More Unfortunate Events

In the ninth title in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Carnivorous Carnival, the Baudelaire siblings are falsely accused of murder. On the run from Count Olaf (the real killer), the three disguise themselves in Madame Lulu's House of Freaks; Violet and Klaus masquerade as the two-headed Beverly/Elliot; Sunny poses as Chabo the Wolf Baby. (HarperCollins, $10.99 304p ages 10-up ISBN 0-06-441012-9; Nov.)

For Youngest Book Lovers

New arrivals vie for space in the nursery. Adapted from the Caldecott Honor book 1 Is One (1956) for a board book edition, Tasha Tudor's simple text and naturalistic watercolors alternate with b&w drawings to put the focus on counting. (S&S/Little Simon, $6.99 24p ages 1-4 ISBN 0-689-85142-1; Nov.)

Similarly, a pair of vintage Lois Lenski titles are adapted for board book format. The first, The Little Fire Engine (1946) stars Fireman Small as he heads off to a Tinytown blaze and rescues a girl and her cat on an upper floor. In The Little Train (1940), Engineer Small drives his locomotive past farmland, over a bridge and through a tunnel, before unloading passengers and U.S. mail at Union Station. (Random, $6.99 each 30p ages 6 mos.-4 yrs. ISBN 0-375-82263-1; -82264-X; Sept.)

First published as a picture book in 1997, PW called I Like It When... by Mary Murphy "exceptionally warm." Now, the story of a penguin child and her loving caregiver return in a board book format that sets off the economical text and bold palette. (Harcourt/Red Wagon, $5.95 22p ages 6 mos.-3 yrs. ISBN 0-15-204625-9; Oct.)

I Want a Sister by Tony Ross, also reformatted from a picture book, introduces Little Princess, who insists she absolutely, positively does not want a brother. Or does she? (Andersen [Trafalgar, dist.], $8.95 24p ages 2-4 ISBN 1-84270-103-7; Oct.)

Just right for a square-format board book, Jane Yolen's original text filled with cozy rhymes combines with Hiroe Nakata's comforting watercolors in A Time for Naps, as a toddler tucks stuffed animals in bed, then settles in for a nap of her own ("Naptime, little dinosaur./ Do not grumble, do not roar./ Close your eyes, I'll close the door/ And listen for your dino-snore"). (S&S/Little Simon, $7.99 16p ages 2-5 ISBN 0-689-85057-3; Oct.)

Youngest fans of H.A. Rey's mischievous monkey will want Curious George's Box of Books, with four titles based on picture books illustrated by H.A. Rey. The resealable sturdy cardboard case comes with a handle, so toddlers can cart around Curious George's ABCs; Curious George's Are You Curious?; Curious George's Opposites; and Curious George's 1 to 10 and Back Again . (Houghton, $18 ages 1-4 ISBN 0-618-22611-7; Sept.)

A quartet of colorful birthday books illustrated by Gabriella Buckingham ushers in each new year and celebrates babies' and toddlers' development. Now You Are 1 starts the series ("Now you are 1,/ you can learn all the names/ of everything you can see:/ a dog/ and a cat/ and a wiggly worm/ a bird and a bumblebee"), followed by Now You Are 2; Now You Are 3; and Now You Are 4. (Good Books [800-762-7171], $4.99 each 28p ages 1-4 ISBN 1-5614-8394-X; -8395-8; -8396-6; -8397-4; Oct.)

Belgian author/illustrator Liesbet Slegers offers four titles to quell childhood fears. The paper-over-board books star a forthright fellow depicted in thick black line and pleasingly smudgy brushstrokes of rainbow colors. "I'm Kevin. I'm on my way. I have my suitcase and my grandma," he announces as he boards an airplane in Kevin Takes a Trip. When he gets scared, his grandmother comforts him. Kevin Goes to School; Kevin Goes to the Hospital; and Kevin Spends the Night address other universal anxieties. (Kane/Miller, $7.95 each 28p ages 1-4 ISBN 1-929132-30-1; 31-X; -33-6; -32-8; Oct.)

Chronicle continues its line of successful Block Books with a set based on Sylvia Long's Mother Goose. Sylvia Long's Mother Goose Block Books contains 16 chunky board books just right for small hands to stack, knock down and read repeatedly, all packaged in an attractive box with a gift card attached to a carrying cord. Each book presents a different rhyme illustrated in Long's signature style. (Chronicle, $24.95 ages 6 mos.-3 yrs. ISBN 0-8118-3574-X; Nov.)

An inspired addition to the Nesting Blocks line, Big Trucks and Diggers Nesting Blocks by Caterpillar will thrill budding builders. Ten rugged cardboard blocks each feature a numbered black-and-yellow road sign on one side, a photo of a construction vehicle ("excavator") on another, an illustration of same machine with a note about what it does ("digs and moves"), a drawing of a tool ("jackhammer") plus a skyscraper that grows taller as the blocks are stacked. All fit into a built-to-last carrying case with a bright yellow cord for easy transport. (Chronicle, $19.95 ages 6 mos.-3 yrs. ISBN 0-8118-3621-5; Oct.)

Beyond Mike Mulligan

The author of Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel and her works feature in a group of fall titles. Virginia Lee Burton's Caldecott Medal—winning The Little House, about a cozy country home that passes through the seasons, becomes engulfed by urban sprawl and is subsequently restored to a suitably rural setting, now appears in a 60th anniversary edition. A special bellyband bedecks the hardcover and a citation graces the paperback edition. (Houghton, $14.95 44p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-395-18156-9; Sandpiper, $5.95 paper -25938-X; Oct.)

A handsome, weighty volume preserves the pace and feel of the above title plus three more of the author's best-loved works—Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel (1939); Katy and the Big Snow (1943); and Maybelle the Cable Car (1952)—Mike Mulligan and More: A Virginia Lee Burton Treasury. Barbara Elleman's introduction precedes the quartet of tales. (Houghton, $20 208p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-618-25627-X; Oct.)

Virginia Lee Burton: A Life in Art by Barbara Elleman looks at the artist close up, from her early stints as a dancer and newspaper illustrator, to the founding of Folly Cove Designers (where she was a top producer of hand-crafted textiles), to her career as a writer and illustrator of books for children. Family photos, original sketches and reproductions of Burton's manuscripts (with text recorded by a manual typewriter) personalize the offering. (Houghton, $20 144p ages 12-up ISBN 0-618-00342-8; Oct.)