.95 32p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-689-86784-0; Jan.)

Originally published without words in 1985, First Snow by Caldecott Medalist Emily Arnold McCully adds text for this reissued edition. The details that make Arnold's illustrations so warm and evocative (Grandpa skating alone on the pond, his hands clasped behind him, the pink smear of Bitty's scarf as she races down the hill for the first time) are still the focus here, now joined by sparse but soothing phrases. (HarperCollins, $15.99 32p ages 2-5 ISBN 0-06-623852-8; Jan.)

Borka: The Adventures of a Goose with No Feathers by John Cunningham, now in a 40th anniversary edition, stars a featherless goose who wears a sweater knitted by her mother. However, Borka's siblings do not accept her, and her family migrates when winter arrives, forgetting her completely. How she ultimately finds love and acceptance makes for a grand adventure. (Jonathan Cape [Trafalgar Sq., dist.], $14.95 32p ISBN 0-224-06494-0; Mar.)

Richard Scarry's 1942 book The Animals of Farmer Jones now appears as a paper-over-board Big Little Golden Book. This classic introduction to farm animals spotlights their familiar barnyard noises, impatient appetites and the kind of food they finally do eat. Scarry's lovingly pastoral scenes add to the overall retro charm. (Random/Golden, $8.99 32p ages 2-5 ISBN 0-375-82718-8; Jan.)

An elegant jacketed reissue re-presents The Golden Sleepy Book by Margaret Wise Brown, illus. by Garth Williams. This 1948 compilation of gentle stories, poems and songs of sleepy rabbits, horses and all manner of familial fauna acts as a soothing bedtime read. (Random/Golden, $12.95 48p ages 2-5 ISBN 0-375-82779-X; Jan.)

Virginia Lee Burton (best known for her Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel) reimagines Hans Christian Andersen's ageless story of over-the-top vanity in The Emperor's New Clothes. Burton's 1949 illustrations, re-photographed for this reissue, highlight the artist's vivid watercolor palette within detailed, sharply defined ink drawings. The ornately costumed, stiffly posed figures and swirling curlicues around the text set up a formal yet deliciously wry tone. (Houghton, $16 48p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-618-34421-7; paper $6.95 -34420-9; Mar.)

On the Brink of Adulthood

Two compilations of essays and poems deal with growing up and asserting oneself. Seven women revisit often-turbulent memories about their adolescent years and their relationships with their mothers in Certain Things About My Mother: Daughters Speak, edited by Susan Musgrave. As in her other titles, You Be Me and Nerves Out Loud, Musgrave includes powerful essays that delve into the emotional struggles of teenage girls. In her essay, Priscila Uppal describes a girl's anger at her mother's abandonment: "What kind of mother prepared lunch, put her daughter on the bus, kissed her husband good-bye on his way to work, brewed tea, and then packed her bags and boarded a plane to London's Heathrow Airport?" (Annick [Firefly, dist.], $18.95 128p ages 14-17 ISBN 1-55037-813-9; $7.95 paper -812-0; Dec.)

Stories and poems by the likes of Marion Dane Bauer, Angela Johnson, Valiska Gregory and Linda Sue Park comprise On Her Way: Stories and Poems About Growing Up Girl, edited by Sandy Asher. The anthology, weighted more toward stories than poems, offers less controversial but no less thought-provoking material for preteens. Subjects include a girl who is mistaken for a boy on her first day at a new school, a magic bottle of make-up that bestows instant popularity on its wearer and a fresh spin on the Princess and the Pea that makes the case for true love. (Dutton, $17.99 224p ages 8-12 ISBN 0-525-47170-7; Jan.)

Interactive Fun

Several new novelty books cover topics from friendly fairies to presidential preeminence. Fans of the paper-over-board Felicity Wishes series will savor two pop-up, lift-the-flap adventures by Emma Thomson. In Felicity Wishes: Secrets and Surprises,the amiable fairy prepares for her birthday party, and everything seems to be a disaster—though sharp readers may detect what her winged friends have in store. Felicity Wishes: Little Book of Everyday Wishes lets readers make a wish along with the fairy heroine—not just on birthdays but every day of the year. (Viking, $14.99 32p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-670-03658-7; Wishes $9.99 -0382-X; Jan.)

Disney: Build Your Own Haunted Mansion will appeal to the imaginations of moviegoers: kids can build their own version of the spooky dwelling. The paper-over-board "book" consists of 14 heavy-duty, removable cardboard pages, which can be transformed into a mansion and cast of characters using the plastic wrench, nuts and bolts stored in a transparent toolbox. (Disney, $17.99 14p all ages ISBN 0-7868-3473-0; Dec.)

Aspiring archeologists will enjoy cracking open the latest Treasure Chests kit, Hieroglyphics: The Secrets of Ancient Egyptian Writing to Unlock and Discover by Richard Platt. The cardboard chest, complete with metal clasp and key to keep its mysteries secret, contains a 32-page paperback about the history of hieroglyphics in Egyptian, Aztec and Mayan cultures, on one side. On the other, youngsters will find hieroglyphic stamps with inkpad, a clay tablet with stylus and a seal, paper board games, maps, a cardboard temple to construct and more. (Running Press, $19.95 32p ages 8-12 ISBN 0-7624-1593-2; Dec.)

Just in time for a Presidents Day celebration or in preparation for the upcoming election, Brain Quest Presidents: 850 Questions and Answers About the Men, the Office, the Times offers a dizzying amount of presidential trivia. Quiz questions with the potential to stymie children and adults alike include, "Was Grover Cleveland the only President to be married in the White House?" and "What southern state did James Monroe peacefully acquire from Spain?" (Workman, $10.95 ages 9-12 ISBN 0-7611-3177-9; Dec.)

Fledgling entrepreneurs will be interested in the paper-over-board Getting Down to Business: A First Guide to Earning, Saving, and Spending Money by Lorraine Horsley, illus. by John Eastwood. This introduction offers an overview of the history of currency and trade, provides a glimpse of the financial and banking world, gives tips for earning and budgeting money, and defines many financial terms along the way. (McGraw-Hill/Waterbird, $14.95 32p ages 6-10 ISBN 1-57768-558-X; Dec.)

Kids Make Magic! The Complete Guide to Becoming an Amazing Magician by Ron Burgess, illus. by Marie Ferrante-Doyle and Sarah Rakitin, provides a thorough starting point for novice wizards. With more than 30 illustrated tricks, pages of suggestions, instructions and much encouragement from the authors, this volume includes such wizardry as the "Spoon Switcheroo Trick" and "Magic Shopping Trick," using household items readily accessible to children. (Williamson/Kids Can!, $12.95 paper 128p ages 7-14 ISBN 1-885593-87-2; Dec.)

Fun for the Youngest

Jokes combine with nursery favorites in the paper-over-board Hey Diddle Riddle: A Silly Nursery Rhyme Flap Book by Wendi Silvano, illus. by Tad Hills, with sturdy, laminated pages. A nursery rhyme—based joke appears on the left ("Who waddled his men up to the top of the hill and down again?"), and a flap on the opposite page reveals the answer ("The Grand Old Duck of York," naturally.). Hills's full-page illustrations often provide clues to the punch lines. (S&S/Little Simon, $7.99 24p ages 3-6 ISBN 0-689-85106-5; Dec.)

Before You Were Big by Jennifer Davis, illus. by Laura Cornell, also utilizes a flap format in a book for toddlers and other youngsters about their "baby years." Each spread progresses, month by month, as rhymed couplets and assorted factoids describe what babies can do at various stages of development, and a lift of the flap provides a comparison to a similar talent they have mastered today (a comparison from crawling to walking, for instance). Cornell's comic illustrations add levity. (Workman, $11.95 36p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-7611-2732-1; Dec.)

As part of its Hasbro Children's Book Collection, Running Press Kids is launching two new lines of interactive books. In the first line, Play-Doh: At the Farm and Play-Doh: Party Time! come packaged with a "stencil" and Play-Doh on the back cover, and laminated spreads serve as reusable backdrops that allow youngsters to act out the scenes suggested by the text. (Running Press Kids, $9.95 each 10p ages 3-up ISBN 0-7624-1562-2; -1563-0; Dec.)

In the second line's launch, elements from favorite Hasbro games feature in a pair of titles: Candy Land: A Surprise Adventure and Chutes and Ladders: The Magical Tree House Adventure. Reusable stickers act as playing pieces, and a spinner on the back cover tells readers how to advance. A simple story line ("Who will get the picnic basket to the tree house first?") prompts players to follow the squares to the winning spot; other stickers help complete the illustrations. (Running Press Kids, $9.95 each 10p ages 3-up -1564-9; -1565-7; Dec.)