Dishing Up Fun
New cookbooks serve up all the tips and recipes a young chef might knead. Vintage illustrations from the 1900s through 1960s dress up the classic fare found in Look and Cook: A Cookbook for Children by Tina Davis, which also grace the spiffy cover that conceals a handy spiral binding. Beginning with tips for measuring correctly and cooking safely, the pages brim with recipes for soup, entrées and grand finales—including all-American standards, from Tuna Noodle Casserole to Apple Pie. Blank pages at the end leave room for new favorites, to attract new generations of hungry mouths to the dinner table. (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, $19.95 160p ISBN 1-58479-358-9; May)
Kids (perhaps bedecked in the accompanying chef's hat) can dish up sweets and treats found in Batter Up Kids: Delicious Desserts by Barbara Beery, founder of an Austin, Tex., cooking school of the same name. Recipes accompany finished photos for 25 creative confections that lack nothing for presentation, including Candy-Coated Dragonflies, Baked Snowballs and Stack 'Em High Strawberry Shortcakes. Child-friendly instructions (the Baked Snowballs recipe explains that frothy egg whites should look "like soapsuds") create an inviting tone. (Gibbs Smith, $19.95 68p ISBN 1-58685-365-1; May)
Pink and Glittery
Interactive concepts dress up a variety of new titles for girls. On the subject of royal dos and don'ts, Perfect Princess: A Princess Diaries Book by Meg Cabot, illus. by Chesley McLaren, provides witty history and how-to information regarding princess-like behavior in a paper-over-board, deep pink package. The narration alternates between main characters from the series, and dishes up dozens of royals, both real (Grace Kelly and Queen Noor) and fictional (Wonder Woman and Snow White). Humorous sidebars offer beauty tips ("Be like Leia: Experiment with new hairstyles!"). (HarperCollins, $12.99 160p ages 12-up ISBN 0-06-052679-3; May)
Focusing on fashion and design, My Stylebook by Jo Hurley, illus. by Angela Martin, offers advice on creating color schemes, blank spaces for sketching, places to smear and label favorite cosmetics and ideas for creating theme bedrooms, including techno, romantic and cowgirl. A plastic drawer that acts as a back cover includes pencils, a ruler, ribbons, stickers and glue sticks, and a cord binding allows aspiring makeover artists to insert their own designs and extra pages. (Scholastic/Tangerine, $9.99 48p ages 7-up ISBN 0-439-55131-5; May)
Flower girls may fawn over The Bridesmaid's Diary by Sarah Gibb, starring Sophie and her angelic bear, Cupid, as they prepare for her aunt's wedding. Pop-ups and pull-tabs animate scenes of Sophie trying on dresses and getting her hair done. Pockets hide various trinkets—a locket, bracelet and confetti, among others—and events unfold in retro yet stylish illustrations in soft pink and pastel hues. (Viking, $14.99 18p ages 4-up ISBN 0-670-0590-5; May)
The Princess's Secret Letters by Hilary Robinson, illus. by Mandy Stanley, comes with a set of eight letters and envelopes so readers can emulate young Lucy and pen their own missives. Lucy begins a correspondence with Princess Isabella to wish her a happy birthday, asking questions about royal life. The royal's letters tell Lucy the official answer, princess's the secret, "real" answer (e.g., Isabella's party entertainment "officially" involves a quartet of classical musicians, but "secretly," the girl and her friends are entertained by DJ Dan the Disco Man). (Harcourt/Red Wagon, $12.95 32p ages 3-7 ISBN 0-15-205162-7; May)
Creative projects worthy of royalty abound in Princess Crafts by Elizabeth Ingrid Hauser, illus. by Lisa Parett. Depending on whom they wish to emulate, aspiring Cinderellas can don "Flickering Fairy Godmother Wands" and "Fancy-Prancy Dancing Slippers"; "Rah-Rah Ribbon Wiglets" and "Tower-Power Hair Tonic" help Rapunzel wanna-bes let their hair down. (Sterling, $14.95 96p ages 6-10 ISBN 0-8069-7116-9; July)
Readers can hop, skip and jump their way through a trove of poems in Over in the Pink House: New Jump Rope Rhymes by Rebecca Kai Dotlich, illus. by Melanie Hall, each of which is rhythmically suited to the schoolyard. "Jumping Spell," for instance, opens the collection: "Candelabra,/ blade of grass,/ jump inside,/ a looking glass./ Tap of heel,/ holly tree,/ he will fall/ in love with me." Often ethereal illustrations in pastels, inks and watercolors add to the dreamy rhymes on an array of subjects. (Boyds Mills/Wordsong, $15.95 32p ages 5-up ISBN 1-59078-027-2; May)
For older girls, The Girls' World Book of Bath & Beauty: Fresh Ideas & Fun Recipes for Hair, Skin, Nails & More by Allison Chandler Smith delivers what it promises, from Orange Dream Face Cream to Bubbling Bath Bombs. Straightforward instructions, liberal photographs, ingredient lists and explanations of aromatherapy scents, skin products and more round out this compendium. (Sterling/Lark, $14.95 paper 128p ages 10-14 ISBN 1-57990-492-0; June)
YMThe Best of Say Anything, illus. by Daniel Krall, collects years of moments so embarrassing that you "could've dyed" (in the words of a girl with a bad hair-tint day). Culled from the columns of YM magazine, the myriad stories in this paperback volume relate the teenage horrors of exposed breasts, untimely releases of bodily gasses and fluids, and even stories submitted to the magazine by boys. (Random/Bantam, $6.95 paper 112p ages 10-up ISBN 0-553-37601-2; June)
Girlosophy, the spiritually based series, presents the latest title, Girlosophy: The Breakup Survival Kit by Anthea Paul, which offers healing advice in a funky paperback package for those left ragged by soured relationships. Divided into sections on body, mind and spirit, the author urges readers to regain balance and awareness in their lives: "A breakup is a signal from the Universe that it's time for you to concentrate on you." Advice on better eating and exercise habits as well as meditation using the chakra system add to the hip help proffered. (Allen & Unwin [IPG, dist.], $11.95 paper 224p ages ISBN 1-74114-077-3; June)
Welcome Revivals
Old favorites come in new trimmings with the gathering together of these 16 previously published stories by Diana Wynne Jones in Unexpected Magic: Collected Stories. Shorter tales include "The Master," a vet's account of a strange, portentous dream she has about a house in the forest, and "The Girl Who Loved the Sun," wherein Phega's adoration for that celestial body causes her to repeatedly attempt to transform herself into a tree. Jones's four-part novella, "Everard's Ride," concludes the collection, with the tale of Cecelia and Alex, siblings who travel to a mysterious island to help Robert, a fugitive accused of murder. (HarperCollins/Greenwillow, $16.99 512p ages 10-up ISBN 0-06-055533-5; May)
Two new stories pair with 11 previously published tales in Richard Peck's Past Perfect, Present Tense: New and Collected Stories, including "Priscilla and the Wimps" and "The Special Powers of Blossom Culp." However, it is Peck's introductions to each grouping of stories and his two additional sections for aspiring writers ("How to Write a Short Story"; "Five Helpful Hints") that make the collection exceptional: "We write by the light of every story we ever read. Reading other people's stories shows you the way to your own." (Dial, $16.99 192p ages 10-up ISBN 0-8037-2998-7; May) Francesca Lia Block's Weetzie Bat books divide down gender lines in two paperback collections: Beautiful Boys (which contains Missing Angel Juan and Baby Be-Bop) and Goat Girls (which consists of Witch Baby and Cherokee Bat and the Goat Guys. (HarperCollins, $7.99 each paper 304p ISBN 0-06-059435-7; 240p -059434-9; July)
Spy vs. Spy
Young secret agents can hone their skills with two titles. The Spy's Survival Handbook by Laban Carrick Hill, illus. by Robert Rath, provides techniques for surreptitious sleuths, from Braille, ASL and Morse codes for secret communication to tips on disguises, ciphers and shaking "tails" ("If a person keeps showing up, that person might be following you. Or, it could be your Mom"). The spiral-bound notebook features a mesh and bungee cover and a metal "code machine" for making simple alphabet-based secret codes. (Scholastic/Tangerine, $9.99 96p ages 7-10 ISBN 0-439-56125-6; Apr.)
Known for his editing of poetry anthologies, Paul B. Janeczko studies another form of often-perplexing writing in Top Secret: A Handbook of Codes, Ciphers, and Secret Writing, illus. by Jenna LaReau. Janeczko discusses numerous codes that have been used throughout history, from Morse code and semaphore to examples of code usage, such as the "Beale cipher," a still-unsolved mystery regarding the location of treasure supposedly buried in the mid 1800s. (Candlewick, $16.99 144p ages 9-up ISBN 0-7636-0971-4; May)
Sand and Surf Beachy titles join in the summer fun. The cover of the diminutive board book What's on the Beach? by Jo Lodge takes the shape of half a beach bucket, with a transparent window showing cheery cartoon creatures within. Crab borrows a bucket, shells, pebbles and more from his shoreline sidekicks. A sandcastle pops up as the grand finale. (S&S/Little Simon, $6.99 12p ages 1-4 ISBN 0-689-86834-0; May)
A rousing summer companion to Snow Day!, Beach Day! by Patricia Lakin, illus. by Scott Nash, finds crocodiles Sam, Pam, Will and Jill planning a day trip to the shore. After getting dressed, they hop on their four-croc bicycle, stop to play and picnic in a park and nap in a field of clover. They finally manage to hit the beach at sunset. (Dial, $15.99 32p ages 2-up ISBN 0-8037-2894-8; May)
Naturalist Jim Arnosky offers tips for Beachcombing: Exploring the Seashore, with which young explorers can identify different shells, crabs, jellyfish and other seaside treasures, all warmly illustrated (some life-size) by the author. With an ever-present eye toward respecting and studying nature, Arnosky explains how palm trees form and the fossilization of shark teeth, among other topics related to the ebb and flow of life on the shore. (Dutton, $15.99 32p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-525-47104-9; May)
It's just another day on the job for The Beach Patrol by John O'Brien and Max Bilkins, illus. by O'Brien. This comprehensive look at the duties, tools and terms of the trade features O'Brien's full-bleed illustrations, dappled watercolors and black ink lines, and the format follows his previous This Is Baseball, This Is Soccer, etc. Useful information includes fun terminology ("sitting wood" versus "tea-bagging" for instance), tips on how to escape a rip current and how guards go about rescues. (Holt, $15.95 32p ages 5-10 ISBN 0-8050-6911-9; May)
Inspiring Lives
A pair of biographies explore the lives of famous Americans. The Amazing Mr. Franklin: Or the Boy Who Read Everything by Ruth Ashby, illus. by Michael Montgomery, begins with Benjamin Franklin's transplant to Philadelphia at age 17. The narrative is meandering, and at times abrupt, but it covers his successes in the printing industry, the writing of his Poor Richard's Almanack and his invention of the lightning rod, among other astounding achievements. Historical notes and a list of further reading on the subject round out the volume. (Peachtree, $12.95 144p ages 7-10 ISBN 1-56145-306-4; May)
A historical account of the famous humorist and author, Mark Twain for Kids: His Life &Times, 21 Activities by R. Kent Rasmussen combines the details of Samuel Clemens's life with craft projects including making printer's type from a raw potato or fashioning a paddlewheel boat using foamboard. Quotations from Twain ("When angry, count four; when very angry, swear"), a comparison of Tom Sawyer and Harry Potter, vintage illustrations and photos enliven this thorough text. (Chicago Review [IPG, dist.], $14.95 paper 160p ages 9-up ISBN 1-55652-527-3; July)
