TRUE COMPANIONS

Favorite characters and critters return in force! The lovable mouse and her entourage are back—in search of books, information and more—in Maisy Goes to the Library by Lucy Cousins. Maisy is only too happy to give up her "quiet corner" for storytime; the tale even inspires an improvised game. (Candlewick, $12.99 32p ages 2-5 ISBN 0-7636-2669-4; Aug.)

First introduced in Ella the Elegant Elephant (about which PW wrote, "The memorable characters and setting transform a familiar tale of nonconformity; the soft, sinuous colored pencil line and plush palette recall H.A. Rey's illustrations"), the charming pachyderm wants to help out at her mother's bakery in Ella Takes the Cake by Carmela D'Amico, illus. by Steven D'Amico. She offers to deliver a cake to the lighthouse. Readers can just imagine the detours that await; Ella's "lucky hat" once again plays a key role. (Scholastic/Levine, $16.99 40p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-439-62794-X; Sept.)

Having made her debut in Axle Annie (which PW called a "lively tale of an idiosyncratic bus driver"), the heroine once again takes the wheel of the big yellow school bus in Burskyville for Axle Annie and the Speed Grump by Robin Pulver, illus. by Tedd Arnold. She conquered the cold in the previous adventure, now she must contend with a hotrodder in a red convertible. (Dial, $16.99 32p ages 4-up ISBN 0-8037-2787-9; Sept.)

Cat, Squirrel and Duck, who first appeared in Pumpkin Soup (an "enchanting story that explores the ups and downs of close-knit camaraderie," said PW's starred review), think their newest batch of pumpkin soup is missing something in A Pipkin of Pepper by Helen Cooper. The trio heads to the city for spices, but gets separated. All ends well, however, with an appetizing finish. (FSG, $16 32p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-374-35953-9; Sept.)

Ben Bear and Chris Croc from One Pizza, One Penny (which PW called a "fetching fable") are opening their own restaurant in The 100th Customer by Byung-Gyu Kim and K.T. Hao, illus. by Guiliano Ferri, trans. by Annie Kung, and prove that "a full heart is more satisfying than a full stomach"—though, in their case, the two often go hand in hand. (Purple Bear, $15.95 32p ages 4-8 ISBN 1-933327-03-0; Sept.)