Animals in Action

A trio of titles explores the animal kingdom. Actual Size by Steve Jenkins is the Caldecott Honor artist's latest foray into the natural world. Here, his signature cut- and torn-paper collage artwork depicts animals to scale, imitating fur and skin remarkably. The title page shows a "pygmy shrew, 2 inches long" and readers can view only one 12-inch eye of the giant squid (it can grow up to 59 feet long); the man-eating saltwater crocodile requires a three-page foldout to depict its toothy countenance. (Houghton, $16 32p all ages ISBN 0-618-37594-5; May)

Jenkins's collages also shine in Rain, Rain, Rain Forest by Brenda Z. Guiberson, illus. by Steve Jenkins, particularly the thin, nearly transparent strips of paper used to intimate rain. The attractive volume transports readers into the steamy, humid depths of a habitat where ticks and moths live in the fur of a sloth and azteca ants and aphids work in tandem, devouring tree trunks for nourishment. A scientist arrives late in the account, seeking undiscovered creatures and curatives. (Holt, $16.95 32p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-8050-6582-2; May)

Four Animal Babies titles feature close-up photos of the different offspring in the wild along with a couple of clues, then ask the question, "Who is my mommy?" Turning the page, readers get the photographic answer as well as a bit of information about the lives and habits of the creatures shown. One example in Animal Babies in Polar Lands shows a close-up with this clue—"I have flippers instead of legs. They help me swim very quickly in cold water"—a flip of the page reveals a seal. The other titles: Animal Babies in Rain Forests; Animal Babies in Grasslands; and Animal Babies in Ponds and Rivers. (Houghton/Kingfisher, $7.95 each 32p ages 2-5 ISBN 0-7534-5755-5; -5788-1; -5789-X;-5790-3; May)

Aquatic adventure abounds in the gently rhyming Secret Seahorses by Stella Blackstone, illus. by Clare Beaton. Readers can look for evidence of the seahorse that hides on each exquisitely stitched, then photographed, spread. An undersea landscape assembled from fabrics, beads, buttons and sequins are home to jellyfish made of lace, fringe anemones and a mermaid bedecked with beads. A visual glossary helps readers identify and learn about these creatures of the deep. (Barefoot, $14.99 32p ages 4-7 ISBN 0-84148-704-X; Mar.)

After Love, Medicine...

The author of Love, Medicine, & Miracles, Dr. Bernie Siegel has penned his first children's book, Smudge Bunny, illus. by Laura J. Bryant. Two bunnies, taken from their family to be sold at a pet store, suffer at the hands of unwittingly abusive owners and are briefly separated before being reunited by more loving adopters. The text-heavy tale brims with Momma Bunny's words of advice ("Something good will come of this," she tells her bunnies as they are being taken from their home), as well as plenty of information about the right and wrong ways to care for pets: "One little boy reached into the cage and picked Smudge up by the ears, making her cry." A list of further tips is included in the back. (HJ Kramer/Starseed [PGW, dist.], $15.95 32p ages 3-up ISBN 1-932073-03-5; Apr.)

Poetry in Motion

A pair of picture books pays rhyming tribute to shapes and patriotism. Readers can enjoy concrete poems organized by season in Come to My Party: And Other ShapePoems by Heidi Roemer, illus. by Hideko Takahashi. For the springtime poem "In the Nest," each line of text forms the hungry "V" of a baby bird's beak, and in the summery "Watermelon" the first verse forms a red semicircle (with the repeated black letter "i" for seeds), wrapped within the green "rind" of the second verse. Doughy children and animals populate the cheerful full-bleed acrylic illustrations. (Holt, $17.95 48p ages 4-9 ISBN 0-8050-6620-9; Apr.)

An addition to the Poetry for Young People series, American Poetry, edited by John Hollander, illus. by Sally Wern Comport, contains such vaunted poetic standards as "I Hear America Singing" by Walt Whitman, "Old Ironsides" by Oliver Wendell Holmes and "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" by Langston Hughes, among many others. Each poem is introduced with a brief child-friendly explanation of the piece's context or a bit about the poet, and a glossary of difficult words. Smudgy, colorful pastel illustrations convey America's diverse landscapes and people. (Sterling, $14.95 48p ages 8-up ISBN 1-4027-0517-4; May)

Folklore Retold

Authors breathe new life into classic myths and folklore, for everyone from picture book fans on up to teenage readers. A classic Russian tale is retold faithfully in A Little Story About a Big Turnip by Tatiana Zunshine, illus. by Evgeny Antonenkov: "One day Grandie decided to pull the turnip out. He pulled, and pulled, and pulled... but the turnip wouldn't come out." Antonenkov uses bright watercolors over kinetic black pencil lines that emphasize the movements of the lanky, bumbling characters as they try to uproot the root. (Pumpkin House [614-470-3280], $15.95 32p ages 2-8 ISBN 0-9646010-0-1; Mar.)

Little Book of Fairy Tales by Verónica Uribe, illus. by Murkasek, trans. by Susan Ouriou, collects 15 traditional stories, with Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella accompanying obscure tales such as "The Peasant's Clever Daughter," wherein the title character becomes queen by wrapping herself in a fishing net and allowing a donkey to drag her into town unclothed. Sepia spot illustrations dot the text, and a full-page, framed lush painting depicts a dramatic moment in each tale. Some historical background on the tales concludes the hand-sized, handsomely designed volume. (Groundwood [PGW, dist.], $8.95 192p ages 6-9 ISBN 0-88899-583-0; Mar.)

Joyce Carol Thomas adapts a raft of folklore originally collected by Zora Neale Hurston in What's the Hurry, Fox? And Other Animal Stories, illus. by Brian Collier. The pourquoi tales told to Hurston by native Southerners (and compiled in Hurston's Every Tongue Got to Confess: Negro Folk-tales from the Gulf States) explain such mysteries as "Why Donkey Has Long Ears" or "Why the Waves Have Whitecaps." The folksy voice of a storyteller pervades each tale and will draw in young readers; Collier's full-bleed collages and watercolors are every bit as satisfying, as he endows humans and animals alike with distinctive character. (HarperCollins, $15.99 32p ages 6-10 ISBN 0-06-000643-9; Apr.)

First in a trio of translated books about classic Greek figures, Prince Orpheus by Paule du Bouchet, illus. by Fabian Negrin, retells the legends of the Greek musician, including his rescue of Eurydice from Hades (given a happy ending here). In Diogenes' Lantern by Françoise Kerisel, illus. by Frédérick Mansot, tales of the philosopher are related (though the translation may require some decoding by adults). Readers learn that The Perfect Knight does not exist in the book by Catherine Gousseff, illus. by Fabian Negrin. Peace, not war, is the ideal, according to the damsel who questions the knight about his quest for perfection. Painterly illustrations face each page of text in the elegantly laid out, hand-sized, paper-over-board books. (Getty, $5.95 each 24p ages 6-up ISBN 0-89236-737-7; -738-5; -739-3; Mar.)

And speaking of Greece, Island of the Minotaur: Greek Myths of Ancient Crete by Sheldon Oberman, illus. by Blair Drawson, maintains many of the frightful elements of the original tales, particularly Cronos devouring his children (a full-page illustration shows the moment before the event), Queen Pasiphae's implied rape by the Great White Bull and the gruesome deaths of Androgeus and his father King Minos. Drawson's illustrations aptly communicate the tales' haunting otherworldliness. (Interlink/Crocodile, $19.95 96p ages 8-up ISBN 1-56656-531-6; Mar.)

After drawing on mermaid myths for her novel Midnight Pearls, Debbie Viguié now reworks Little Red Riding Hood into a gothic romance set against the Crusades in Scarlet Moon. Feisty Ruth, a blacksmith by trade, was brutally attacked by a wolf as a child. Now she finds herself drawn to William, a mysterious lord with an ancient family secret—and the same striking green eyes as the wolf that assailed her. Magic, herbalism and curses work into this creatively conceived tale. (Simon Pulse, $5.99 paper 176p ages 14-up ISBN 0-689-86716-6; Apr.)

By the Playbook

New titles offer tips and information for budding athletes. How Baseball Works by Keltie Thomas, illus. by Greg Hall, details some of the history and how-to regarding America's favorite pastime. Chapters explain baseball gear and the ways the game has evolved over time, with hints and anecdotes related in sidebars such as "Legends of the Game," "Quick Hit" and "Try This." An explanation of basic rules and a glossary keep readers game-ready. Each spread is divided into small bites of information, and humorous cartoon illustrations (such as a caricatured Green Monster at Fenway Park) and photos add to the visual appeal. (Maple Tree [Firefly, dist.], $19.95 64p ages 8-12 ISBN 1-894379-60-8; $9.95 paper -61-6; Apr.)

Future Yamaguchis and Boitanos should enjoy Ice Skating School by Naia Bray-Moffatt, photos by David Handley. Lilly and her friends learn the basics of skating in this semi-instructional book. Tips include appropriate attire and simple stances and movements, as well as the sound advice "When you first start learning to skate, you will probably fall down a lot, but even experienced skaters fall, and it's nothing to be afraid of." Handley's photos capture the graceful beginnings of these young skaters. (DK, $12.99 48p ages 5-8 ISBN 0-7566-0267-X; Mar.)