And Then What Happened?

Her Royal Highness Princess Amelia Mignonette Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldo of Genovia, also known as Mia, prepares to meet the populace of her newfound kingdom—all while trying to dump one boyfriend for another—in Princess in Love, the third in the Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot. (HarperCollins, $15.95 240p ages 12-up ISBN 0-06-029467-1; Apr.)

Romance problems are not just for royals. Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's Simply Alice, the 14th book in the popular Alice series, finds the high school freshman looking at relationships in a brand-new way after breaking up with her boyfriend. (S&S/Atheneum, $16 240p ages 12-up ISBN 0-689-82635-4; May)

Brian Jacques's The Tribes of Redwall Badgers, illus. by Peter Standley, reveals the animals' secret societies. A pullout poster and badger quiz is also included in this tidy booklet. (Philomel, $8.99 paper 16p all ages ISBN 0-399-23852-2; Feb.)

In the sequel to Falcon's Egg, the titular heroine summons a measure of courage in the search for her lost brother. Having leapt from a loaded passenger plane to save him, Falcon ends up in the magical backyard garden of one Blinda Cholmondely in Falcon and the Charles Street Witch by Luli Gray. (Houghton, $15 144p ages 10-14 ISBN 0-618-16410-3; Mar.)

Ralph and Sylvia Nebula flee Deepdip Cha-Cha's Fun Ashram for Kids in Fat Camp Commandos Go West by Daniel Pinkwater, illus. by Andy Rash. After teaming up with best friend Mavis on a nearby dude ranch, the trio attempts to reunite the feuding town of Horny Toad. Rash's comic illustrations complement the zippy text. (Scholastic, $14.95 96p ages 8-13 ISBN 0-439-29772-9; May)

Little Wolf takes a job as an advice columnist for the "Wolf Weekly" in Dear Little Wolf by Ian Whybrow, illus. by Tony Toss. Strategic misspellings, humorous illustrations and a question-and-answer format lend an air of authenticity to the latest installment of the Little Wolf series. (Lerner/First Avenue, $3.95 paper 64p ages 7-12 ISBN 0-87614-902-6; Apr.)

Jonah Black is back in Run, Jonah, Run, Volume III of the Black Book: Diary of a Teenage Stud series. The virile volume opens with Jonah on the verge of losing his virginity to Posie. An unexpected phone call from former flame Sophie changes the mood. (HarperCollins/Avon, $4.99 paper 224p ages 14-up ISBN 0-06-440800-0; Jan.)

Cultural Connections

With eight stories about Muslim life from such places as the United States, Pakistan, Canada and Nigeria, Muslim Child: Understanding Islam Through Stories and Poems by Rukhsana Khan, illus. by Patty Gallinger, offers insight into the five pillars of Islam (belief, prayer, fasting, charity and pilgrimage to Mecca) and demonstrates Muslim presence around the globe. Throughout, sidebars by Irfan Alli explain Muslim terms and traditions; sayings from the prophet Muhammad punctuate the text. A pronunciation guide, a samosa recipe and instructions for making "Eid Mubarak" cards to mark the end of Ramadan round out the volume. (Albert Whitman, $14.95 104p ages 8-12 ISBN 0-8075-5307-7; Feb.)

A Thousand Peaks: Poems from China by Siyu Liu and Orel Protopopescu, illus. by Siyu Liu, is not your average poetry collection. Within the three sections—organized under headings such as "Social Structure"—each poem amplifies the theme, and informative text below often includes a brief bio of the poet. For instance, in the first section, "Pity the Farmer," describing the peasant work ethic, is paired with "Passing Huaqing Palace," the emperor's home from which "a concubine smiles"—both written during the Tang dynasty. In the center of the spread, the literal translation appears below traditional Chinese characters. Resource listings and a guide to Chinese language pronunciation are included. A delicate watercolor scene opens each section. (Pacific View [415-285-8538], $19.95 52p all ages ISBN 1-881896-24-2; Feb.)

Collecting churros, chiles and healing herbs, a Mexican-American boy bounds from booth to booth visiting fellow flea market vendors in Grandma and Me at the Flea or Los Meros Meros Remateros by Juan Felipe Herrera, illus. by Anita DeLucio-Brock. Evoking the feel of folk art, DeLucio-Brock's full-bleed illustrations form a colorful backdrop for side-by-side Spanish and English text. (Children's Book Press, $16.95 32p ages 6-10 ISBN 0-89239-171-5; Mar.)

In The Three Little Rabbits retold by Ivan Gantschev, trans. by J. Alison James—the Balkan version of the Three Little Pigs—a bunny mother and father warn their now-grown offspring to "dig yourself a safe rabbit hole" in case "a fox comes around." But only one bunny takes the time to do it right. The others, tormented by the furtive fox, learn a life-changing lesson. Gorgeous watercolors seem to bloom on the page, like their peak shades in spring. (North-South, $15.95 32p ages 3-5 ISBN 0-7358-1474-0; Jan.)

Calendar Savvy

There's no candy coating from "Red" and "Yellow": the duo introduces each topic with questions, comments and witty quips in The Official M&M's Brand History of the Calendar by Larry Dane Brimner, illus. by Karen Pellaton, a well-researched treatise on time. The entire cast of candies stars in The M&M's Brand Color Pattern Book by Barbara Barbieri McGrath, illus. by Roger Glass. (Charlesbridge, $16.95 each 32p ages 7-10; ISBN 1-57091-431-1; $6.95 paper -432-X; Color ages 4-8 -416-8; $6.95 paper -417-6; Feb.)

From weather patterns and animal behaviors to birthstone to traditional celebrations and the birthdays of famous folks, It Happens in the Month of January by Ellen Jackson, illus. by Pat DeWitt and Robin DeWitt, serves as a beginners' almanac of sorts. Offering readers an overview of the month's events, the volume also includes information about the zodiac and a seasonal story. The other 11 months each get a title in the It Happens in the Month of series as well. (Charlesbridge, $8.95 each 32p ages 5-8 ISBN 0-88106-995-7; February -996-5; March -905-1; April -908-6; May -918-3; June -919-1; July -920-5; August -921-3; September -922-1; October -923-X; November -927-2; December -958-2; Jan.)