Pullman Repackaged

Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy now appears in sophisticated trade paperback editions, each title embossed within a runic emblem of antiqued gold. The backdrop of The Golden Compass: His Dark Materials, Book I sports a midnight blue map of the cosmos with the zodiacal ram at its center. The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass carry similarly intriguing cover art, and all three titles offer details not seen in the originals: in Compass and Knife, for example, Pullman's stamp-size b&w art introduces each chapter; Spyglass chapters open with literary quotes from Blake, the Bible, Dickinson and more. (Knopf, $11.95 each paper Compass 416p ages 12-up ISBN 0-375-82345-X; Knife 352p -82346-8; Spyglass 544p -82335-2; Sept.)

Hermux Redux

Michael Hoeye's Hermux Tantamoq Adventure series is now being published by Putnam. The first title, Time Stops for No Mouse, introduced the watchmaking mouse, Hermux Tantamoq, his pet ladybug, Terfle, and his crush, aviatrix Ms. Linka Perflinger. In the second episode, The Sands of Time, Mayor Hooster Pinkwiggin vows to close Mirrin Stentrill's art exhibit when he learns it features felines—a taboo subject in the rodent town of Pinchester. PW said the author's "galloping plot, evocative descriptions and exuberantly sophisticated wit keep the pages rapidly turning." (Putnam, $14.99 288p all ages ISBN 0-399-23878-6; Sands of Time -23879-4; Sept.)

What's the 411?

This fall, a bumper crop of informational titles feeds hungry minds. Apples by Ken Robbins uses hand-tinted photographs and accessible text to explain how apples are grown, harvested, pressed into cider and otherwise used as food. An author's note elucidates apple-speak ("Today, when we say, 'You're the apple of my eye,' it means you're something very special to me") and points out the fruit's role in literature and folklore. (S&S/ Atheneum, $15.95 32p ages 6-9 ISBN 0-689-83024-6; Sept.)

A rabbit family visits a farm and learns how the gourd grows, discovers its different varieties and uncovers a bit of jack-o'-lantern history ("In olden times, they hollowed out potatoes and turnips and beets for lanterns") in Pumpkin Day! by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace. Her signature collage spreads starring bunny characters feature factoids and pumpkin jokes throughout—plus recipes. (Cavendish, $16.95 32p ages 4-7 ISBN 0-7614-5128-5; Sept.)

A girl visits her beekeeping grandfather in The Beeman by Laurie Krebs, illus. by Melissa Iwai. The text—modeled after "The House That Jack Built"—introduces beekeeping equipment and hive hierarchy, and explains the harvesting of honey ("Here are the house bees/ with swift-moving wings/ that dry up the nectar/ a worker bee brings"). (National Geographic, $16.95 32p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-7922-7224-2; Sept.)

A mother bear emerges from her den with two new cubs by her side in The Polar Bears Are Hungry by Carol Carrick, illus. by her son, Paul Carrick. Dramatic acrylics, such as one of the threesome against an Arctic sunset in lavender and tangerine, accompany a straightforward presentation of the facts (e.g., "Mother Bear is hungry. She hasn't eaten for months"). An author's note elucidates the details and explains the effect of global warming on the animal's way of life. (Clarion, $14 32p ages 3-7 ISBN 0-618-15962-2; Sept.)

Like his Alice Ramsey's Grand Adventure and Ruth Law Thrills a Nation, Don Brown's Far Beyond the Garden Gate: Alexandra David-Neel's Journey to Lhasa charts another innovative woman in a concise picture-book biography. Here, the focus is Parisian-born Alexandra David-Neel's determination to enter the Tibetan capital. A spread of David-Neel crossing a gorge by cable illustrates the lengths to which she goes to become the first Western woman to enter Lhasa, in 1924. (Houghton, $16 32p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-618-08364-2; Sept.)

Youngsters learn to manage sticky situations without coming unglued in What If? A Kid's Guide to Surviving Just About Anything by Lynne Gibbs, illus. by Richard Morgan. The paperback volume offers practical advice for country- and city-dwellers, such as "How to survive in the wilderness" and "Encounters with dangerous animals," as well as more commonsense tips on first aid and more (e.g., "Stranger Danger... Unless a parent or caregiver has told you that it is safe to do so, never go off with someone you do not know"). (McGraw-Hill, $6.95 paper 64p ages 7-12 ISBN 1-57768-990-9; Sept.)

For older readers, Revenge of the Whale: The True Story of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick describes a tale worthy of Ahab: on November 20, 1820, an angry sperm whale took vengeance on the men who would slay it for oil. Adapted from Philbrick's bestselling title for adults, In the Heart of the Sea, the narrative draws from primary sources, including the account of cabin boy Thomas Nickerson, who joined the crew at age 14. (Putnam, $16.99 176p ages 10-up ISBN 0-399-23795-X; Sept.)

Readers encounter Seaman, the canine that accompanied the men who charted an inland route to the Pacific, in Dog of Discovery: A Newfoundland's Adventures with Lewis and Clark by Laurence Pringle, illus. by Meryl Henderson. Culled from "every incident from [their] journals involving Seaman," Pringle's narrative details the expedition from conception to close (1803—1806). Informative sidebars, maps and photographs give readers a feel for the period. (Boyds Mills, $17.95 152p ages 8-up ISBN 1-59078-028-0; Sept.)

The Short and Bloody History of... series by John Farman kicks off with five titles that present digestible chunks of information alongside comic illustrations. The Short and Bloody History of Ghosts begins by asking "What are ghosts?" before exploring such subjects as "Ghosts Around the World" and Animal Ghosts ("The most common four-legged phantoms are usually known as hellhounds and take the form of huge black dogs"). A glossary of ghostly lingo, suggestions for further reading and recommended Web sites round out the offering. Highwaymen; Knights; Pirates; and Spies follow the same format, with short bios of some infamous examples. (Lerner, $5.95 each paper 96p ages 10-up ISBN 0-8225-0838-9; -0840-0; -0843-7; -0844-3; -0846-X; Sept.)

Body of Knowledge

Three titles examine the human body. A 1960s palette and attitude informs From Head to Toe: An Amazing Human Body and How It Works by Barbara Seuling, illus. by Edward Miller. The volume covers bones, muscles, the brain and organs, among other parts, with text that invites a personal connection ("You might think your belly button has no purpose.... It doesn't anymore, but once it was your lifeline") and rainbow colors show internal organs. Humorous sidebars supplement each section; the accompanying experiments (e.g., making a hinge joint out of boxes and tape) are easy to execute. (Holiday, $16.95 32p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-8234-1699-2; Sept.)

Presented in signature DK style, Encyclopedia of the Human Body, edited by Richard Walker, offers a detailed look (via microscope and X-ray, too) at this most amazing creation, and includes the reproductive system (which is not included in From Head to Toe, above). "Working Parts" and "Moving Framework" (which covers the skeletal system, muscles and joints) are among the volume's seven sections. Later sections focus on nutrition, exercise and organ function. "The Body Through Time" considers human evolution, public health and modern medicine. (DK, $29.99 304p ages 8-up ISBN 0-7894-8672-5; Sept.)

Finally, Hairdo!: What We Do and Did to Our Hair by Ruth Freeman Swain, illus. by Cat Bowman Smith, playfully provides a historical and cross-cultural look at the styles that have defined society, such as an Egyptian party favor ("At evening parties, special guests were given cones of perfumed beeswax to put on top of their heads"), the wigs of Louis XIV ("to hide his thinning hair") and Native American girls' "squash blossoms" formed by coiling the hair above each ear. (Holiday, $16.95 32p ages 6-10 ISBN 0-8234-1522-8; Sept.)

Get Up and Go

Transportation is the name of the game in a quartet of titles. For preschool passengers, the paper-over-board Amazing Airplanes by Tony Mitton, illus. by Ant Parker, uses rhyming couplets to wax poetic about air travel ("The flight deck's where the captain/ and copilot do their jobs./ They both know how to fly the plane/ with all its dials and knobs"). A final page labels and describes plane and airport parts. (Kingfisher, $9.95 24p ages 3-5 ISBN 0-7534-5403; Sept.)

For older readers, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum offers The Story of Flight by Judith Rinard, an adaptation of her Book of Flight, which was geared to an older audience. This history of aviation covers the Montgolfier brothers' hot air balloon, which floated above Paris for 20 minutes in 1783, through to the space shuttle and beyond. More than 150 color and b&w images, arranged in an appropriately airy design, illustrate the proceedings. (Firefly, $16.95 64p ages 8-11 ISBN 1-55297-642-4; paper $8.95 -694-7; Sept.)

A boy dons an engineer's cap and explains railroad cars, cargo, destinations and more in My Freight Train, a companion to My Fire Engine by Michael Rex. In his trademark illustrations, Rex's charcoal pencil lines and bright colors chart the train's progress. (Holt, $15.95 32p ages 3-7 ISBN 0-8050-6682-9; Sept.)

Inspired by abandoned stretches of Pennsylvania's Morris Canal, a 19th-century waterway used primarily to transport coal to New York and New Jersey, A Full Hand by Thomas F. Yezerski follows young Asa as he leads his father's boat down the canal for the first time, and simultaneously introduces readers to a forgotten way of life. (FSG, $16 32p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-374-42502-7; Sept.)

Tales of Tradition

Time-honored traditions come alive in two titles. Joseph Bruchac shares the Seasons of the Circle: A Native American Year, illus. by Robert Goetzl, from January ("Maliseet hunters follow/ the tracks of the moose/ through crusted snow") to December, during which "a Lakota elder/ tells stories of when earth was young." A pronunciation guide to tribal names and a map of their regions conclude the volume. (Troll/Bridgewater, $15.95 32p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-8167-7467-6; Sept.)

As they have done in previous collaborations, Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith and photographer Lawrence Migdale once again explore a central cultural tradition. Celebrating a Quinceañera: A Latino's 15th Birthday Celebration chronicles the preparation—and the big event—which attends the traditional Mexican-American celebration marking a girl's passage into adulthood. Photographs show preparatory steps, such as sending out invitations and choosing a dress. (Holiday, $16.95 32p ages 8-12 ISBN 0-8234-1693-3; Sept.)