The Story Goes On...

Several popular series and protagonists continue in new titles. The titular heroine joins her favorite cafeteria lady, Mrs. Gutzman, by donning apron, mitts and a hair net, but things go a little haywire behind the lunch counter in Junie B., First Grader: Boss of Lunch by Barbara Park, illus. by Denise Brunkus, the latest installment in the bestselling series. (Random, $11.95 80p ages 6-9 ISBN 0-375-81517-1; May)

Book Six in the Cobble Street Cousins series, Cynthia Rylant's Wedding Flowers, illus. by Wendy Anderson Halperin, tells of Rosie, Lily and Tess's return to Cobble Street for Aunt Lucy's wedding to Michael. (S&S, $15 80p ages 7-10 ISBN 0-689-83242-7; Apr.)

Alien & Possum: Hanging Out by Tony Johnston, illus. by Tony DiTerlizzi, continues the quirky relationship between two very different friends, first introduced in the beginning reader Alien & Possum: Friends No Matter What. PW lauded the "springy pace and lively dialogue." (S&S, $15 48p ages 6-8 ISBN 0-689-83836-0; May)

Mrs. Gaskitt, the taxi-driving mother first met in The Man Who Wore All His Clothes, experiences a streak of good luck, while her children put up with a thieving substitute teacher (guess who comes to the rescue again?) in The Woman Who Won Things by Allan Ahlberg, illus. by Katharine McEwen. Humorous watercolor vignettes illustrate each snappy chapter. (Candlewick, $14.99 80p ages 6-9 ISBN 0-7636-1721-0; May)

The intrepid detective lays her life on the line when she hunts down her latest suspect, a reptilian-looking fellow, in Sammy Keyes and the Search for Snake Eyes, the seventh in the series by Wendelin Van Draanen. (Knopf, $15.95 192p ages 10-up ISBN 0-375-81175-3; May)

Assigned to assassinate the evil vampire Jeshikah, Turquoise Draka must go undercover as a slave in the mythical city of Midnight—and the experience makes her relive her past spent in servitude. In an ironic twist of fate, Turquoise's master may hold the key to releasing her demons in Midnight Predator by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. (Delacorte, $9.95 240p ages 12-up ISBN 0-385-32794-3; May)

The eponymous hero (aka David Bruce Schumacher) endures an identity crisis while trying to save his beloved Omaha Nebraska Brown from eviction in this third book in the series begun with The Adventures of Blue Avenger, Blue Avenger and the Theory of Everything by Norma Howe. (Cricket/Marcato, $17.95 240p ages 12-15 ISBN 0-8126-2654-0; May)

Fans of the Claidi Journals will welcome Wolf Queen by Tanith Lee. In the trilogy's final installment, Claidi's search for Argul leads her to a woman whom she thinks may be her mother. (Dutton, $16.99 240p ages 12-up ISBN 0-525-46895-1; May)

As a show of gratitude for rescuing Prince Froptoppit, the King of Smoo sends Akiko and her friends on a vacation to the planet Quilk to visit their famous zoo in Akiko and the Intergalactic Zoo by Mark Crilley. But the zookeeper wants Akiko for his special collection—can her friends free her? (Delacorte, $9.95 176p all ages ISBN 0-385-72968-5; May)

Melanie Martin Goes Dutch: The Private Diary of My Almost Bummer Summer with Cecily, Matt the Brat, and Vincent van Go Go Go by Carol Weston provides yet another perspective on the European vacation, first visited in The Diary of Melanie Martin or: How I Survived Matt the Brat, Michelangelo, and the Leaning Tower of Pizza. A trip to Holland turns (almost) torturous when the fourth-grader's best friend starts buddying up with her obnoxious brother. (Knopf, $15.95 224p ages 8-12 ISBN 0-375-82195-3; May)

On her way back to New York from Australia, Falcon goes after her brother Toody when he falls out of the airplane in Falcon and the Charles Street Witch by Luli Gray. Perhaps the dragons breath that carries her safely to the ground belongs to her long-lost dragon pal, Egg, first met in Falcon's Egg, which PW said, in a starred review, "artfully braid[s] together real life and fantasy." (Houghton, $15 144p ages 10-14 ISBN 0-618-16410-3; Apr.)

The Amazing Human Body

Science writer John Fleischman uses a clipped, engaging expository style to tell the incredible story of the railroad worker who, in 1848, survived the piercing blast of a 13-pound iron rod as it entered below his cheekbone and exited the front of his skull in Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story about Brain Science. Photographs, glossary, a resource listing and index lend this textbook case the same sense of immediacy as do the words. (Houghton, $16 96p ages 9-up ISBN 0-618-05252-6; Mar.)

Well organized, detailed and brimming with photographs, 1001 Facts About the Human Body by Sarah Brewer packs a lot of information into one easy-to-tote package, covering everything from the exterior skeleton to the internal organs, and includes a chapter on reproduction. One of four titles kicking off DK's new Backpack Books series, the volume features cutaway views and factoid boxes offering brief histories or more detailed information. The other titles: 1001 Facts About Dinosaurs by Neil Clark and William Lindsay; 1001 Facts About Space by Carole Stott and Clint Twist; and 1001 Facts About Sharks by Joyce Pope. (DK, $8.95 each paper 192p ages 8-up ISBN 0-7894-8451-X; -8448-X; -8450-1; -8449-8; Feb.)

Animals on Board

Animals star in an array of board books this spring. DK's Jumbo Shaped Board Book series continues with two new titles shaped like the creatures they feature. In Bunny, long-eared Hoppity points out his favorite things, such as carrots; Duckling, a counting book, follows in the webbed footsteps of fluffy newborns. (DK, $6.95 each 10p ages 6 mos.-4 yrs. ISBN 0-7894-7855-2; -7856-0; Feb.)

Two smiling boys—one Middle Eastern, one African—cuddle baby goats in the opening spread of Animal Friends: A Global Celebration of Children and Animals by Maya Ajmera and John D. Ivanko. Later, an Asian toddler kisses a guinea pig on the nose and a freckle-faced redhead holds a kitten as the text points out the features (e.g., big/small, feathers/scales) of the animals pictured in the full-color photographs. (Charlesbridge, $6.95 20p ages 6 mos.-6 yrs. ISBN 1-57091-502-4; Feb.)

My Kitten Friends board book, photos by Jane Burton, interprets the facial expressions of various felines. On each spread, a descriptive word ("sneaky," "scared," "rude," etc.) pops out of the bright background; on the right, a kitten appears against a white background. For dog lovers, there's My Puppy Friends. (S&S/Little Simon, $5.99 each 14p ages 1-6 ISBN 0-689-84767-X; -84768-8; Mar.)

Moo, Cow, Moo! and Kitty Says Meow! by Harriet Ziefert, illus. by Santiago Cohen, combines rhyming text and snappy graphics. In the first: "One cow is blue/ Another is green/ Prettiest cows you/ ever have seen." With a question, the second invites participation ("What does the kitty say? Kitty says meow!") (Grosset & Dunlap, $5.99 each 14p ages 6 mos.-2 yrs. ISBN 0-448-42607-2; -42608-0; Apr.)

Tabbed pages make fact-finding easy in an assortment of reference titles from Scholastic's First Discovery Look-It-Up Board Book series. What Do Animals Eat categorizes "herbivores," "carnivores" and "omnivores"; Animals at Home highlights pets, while Baby Animals in the Wild focuses on zebras and geese, for example. Animal Homes; Animals on the Move; and The Four Seasons are also available. (Scholastic/Cartwheel, $4.95 each 14p ages 6 mos.-5 yrs. ISBN 0-439-35591-5; -35590-7; -29722-2; -29724-9; -29723-0; -29725-7; Apr.)

Monkey business ensues in two new Chimp and Zee board books by Catherine and Laurence Anholt. Chimp and Zee's Noisy Book shows the pair copying sounds: "Woof woof woof!" and "clap clap clap" start the symphony. In Monkey Around with Chimp and Zee, little ones are invited to participate. "Ha, ha, ha! Hee, hee, hee!/ Do these things with Chimp and Zee" reads the opening page. Kids can touch a monkey's hand and give bedtime kisses. (Penguin Putnam/Fogelman, $6.99 each 8p ages 1-3 ISBN 0-8037-2772-0; -2773-9; Mar.)

Shelly Meredith illustrates two rhyming rib-ticklers: How to Be a Pig by Ima Swine pictures a prize-winning porker at the fair ("Now you might think/ we pigs are pink") then wallowing in mud on the farm ("That's true—in town/ At home, we're brown"); and How to Be a Cow by Bo Vine starring a singing and dancing bovine bunch. (PSS!, $5.99 each 14p ages 3-up ISBN 0-8431-7730-6; -7731-4; June)

Youngsters can sing along with Daisy duck in two titles from Jane Simmons: Daisy Says "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush" and Daisy Says "If You're Happy and You Know It." In both, adapted lyrics put the focus on animals. Tabbed pages tell readers where to find their favorite creatures, from Daisy herself to butterflies and frogs. (Little, Brown, $7.95 each 14p ages 2-up ISBN 0-316-79811-8; -79940-8; Mar.)

A pair of board books by Debi Gliori features ursine stars. The final spread of Tickly Under There shows the cuddly cub and Mr. Bear frolicking on the floor: "Two waving arms/ two kicking legs/ and one very tickly tum!" Can I Have a Hug? follows Mr. Bear on his search for the best embrace. (Scholastic/Orchard, $5.95 each 8p ages 1-4 ISBN 0-439-24404-8; -27602-0; Feb.)

Revisiting the Classics

An edition of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll contains all of Arthur Rackham's original artwork from the 1907 edition (published after Sir John Tenniel's illustrations). Pen-and-inks dot the text; full-page paintings, such as one sepia-toned frame showing Alice, in a delicate rose-patterned dress, addressing the hookah-smoking Caterpillar, plus a sewn-in satin bookmark make this an elegant gift choice. (SeaStar/Glassman, $19.95 208p all ages ISBN 1-58717-152-X; Apr.)

Iassen Ghiuselev brings the famous puppet-turned-boy to life in Carlo Collodi's Pinocchio, trans. by Carol della Chiesa. His b&w drawings possess the detail and craftsmanship of woodcuts, his paintings a psychological depth that reaches far past the story's events, such as one of Pinocchio hanging from a tree, as if lynched. Theatrical lighting creates a chiaroscuro effect. (Simply Read Books [604-727-2960], $22.95 160p all ages ISBN 0-9688767-0-3; Mar.)

The glitter on the cover foreshadows the glamour in Ruth Sanderson's retelling of Cinderella (when the fairy godmother transforms her, "Cinderella was thrilled"). Although based on Charles Perrault's classic tale, this version weaves in elements of the Brothers Grimm: Cinderella forgives her wicked stepmother and stepsisters, but when it's time for her to wed the prince, a flock of vengeful birds pecks the terrible trio, confining them to their house. Even as the heroine tends the fire, readers will see her beauty. (Little, Brown, $15.95 32p ages 6-8 ISBN 0-316-77965-2; Apr.)

My First Real Mother Goose Bedtime Book, illus. by Blanche Fisher Wright, showcases 10 traditional rhymes ("Diddle Diddle Dumpling" and "Little Boy Blue" among them) for the youngest readers. The padded cover edged in b&w checks and illustrations bordered in black line that harks back to Victorian storybooks are ideally suited to the nursery rhyme set. (Scholastic/Cartwheel, $7.99 24p ages 6 mos.-4 yrs. ISBN 0-439-34032-2; May)

The children's literature version of VH1's Behind the Music, Over the Candlestick: Classic Nursery Rhymes and the Real Stories Behind Them, collected by father-and-son team Michael G. Montgomery and Wayne Montgomery, illus., by Michael G. Montgomery, gives the historical scoop on such classics as "Little Miss Muffet," "Old King Cole" and "Jack and Jill." Chapters on "Riddles" and "Tongue Twisters" accompany the oldest recorded versions of the 14 tales. (Peachtree, $16.95 32p ages 3-7 ISBN 1-5614-5259-9; Mar.)