Children's Notes

Touted as a facsimile of an 1825 text by Lady Hestia Evans, an admirer of Lord Byron, Mythology by Dugald A. Steer, newest in the 'Ology series, serves as an interactive primer on Greek myth. Chock-full of flaps, foldouts and such removable goodies as Oak Leaves of the Oracle and a silver obol to pay for a journey across the River Styx, this enticing package also contains concise versions of Greek myths. Historical facts about ancient Greece as well as pictures of its art and architecture are interspersed throughout, while a bejeweled cover helps lure readers to the wealth of information within. (Candlewick, $19.99 32p ages 8-up ISBN 978-0-7636-3403-2; Sept.)

Youngest readers will laugh as they explore the concept of size. The board book Big Fish Little Fish by Ed Heck introduces the ideas of relative size and placement. Double-page spreads depict Big Fish eyeing a nervous-looking Little Fish and offer comparisons of location (“Big Fish is above. Little Fish is below”). Despite his diminutive size, it's Little Fish who gets the big laugh in the end. (Penguin/PSS! $9.99 18p ages 6 mos.-3 yrs. ISBN 978-0-8431-2681-5; Aug.)

In Big and Little by John Stadler, children will giggle with anticipation as each fold-out page brings them closer to the moment when Ellie, a pink elephant in a tutu, dives into a cup of water from a high board. A well-dressed mouse acts as the emcee for this spectacle (“Will she land in the glass? Can she?”), heightening the tension. Youngsters may fear the worst as Ellie tumbles, but will delight in the denouement: Ellie is actually a very tiny elephant who can easily perch atop the palm of the emcee's hand. (Random/Robin Corey, $9.99 32p ages 4-8 ISBN 978-0-375-84175-0; Aug.)

These books about the birds and the bees may help assuage kids' concerns about their development. The team behind Amazing You! returns with Changing You! A Guide to Body Changes and Sexuality by Dr. Gail Saltz, illus. by Lynne Avril Cravath, which helps parents and kids discuss the tricky topic of puberty. Earnest but not overly clinical lessons about anatomy and reproduction are paired with illustrations that feature numerous lighthearted details, underscoring the normality of the bodily changes growing kids face. (Dutton, $16.99 48p ages 6-up ISBN 978-0-525-47817-1; Sept.)

Dr. Timothy Culbert and Rebecca Kajander provide the Be the Boss of Your Body Series, kits that offer kids easy-to-use tools for self- (and health) awareness. Be the Boss of Your Pain discusses ways to relieve pain associated with headaches, stomachaches and other common ills. Be the Boss of Your Stress explains how to recognize signs of stress and how to alleviate it. And Be the Boss of Your Sleep gives practical advice on how to avoid sleep problems. Each kit contains an advice book and relevant tool (acupressure tool, stress ball, pinwheel), stickers and more. (Free Spirit, $19.95 each 64p each ages 8-up ISBN 978-1-57542-254-1; -256-5; -255-8; Aug.)

For boys approaching adolescence comes The Boy's Body Book: Everything You Need to Know for Growing Up You by Kelli Dunham, illus. by Steven Bjorkman. This text on the trials and tribulations of puberty and all that comes with it offers advice on hygiene, grades, sports, family, friends and more. “Quick Tip” sidebars provide straightforward hints in the same fairly no-nonsense tone as the rest of the informational text. (Cider Mill/Applesauce [Sterling, dist.], $11.95 112p ages 10-up ISBN 978-1-933662-74-9; Aug.)

Science Verse Jon Scieszka, illus. by Lane Smith. Viking, $9.99 ISBN 978-0-670-06269-0. The “madcap” collaborators responsible for Math Curse “deliver another riotous lesson,” PW wrote in a starred review. The duo tackles such topics as evolution, nutrition, atomic structure and even “Santa's Big Sneeze.” Ages 4-up. (Sept.)

Carnival of the Animals John Lithgow, illus. by Boris Kulikov. Aladdin, $7.99 ISBN 978-0-689-87343-0. This adaptation of Camille Saint-Saëns's 1886 orchestral suite stars a boy who dreams that everyone he knows has been changed into animal-human hybrids. “Lithgow gleefully tackles the challenge of inventing a child-friendly story around the music's imagery,” while Kulikov's “sophisticated yet playful treatment... will have readers poring over many of the compositions,” wrote PW. Ages 5-10. (Sept.)

Befiddled Pedro de Alcantara. Yearling, $5.99 ISBN 978-0-440-42057-6. PW wrote that budding musicians, especially those who suffer from stage fright, “will be drawn to this first novel about a nervous violinist” who loses control of her fingers every time she performs. Ages 9-12. (Aug.)

The Book Thief Markus Zusak. Knopf, $11.99 ISBN 978-0-375-84220-7. Death, “a companionable if sarcastic fellow,” narrates this sophisticated novel set in small-town Germany during WWII. “It's a measure of how successfully Zusak has humanized these characters that even though we know they are doomed, it's no less devastating when Death finally reaches them,” PW wrote in a starred review. Ages 12-up. (Sept.)