Short Takes

Actor John Lithgow, who has written several children's books, is now offering one for parents. It's A Lithgow Palooza! 101 Ways to Entertain and Inspire Your Kids and was bought by Trish Todd at Simon & Schuster's Fireside division; she got world, first serial and audio rights from Lithgow's agency, Broadthink, for publication next spring.... Another book for parents from a starry source is Growing Up Healthy, a joint effort by TV host Joan Lunden and veteran nutritionist Dr. Myron Winick. This guide to healthy eating for kids was bought by Atria's Brenda Copeland for six figures for North American rights from Ellen Geiger at Curtis Brown, and will appear next May.... For parents of even smaller youngsters comes The Baby Sleep Book by veteran child-care authors William and Martha Sears, with their doctor sons Jim and Bob Sears. Little, Brown's Terry Adams paid six figures to agent Denise Marcil for this one, to be edited by Liz Nagle.... A Crown assistant editor, Shana Wingert Drehs, bought a book about a celebrated and bloody jail break in 1941. It's called Sing Sing 475, and author David Goewey comes from a long line of prison guards at the jail; the world rights deal was made with Brettne Bloom at the Kneerim & Williams agency.