Starscape Takes Off

Starscape, a new imprint, launches a list of science fiction and fantasy titles aimed at readers aged 10 and up, adapted from acclaimed adult titles (see details in Children's Books, Jan. 21). Among them are Robert Jordan's From the Two Rivers and To the Blight, adapted into two volumes from his adult title The Eye of the World: The Wheel of Time, Book 1. Kid-friendly additions include a new prologue, larger print, a glossary and a smattering of illustrations. (Tor/Starscape, $5.99 each paper 360p ages 10-up ISBN 0-765-34184-0; -34221-9; Jan.)

Other titles include Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, winner of both the Hugo and Nebula awards. Here, Ender Wiggin attempts to save the Earth from an alien attack. In Jumper, by Steven Gould, Davey escapes his troubled home with a little help from teleportation, a means of traveling thousands of miles without taking a single step. (-34229-4; -34228-6; Feb.)

The Cockatrice Boys by Joan Aiken, illus. by Gris Grimley, tells the story of the Cockatrice monsters that have invaded England and the eponymous youth who band together in defense of their country. And in a haunting blend of fact and fiction, Briar Rose by Jane Yolen blends the well-known story of Sleeping Beauty with the history of the Holocaust. (-34231-6; -34230-8; Mar.)

Board Books for Baby

Developed on the premise that eating books leads to reading books, Bite Me, I'm a Shape and Bite Me, I'm a Book by Sarah Weeks, illus. by Jef Kaminsky, feature comical illustrations and energetic rhymes. "Reading books is lots of fun,/ but wouldn't you rather be.../ Biting one?" closes the second title. A die-cut bite shape is missing from the upper right hand corner of both sturdy board books. (Random, $3.99 each 10p ages 6 mos.-4 yrs. ISBN 0-375-81262-8; -81261-X; Mar.)

Harriet Ziefert and Caldecott Medalist Simms Taback team up for a pair of lift-the-flap board books. Where Is My Baby? features mamas' search for their little ones, naming them as they go ("Here is my calf," says the cow). In Who Said Moo?, Red Rooster wants to know who answered his morning call ("Someone said moo. Was it you?") and discovers a wide array of animal sounds. (Handprint [Chronicle, dist.] $7.95 each 16p ages 2-up ISBN 1-929766-46-7; -47-5; May)

Teddy bears feature prominently in two photographic books by David Ellwand, Ten in the Bed: A Counting Book and Clap Your Hands: An Action Book. Tucked-in Teddies reach across the opening pages of the first title, but as the bears fall out, they appear against increasingly larger pastel panels on the right. In the second, the bears play along to the popular preschool song ("If you're happy and you know it clap your hands"). (Handprint, [Chronicle, dist.] $9.95 each 24p ages 2-5 ISBN 1-929766-49-1; -50-5; May)

The titular white bunny is back in two new board books: Sam's Little Sister and Sam Loves Kisses by Yves Got. In the first, Sam lists the things he and his sister, Sophie, do together. In the latter, he chronicles an array of kisses. (Chronicle, $6.95 each 18p ages 6 mos.-3 yrs. ISBN 0-8118-3504-9; -3505-7; Apr.)

In Full Blume

Judy Blume's body of work returns to her original editor, Richard Jackson, with the rerelease of four classics in hardcover. An African-American family moves to all-white Grove Street in Iggie's House, to be released in April. The author's breakthrough title, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, about 11-year old Margaret Simon's struggles with puberty and religion, is now available in hardcover as well as in a Spanish-language edition, ¿Estãs ahí Dios? Soy yo, Margaret. Two additional titles came out last season: Blubber takes on preteen teasing; and It's Not the End of the World explores the effects of divorce. (Atheneum/Jackson, $17 each 168p ages 9-11 Iggie ISBN 0-689-84291-0; Margaret ages 10-up -84158-2; Span ed. -84688-6; Apr.; Blubber -84974-5; World -84293-7)

Welcome Back!

Several novels make a welcome reappearance. Spring-Heeled Jack (first published in the U.S. in 1991) by Whitbread Award—winning author Philip Pullman, illus. by David Mostyn, tracks the Victorian hero's attempts to save three orphans alone on the streets of London. Comic book—style illustrations are interspersed throughout. (Knopf, $9.95 112p ages 8-12 ISBN 0-375-81601-1; Apr.).

Itinerant Kizzy Lovell must summon all her strength when unfortunate circumstances leave her stranded in an unwelcoming town in Gypsy Girl by Rumer Godden, which first appeared in 1972 as The Diddakoi. (HarperCollins, $4.95 paper 176p ages 8-12 ISBN 0-06-440937-6; Mar.)

The titular hero is forced to leave town after vowing to forever tell the truth in Terpin (1982) by Tor Seidler. (HarperCollins, $14.95 112p ages 8-12 ISBN 0-06-623607-X; Mar.)

A girl brightens up her bare-bones world when she turns a discarded tomato can into a home for fairies in Elizabeth Orton Jones's Twig. This 60th-anniversary edition features original artwork by Jones, who won the Caldecott Medal for her work in Prayer for a Child. (Purple House [817-428-6300], $18.95 152p ages 6-12 ISBN 1-930900-05-8; Feb.)

Animal Kingdom

A walrus plays peek-a-boo, a fawn and squirrel rub noses and two polar bears dance on the ice in Amusing Moments in the Wild: Animals and Their Friends. As in Tender Moments in the Wild, project editor Stephanie Maze complements full-color nature photographs with simple yet informative text. Bright borders stamped with the animal's silhouette frame each spread. Also available: Peaceful Moments in the Wild: Animals in Their Homes. (Moonstone [IPG, dist.], $15 each 32p ages 2-6 ISBN 0-9707768-3-7; -1-0; Apr.)

Two additions to the Backyard Books series by Judy Allen, illus. by Tudor Humphries, let readers experience a day in the life of common creatures. Are You an Ant? puts the eponymous picnic-invaders under the microscope; Are You a Grasshopper? takes a similar close-up view of its subject. Humphries's illustrations capture even the tiniest details. (Kingfisher, $9.95 32p ages 3-up ISBN 0-7534-5365-7; -5366-5; Apr.)

Set in a Panamanian rain forest, Army Ant Parade by April Pulley Sayre, illus. by Rick Chrustowski, puts readers right in the center of the excitement, suggesting they look for telltale signs, such as an antbird rustling ("Chew-chew-chew," it calls) or scorpions scurrying. The earthtoned illustrations show the subject close up as well as advancing en masse. Back matter includes additional information. (Holt, $16.95 32p ages 3-7 ISBN 0-8050-6353-6; Mar.)

"Sometimes in the wild, animals you might think could hurt each other actually help each other in surprising ways." Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey provide specific examples of these unusual duos with brief text and humorous pen-and-ink, gouache and watercolor illustrations in Weird Friends: Unlikely Allies in the Animal Kingdom. (Harcourt/Gulliver, $16 40p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-15-202128-0; Apr.)

"Where does a tiger-heron spend the night?/ Deep in the mangroves,/ tucked out of sight." In Where Does a Tiger-Heron Spend the Night? by Margaret Carney, illus. by Mélanie Watt, children lift a fold-out page on the right of each spread to reveal the second half of rhyming q&a couplets. Vibrant acrylics provide close-ups of the creatures and their natural surroundings. Additional information about each bird appears in the final spread. (Kids Can, $15.95 32p ages 3-8 ISBN 1-55337-022-8; Mar.)