Books for Baby

"Meowie Wowie!" Supercat by Kate McMullan, illus. by Pascal Lemaître, possibly the first board-book superhero for babies and toddlers, is out to "[make] the world safe for blankies." In comic-strip style, the oblong paper-over-board book features the fearless feline, armed with plenty of Super Milk. Colorful pen-and-ink drawings illustrate the action, in which Supercat proves that he is faster than a falling baby elephant, more powerful than a missing blankie and able to get a hippo into pajamas in a single bound. (Workman, $6.95 32p ages 1-4 ISBN 0-7611-2644-9; June)

With real wooden covers, two new board books in the Wooden Tops series, illus. by Caroline Davis, live up to their names. My Little Rocking Horse Lullabies features the words to six lullabies, including "Hush, Little Baby" and "Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral," an Irish tune. "Humpty Dumpty" and "Little Miss Muffet" are among the six classics in My Little Rowboat Nursery Rhymes. The books' rounded-bottom shape mimics their titles, making these two fun as toys as well as read-alouds. (S&S/Little Simon, $5.99 each 20p ages 6 mos.-5 yrs. ISBN 0-689-84687-8; -84686-X; Aug.)

Similarly, Cuddle Me Board Books Good Morning and Good Night have soft fleece covers and a handy flannel carrying hook on the spine. The first features a smiling sun and an invitation to join a cheerful morning chant ("Morning is here. It is time to say, 'Good morning, happy rooster. Sing your morning song!' "). A moon in a nightcap graces the cover of the other; inside, animals settle down to sleep. (S&S/Little Simon, $6.99 each 12p ages 6 mos.-5 yrs. ISBN 0-689-85099-9; -85098-0; July)

Bold and bright graphics and one intelligent toddler figure prominently in two paper-over-board books by Kim Deegan. My First Book of Numbers counts down from 10 bowling pins to "one big mess!" as the child plays with toys; in My First Book of Opposites, the child hides "under" and sits "on" a box, wears sunglasses when it's "bright" and, when it's "dark," peers from a lighted window. (Bloomsbury, $7.95 each 16p ages 2-up ISBN 1-58234-755-7; -756-5; June)

My First Baby Signs by Linda Acredolo and Susan Goodwyn, with photos by Penny Gentieu, illustrate nine commonsense gestures to help babies with nonverbal communication. For example, a throwing motion indicates a ball, while opening and closing the palms symbolizes a book. (HarperFestival, $6.95 24p ages 6 mos.-3 yrs. ISBN 0-06-009074-X; May)

True Companions

A host of new titles return to earlier themes and protagonists. Lily blames her bad behavior on her beloved stuffed animal in It Was You, Blue Kangaroo! by Emma Chichester Clark, the sequel to I Love You, Blue Kangaroo! Lucky for Lily, her loyal 'roo looks the other way, then helps set things right. (Doubleday, $15.95 32p ages 2-5 ISBN 0-385-74623-7; Aug.)

As he did in Firefighters A to Z, Chris L. Demarest now follows the firefighters of the forest in Smokejumpers One to Ten. "One lightning bolt, in a flash, strikes a tree./ Two pilots radio in what they see." Dramatic pastels illustrate the action in this informative counting book. (S&S/McElderry, $17 32p ages 5-8 ISBN 0-689-84120-5; June)

Douglas Wood goes back to school in What Teachers Can't Do, illus. by Doug Cushman, the follow-up to the popular What Dads Can't Do and What Moms Can't Do. Among the lessons learned: "Teachers can't buy their own apples./ And they can't teach their best without flowers on their desk." (S&S, $14.95 32p ages 3-8 ISBN 0-689-84644-4; July)

Like their previous collaboration, 39 Uses for a Friend, Toes Have Wiggles, Kids Have Giggles by Harriet Ziefert, illus. by Rebecca Doughty, presents poetic observations ("Summers have bicycles/ Winters have icicles") alongside childlike illustrations. (Putnam, $13.99 40p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-399-23617-1; June)

This Train, This Plane and This Boat author/illustrator Paul Collicut continues to explore transportation—and opposites—with This Car. "This car is short. This car is long./ This car is old. This car is new," reads the straightforward text; dramatic full-color illustrations show an array of automobiles. Endpapers showcase popular and lesser known cars, their make and model. (FSG, $15 32p ages 3-6 ISBN 0-374-39965-4; Aug.)

Having made a bilingual foray to the market in Eight Animals on the Town, Ratón (Mouse), Gato (Cat) and friends now tackle the culinary arts—and add 33 Spanish vocabulary words—in Eight Animals Bake a Cake by Susan Middleton Elya, illus. by Lee Chapman. Each animal brings one ingredient to the cake-baking session (recipe appears at the end): "Dog brings the egg, one huevo to beat./ 'Hurry up,' Perro says. 'I want to eat.' " Chapman's paintings glow with south-of-the-border colors and a Mexican folk-art spirit; whimsically patterned frames contain translation equations ("Dog = Perro," "Egg = Huevo" and so on). (Putnam, $15.99 32p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-399-23468-3; July)

Excluded by his friends, The Last Noo-Noo's lovable monster Marlon makes up a game of his own in All for One by Jill Murphy. A satisfying tale about a common childhood scenario. (Candlewick, $15.99 32p ages 3-6 ISBN 0-7636-0785-1; Aug.)

First introduced in Shanna's Princess Show and Shanna's Doctor Show, the spunky African-American heroine takes on a new role in Shanna's Teacher Show by Jean Marzollo, illus. by Shane Evans. "I'm a teacher," Shanna declares. "Wonder how I know?" Opposite, books, flashcards and crayons are three of the clues on "The Shanna Show." Also available: Shanna's Ballerina Show. (Hyperion/Jump at the Sun, $7.99 each 24p ages 3-7 ISBN 0-7868-0635-4; -0634-6; July)

Baby Duck is back, and only Grandpa can coax her off the sidelines to help her conquer her fear of water—and achieve her dream—in Make the Team, Baby Duck! by Amy Hest, illus. by Jill Barton. (Candlewick, $16.99 32p ages 3-6 ISBN 0-7636-1541-2; Aug.)

Roald Dahl, Reissued

Knopf includes George's Marvelous Medicine and Fantastic Mr. Fox in its roster of handsomely redesigned hardcover Roald Dahl reissues. In the first novel, George comes up with a potion to improve the mood of his grumpy grandma; the second centers on the efforts of farmers Boggis, Bunce and Bean to catch the titular thief. Both feature Quentin Blake's original illustrations and include an interview with the author. (Knopf, $15.95 each ages 8-12 ISBN 0-375-82206-2; -82207-2; June)

Summer Sci-Fi

Tor's Starscape imprint reissues four titles this season. The first, The Whispering Mountain by Joan Aiken—first published in 1968—follows Owen and Arabis as they try to prevent the evil Lord Mayln from stealing the town's magical golden harp. In the other three: the young protagonist battles the Buggers, a band of hostile aliens in Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card, a companion novel to last season's Ender's Game; The Garden Behind the Moon by 19th-century novelist Howard Pyle tells of a boy's journey to the beyond; and in Orvis by H.M. Hoover, the titular robot, a girl named Toby and her friend Thaddeus flee when Toby's grandmother threatens to send her to school on Mars. (Tor/Starscape, $5.99 paper each ages 10-up ISBN 0-765-34241-3; -34240-5; -34242-1; Orvis ISBN 0-812-55735-2; June)