Back for Seconds

Readers catch up with the latest adventures of favorite picture book characters. Thievery and doublecrosses are once again afoot in Pigaroons by Arthur Geisert. With the annual Ice Festival approaching, the titular group of porcine protagonists (similar to the stars of TheGiant Ball of String and Nursery Crimes) steal the River Patrollers' block of ice, carving it into a fine portrait of Hernando de Soto. The victimized pigs use some ingenuity to melt their enemies' hopes of winning first prize. (Houghton/Lorraine, $16 32p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-618-41058-9; Sept.)

The bug-eyed boy from Parts and More Parts is back in Even More Parts: Idioms from Head to Toe by Tedd Arnold as he frets about more figures of speech. With a toy superhero, tank and dinosaur, he illustrates the wackiness of many expressions taken at "face" value. Underneath the main illustrations, the toys interact with each other: when the boy protagonist demonstrates "I went to pieces," his body parts strewn on the sidewalk, the dragon tells the toy superhero below, also a pile of limbs, "Pull yourself together!" as the disembodied toy hero announces, "I came unglued." (Dial, $15.99 32p ages 4-up ISBN 0-8037-2938-3; Sept.)

For kids anxious about a trip to the doctor, their favorite feline may offer some assistance, in Rotten Ralph Feels Rotten: A Rotten Ralph Rotten Reader by Jack Gantos, illus. by Nicole Rubel. After he feasts on a "green chicken wing," "furry fish" and a carton of "chunky chocolate milk" from a garbage can, Ralph needs to visit the vet. It isn't long before Ralph's rottenness is back in full swing. (FSG, $15 48p ages 6-8 ISBN0-374-36357-9; Sept.)

Sally Grindley's Grandfather Bear and his little bears get into A Little Bit of Trouble, illus. by Eleanor Taylor. In this sequel to No Trouble at All, the bears embark on a picnic, and the tykes get into more mischief while Grandfather waxes eloquent about how well-behaved and smart they are. (Bloomsbury, $16.95 32p ages 4-8 ISBN 1-58234-882-0; Sept.)

Following up on the creative duo's Ten Monkey Jamboree, gourds tumble and jumble in the rhyme-filled Sixteen Runaway Pumpkins by Dianne Ochiltree, illus. by Anne-Sophie Lanquetin. Young Sam (a raccoon-cum-lemur creature) helps Gramps by collecting the harvest—though the pumpkins soon get out of control, careening through the full-bleed spreads. Rather than crying over split pumpkins, they set to baking pies instead. (S&S/McElderry, $16.95 24p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-689-85090-5; Sept.)

Hazel Nutt, Alien Hunter has landed a new career in this pun-drenched sequel by David Elliott, illus. by True Kelley. Aboard her spaceship, BoobyPrize, she and her two-headed first mate, Igor, are forced by a meatball shower to land on the planet Wutt (resulting in Abbott and Costello—style gags). And in Wizard of Oz fashion, it turns out Hazel's ship has crushed the Wuttites' "little lady leader." (Holiday, $16.95 32p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-8234-1843-X; Sept.)

A puppy poses the question Who Are You, Baby Kangaroo? by Stella Blackstone, illus. by Clare Beaton, to a host of animal infants, and learns the names (as do readers) of cygnets, piglets, moose calves and beaver kittens. Beaton's signature stitched animals and landscapes feature felt, fabric, buttons and beads. (Barefoot, $14.99 32p ages 4-7 ISBN 1-84148-217-X; Sept.)

In Jag's New Friend by LeAnn Rimes, with Dean Sheremet, illus. by Richard Bernal, the young heroine introduced in Jag feels hurt when no one has time for her. She befriends a snake, Bo, who, unsurprisingly, is not as genuine as he first appears. Jag ultimately learns that even friends aren't always available to play. (Dutton, $15.99 40p ages 4-up ISBN 0-525-47298-3; Sept.)

The Perfect Tail: A Fred and Lulu Story by Mie Araki, a follow-up to The Magic Toolbox—about which PW predicted, "this bright-eyed, comical duo has legs"—finds Fred coveting his friends' unique tails: " 'Care for a snack?' said Penny. But Fred could only gasp. Penny's spiky tail took his breath away." When Fred's alterations to his own tail fail, Lulu's compliments set her friend at ease. (Chronicle, $14.95 32p ages 3-7 ISBN 0-8118-4266-5; Aug.)

Widget and the Puppy by Lyn Rossiter McFarland, illus. by Jim McFarland, brings back the Westie hero from Widget and his six feline housemates. When a lost puppy finds its way to their home, Mrs. Diggs searches for its owner, leaving Widget in charge. The lost pup, its tail frenetically wagging, runs wild through the house, to the communal chagrin of the cats. (FSG, $16 32p ages 3-6 ISBN 0-374-38429-0; Aug.)

The famous white feline spends the weekend with her grandparents learning embroidery, baking a triple-layer pudding cake and playing dress-up in Hello Kitty Visits Grandma! by Elizabeth Smith, illus. by Jean Hirashima. The title ends with punch-out paper dolls so readers can join in the dress-up fun. (Abrams, $12.95 24p ages 3-6 ISBN 0-8109-4937-7; Sept.)

Whose Nose and Toes? joins John Butler's q&a—style titles (e.g., Whose Baby Am I?) with visual clues and detailed, anthropomorphic animal portraits against a pastel backdrop. The titular question repeats on each spread, next to a picture of the corresponding features for 10 different baby animals. The answer follows on the next page, along with a full depiction of each creature. (Viking, $10.99 20p ages 2-5 ISBN 0-670-05904-8; Sept.)