What a Marvelous Book! Holiday Gift Guide 2010

A book may not zip when it moves, bop when it stops or whir when it stands still, like the whatsit in Tom Paxton's song The Marvelous Toy, but it can be just as wondrous.

Every year, as I prepare this list, I am amazed by how many wonderful books came out that year, and it's always hard to pick favorites. I pile up the books I'm especially fond of, then send each through a filter of sorts in my head.

I try to imagine myself as a child, picking each one up for the first time and reading it through, and I ask myself whether, like a marvelous toy, it could become my heart's delight, the kind of book I'd never forget.

In some cases, a book sneaks up on me and only after letting it sit do I realize how much I loved reading it, and in other cases, it's like the marvelous toy in the song and it pops the first time I read it.

1. A General and His Wish for Peace

The General: Anniversary Edition 50 Years, by Janet Charters, illustrated by Michael Foreman, Templar Books, $16.99, ages 4-8, 48 pages. On his quest for glory, a general is sidetracked by the beauty of nature, and comes to realize he'd rather bring peace to the world than tower above it. In this splendid reissue, General Jodhpur dreams of two things: to be the most famous general in the world and have his army admired by generals from other countries. Everyday from sun up to sun down, he orders his troops to polish everything he can think of, from their drills to their boots and weapons. Then one Sunday while riding in the country, an accident changes everything he thought he wanted. A fox crossing his path spooks his horse and the general is thrown to the ground. Landing on a soft patch of grass, he is unharmed but discovers he's lost all desire to get up. The grass is lovely and he lays on his back, nibbling on a blade as the sun's heat blankets his body. Finally, after a long time, the general decides he'd better head back to camp and begins to follow the familiar path home. Without his horse, it is slower going and he notices creatures he never appreciated before.

2. A Book to Sing!

The Twelve Bots of Christmas, written and illustrated by Nathan Hale, Walker Books, $14.99, ages 4-8, 40 pages. Stand to the side, true love. Robo Santa's got his own gifts for The Twelve Days of Christmas. In this clever techno-twist on the classic English Christmas carol, gizmos fly, roll, swim and snooze before being packed into a sack for Robo Santa and his eight super-charged reindeer to deliver to little boys and girls. You'll be sold from the first verse, A "Cartridge in a Gear Tree," and by the time you belt out "Five Bot-to-Ries," the rest of the family will be chiming in too. "Four Calling Borgs, Three Wrench Hens, Two Turbo-Doves, and a Catridge in a Gear Tree..." My favorite image: The Three Wrench Hens bobbing their hook jaws as they roll through the snow.

3. Up, Up and Away!

DC Super Heroes: The Ultimate Pop-Up Book, engineered by Matthew Reinhart, Little, Brown and Company, $29.99, ages 4-8, 12 pages. Earth's mightiest superhuman heroes leap, pounce and lasso off the folds of this fantastic tribute to the DC comic universe. Reinhart, one of today's most celebrated paper engineers, captures the larger-than-life personas of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and others doing what they're famous for: Superman leaps off tall buildings with his fists raised, Batman soars off the ledge of a skyscraper in Gotham, the warrior goddess Wonder Woman flies through the clouds lashing her golden whip and the four Green lanterns shoot toward us from a massive battery as their power rings illuminate the page in green light. Of course, a hero would be nothing without his nemesis, and in one mighty leap, the Dread Lord Darkseid, reaches up out of a fiery pit on another spread to try to grab us.

4. Read it Again! Two Worthy of Awards.

The Legend of the Golden Snail, written and illustrated by Graeme Base, Abrams Books, $19.95, ages 4-8, 48 pages.  A plucky lad named Wilbur sets sail on a wooden chair to find a giant snail from his favorite bedtime story in this grand and wondrous tale. According to the legend, a Grand Enchanter once cast a spell on a giant Golden Snail that turned it into a ship and forced it to take him wherever he wanted to go. But when the enchanter tired of life, he banished the Golden Snail to the Ends of the Earth so no one else could ride in it. Now, whoever finds the golden galleon must utter a magic verse if he wishes to master over it too. Wilbur can think of nothing more exciting than to be the next Grand Enchanter, so he sets off, with his tabby as his mate, to fulfill his dream. As Wilbur pretends to turn his boat to the wind in his living room, his chair becomes a skiff and the room around him, wide-open seas. Fitted with a captain's hat his mother sewed, Wilbur recites the spell and bravely heads off into the unknown, equipped only with a watering can, a broom, scissors and a corkscrew.

5. Two Feisty Gals: Lulu & Olivia the Pig

Lulu and the Brontosaurus, written by Judith Viorst, illustrated by Lane Smith, Atheneum Books, $15.99, ages 4-10, 128 pages. A little smarty named Lulu finally asks her parents for something they won't give her, then storms off to get it for herself in this wry book about the follies of being high and mighty. Up until now, Lulu has gotten whatever she's wanted (tons of toys and cartoon-viewing time). Even on those rare occasions when Mom and Dad have said no, she's worn them down with her screeching. (After a good lung blast, then flopping onto the floor and flailing around her limbs, one or the other parent always caved in, saying, "Well, just this once.") But this time, Lulu's request, an enormous dinosaur for her b-day gift, is going nowhere. Fighting mad, she says, "Foo on you," to her parents and runs off to the forest to track one down for herself. Along the way, she sings a brontosaurus song at the top of her lungs and startles awake three creatures who are now so grumpy they try to do her in. But being such a pain, Lulu knows how to hurt them worse.

6. What a Scamp! Two Adorable Tales.

The Chicken Thief, written & illustrated by Beatrice Rodriguez, Enchanted Lion Books, $14.95, ages 4-8, 32 pages. A red fox bounds out from a bush and sweeps a hen off her bony feet in this adorable wordless book that has fun with us as it goes. One lovely day, Hen is pecking about in the back of Bear, Rabbit and Rooster's cottage when a crafty fox plucks her off the ground as brazenly as if raiding a chicken coop. As the fox takes off into the woods with the white hen pressed to his chest, the Bear, Rabbit and Rooster charge after him, one piled on top of another (Rabbit riding Bear's shoulders and Rooster standing on Rabbit's head). At first, the fox holds the chicken's beak closed to calm her squawking, but as night falls and all of the parties tire, he releases his paw, and her chin falls sleepily onto his shoulder.

7. Bye, Bye Knuffle Bunny

Knuffle Bunny Free: An Unexpected Diversion, written & illustrated by Mo Willems, HarperCollins, ages 4-8, 52 pages. Letting go of a pal who's been in your arm as long as you can remember is tough. But maybe, after awhile without him, moving on isn't so impossible after all. In this final, heart-melting book in Willems's epic, Caldecott-winning love story, Trixie takes Knuffle Bunny on a trip to Holland with her parents and loses him like she's never lost him before. This time, her parents can't go back to a laundromat or call up a classmate's parents to get him. In her excitement to leave the airport and see her grandparent's, "Oma" and "Opa," Trixie forgets Knuffle Bunny on the plane, but not just any plane, a plane that's only half-way to somewhere else. At first Trixie is so distracted by all that's new that she doesn't realize that she's left him behind. Then, sitting in a yard chair at her grandparent's home with a glass of chocolate milk, she notices that something doesn't feel right. That part of her that's always snuggled up close to a pal is empty, and it hits her. Knuffle Bunny is gone.

9. Gifts from the Heart. Two Books.

Immi's Gift, written and illustrated by Karin Littlewood, Peachtree, $15.95, ages 4-8, 32 pages. In a frozen white world, an Inuit girl casts her fishing pole into an icy hole and pulls out magical treasures tossed into the surf by a boy faraway. First, she lands a wooden bird, then a red flower, orange starfish and green leaf, and soon her igloo is trimmed with tropical wonders every color of the rainbow. Polar bears, Arctic foxes and hares, a seal, a wolf, a walrus and magpies flock to her happy home and share stories, making Immi's world a brighter, more joyful place. Then as spring comes and the igloo melts, Immi drops her polar bear necklace into the hole as a thank you to the boy she never met. Touching and spare, Immi's Gift is a gift in itself, and makes you want to craft a garland of your own from nature's flotsam.

10. A Great Adventure

The Search for Wondla, written and illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi, Simon & Schuster, $17.99, ages 10 and up, 496 pages. In her 12 years, Eva Nine has never seen sunlight or even stepped above ground. As far back as she can remember, a robot guardian named Muthr has been caring for her and training her, so that one day, if she has to, she can leave their Sanctuary, a high-tech home underground, and defend herself against danger. All Eva knows is that there are bad people who would hurt her if they could and that the truth of her past has something to do with four letters "W-o-n-d," which she found on scraps of panel left in a secret tunnel in the Sanctuary. When glued together, the scraps show an image of a little girl holding hands with a robot and an adult, as if they're heading off to explore. To Eva, it's a strange yet happy thought, as she's never even been allowed to explore underground, even though other sanctuaries connect to their own. Instead, Muthr simulates what the real world might be like through Holograms and other devices. Then one day, everything Eva knows changes forever.

11. Clement C. Moore's Classic Retold

The Night Before Christmas, performed by Peter, Paul and Mary, written by Clement C. Moore, paintings by Eric Puybaret, Peter Yarrow Books, $19.95, ages 4-8, 26 pages. Enchanting to look at and joyous to listen to, this stunning remake of Moore's classic poem brings together the magical art of Puybaret and the stirring voice of the late Mary Travers, reading the poem aloud on CD. Performed at Travers's house just before her death in 2009, the reading is the singer's last recording and is sure to leave you tingly inside. As the lead singer of the 1960s folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary, Mary got the nickname, "One take Mary," and befitting that, the trio agreed that her first run-through was her best, and chose that one for the CD. In this wondrous adaptation, Santa is an elegant, bell-shaped fellow with a long tapering hat that flows behind him like a wisp of smoke and his reindeer are dashingly draped in green cloaks with top-hats balanced on their heads. Scenes have a clean, bright Scandinavian feel, and sparkle with spare, whimsical details that hint at the magic unfolding.

12. Let it Snow!

Snowflake: A Pop-Up Book, written by Jennifer Preston Chushcoff, illustrated and engineered by Yevgeniya Yeretskaya, Jumping Jack, $24.99, ages 3 and up, 14 pages. Snowflakes spin and do loopy-de-loops on the page of this magical tribute to one of nature's most dazzling creations and the photographer who first captured them on film. Wilson A. Bentley, also known as "The Snowflake Man," discovered that no two snowflakes look exactly the same, and just as in real life, every snowflake in the book looks unique -- and as sparkly and perfect as you'd hope for. Dusted with glitter, the snowflakes fall against backgrounds of cool-weather blues and grays, as Chushcoff describes their playful descent. "They look like lace and fine cut jewels falling. They tickle your tongue and land on the snowman's nose," she writes, as images of red mittens and a snowman appear off to the side. Then, just as quickly, the air can warm and the tiny masses of ice crystals disappear. "Watch the miracle before they melt," she urges from the page.

13. Happy to Be Me!

What Color is Caesar?, written by Maxine Kumin, illustrated by Alison Friend, Candlewick, $16.99, ages 4-8, 56 pages. A gangly Dalmatian with big, melty eyes tries to figure out if he's white with a great many black spots or all black with even more white ones in this darling book about learning to love who you are. None of the humans in Caesar's house seem to care what color he is. Petunia, the family cat, who is all black with four white feet, tells Caesar that it shouldn't matter, and his doctor, a black-and-white woodpecker, says Caesar's basically the color he thinks he is. But Caesar can't stop worrying about what he looks like and the next morning, leaves home to find the answer. As he patters along, he questions every animal he meets with similar patterns to see what color they think they are. Each is quite self-assured and tells him something different. A cow says that deep down, she's the color of milk, a pony says that he's basically green because everything he knows and eats is green, and a zebra says that he's yellow, like the sun of Africa that shines down on his native land. But Caesar doesn't understand how they can see themselves so differently and sets off to ask a circus guru if he can divine Caesar's true color.

14. How to Be an Elf

The Toymaker's Christmas: Paper Toys You Can Make Yourself, by Marilyn Scott-Waters, Sterling, $7.95, ages 9-12, 48 pages. Being a toy maker is often one a child's greatest fantasies and now thanks to this all-inclusive craft kit, yours can be an elf at home. In this utterly charming paperback, Scott-Waters shares 11 of her whimsically painted paper toys for children to punch out, fold and glue together, culminating with a magical display of Santa on his sleigh pulled by one of his reindeer. Among her designs, the "Happy Snowman," a 3-D fellow with stick arms and a blue felt hat, "The Nutcracker" with curving body parts and a jaw attached with a spindle, and "Star Elves" you stack by connecting slots on their heads, hands and feet. One of my favorites is a decorative card with a built-in wheel to count down the days to Christmas. Each day, turn the card over to read a new, Christmasy thought, like "Do Good" or "Be Happy." I've been a Scott-Waters fan every since our boys were wee. Her website, TheToymaker.com, is one of the best kept secrets in cyberspace, with oodles of paper toy patterns designed for children to print out and make for just about any holiday. And every one is free! (Look there for a sweet selection of Chanukah, Kwanzaa and New Year's projects.) To go there now, click here. (You might just think you've been transported into Santa's workshop.)

15. Movie Magic. Three Books.

Harry Potter: A Pop-Up Book Based on the Film Phenomenon, illustrated by Andrew Williamson, paper engineering by Bruce Foster, Insight Editions, $34.95, all ages, 12 pages. Flying off shelves since its November release, this lush pop-up puts the drama of Harry Potter films into 3-D scenes you'll want to get lost in. Illustrated by the lead concept artist on all eight Harry Potter films and engineered by the creator of this year's A Christmas Carol: A Pop-Up Edition, the book feels not only wonderfully familiar -- matching up with film footage we've grown to love -- but has a cinematic quality that doesn't often appear into pop-ups. Warm, glowing colors and deep shadows replicate the lighting effects around Diagon Alley and Hogwarts (one of the most dramatic pop-ups, towering above the book with spires and minarets). You feel instantly swept into the drama and want to stick your head down into the locations of Hagrid's Hut and the Forbidden Forest, as if somehow you could shrink to fit inside.

17. Wonder-full. Two Delights.

Mud Pies and Other Recipes, by Marjorie Winslow, with illustrations by Erik Begvad, The New York Review Children's Collection, $14.95, ages 4-8, 56 pages. Two little hands sift, sort and pat a buffet of make-believe dishes that any doll would love in this charming little cookbook, originally published in 1961 and now reissued. Narrated as if by a girl who is perfectly sure of herself, the book happily skips along from one adorable recipe to the next, rounding out with my favorite, Dollypops. "Pick a dandelion from the lawn carefully, so as not to disturb the fluff," Winslow instructs. "Hand it to your doll and tell her to lick." Organized by course, the cookbook goes from appetizers to menu lists, and also includes baking tips. In the foreword, you'll find advice about utensils and pans (empty egg cartons make handy muffin tins), clean-up (a puddle makes a nice sink) and cooking times: "Doll cookery is not a very exacting art," Winslow explains -- as you imagine a twinkle in her eye. "The time it takes to cook a casserole depends upon how long your dolls are able to sit at a table without falling over. And if a recipe calls for a cupful of something, you can use a measuring cup or a teacup or a buttercup."

18. Animals in Motion. Two Pop-Ups.

Wild Alphabet: An A to Zoo Pop-Up Book, by Mike Haines and Julia Frohlich, Kingfisher, $19.99, ages 3 and up, 52 pages. Twenty-five animals and one little insect play peek-a-boo with readers in this delightful alphabet pop-up that's small enough for a child to hold. Every letter is paired with a creature whose name starts with the same letter. On the right of each spread is an image of the letter and the creature popping up or sliding around each other, and to the left is a photograph of the same creature and a brief write-up about its behavior. Each description is written to sound like it's coming from the animal itself and highlights a word in playful type that epitomizes what this animal does best. For Hippopotamus, the word is "wallowing," and the type waves about on the page. Every page brings a fun and unexpected surprise sure to widen eyes, beginning with A for Antelope. As you open this spread, a bold letter A splits opens from its center like a door and the head of this long-legged beauty rises to you.

19. Silly Rabbits

The Rabbit Problem, written and illustrated by Emily Gravett, Simon & Schuster, $17.99, ages 4-8, 32 pages. Here's a problem that will overflow your kids' minds and have them imploring, "Please, please, please, can I have that problem too?" Standing before a blackboard that fills out the cover of Gravett's hilarious book, a rabbit with chalk in his paw ponders the greatest question known to rabbits:  How many of us can we get from just two of us in a calendar year? I.e. The Rabbit Problem. "If a pair of baby rabbits are put into a field, how many pairs will there be: 1) At the end of each month? b) After one year?" Gravett elaborates inside the cover. Well, let's see. First we'll have to jump into the rabbit hole that Gravett has thoughtfully cut into the back of the first page. And then, we'll have to watch the months roll by. In this charming ode to rabbit fertility, whimsically set up like a calendar (with actual holes for hanging the book right through its hard covers), Gravett takes us through each of the 12 calendar months to find the answers.

20. Three Guides to Play

Play All Day: A Really Giant Book of Punch-Out-and-Play Games, Toys, Finger Puppets, Boxes and More!, by Taro Gomi, Chronicle Books, $19.99, all ages, 116 pages. Opening this book is like entering a wonderland of possibility, but where does a child ever begin? Watching your child figure that out is part of the magic of Gomi's clever new book of toys. Every folded page is so packed with playthings waiting to be made, little eyes will be darting about just trying to take it all in. Then once they land on the thing they just have to do first, clear the table and stand back. Will it be a garland strung with monkeys and a few long-tailed friends? Or a game of ring toss made from a Parisian themed punch-out -- three hot pink rings and a fold-together black cone? Or maybe a troupe of finger puppets that are sure to inspire a bigger project, such as a cardboard stage? By day's end, don't be surprised if Play All Day is all punched out, though with more than 60 playthings that slide together, fold and/or hang, your child is sure to be amused for days time to come.

21. A Magical Debut

The Clockwork Three, by Matthew J. Kirby, Scholastic, $17.99, ages 9-12, 400 pages. Three children desperate for a better life are mysteriously drawn together and, in a frantic quest to help one another, bring a clockwork man to life and save a great woodland hall. In this wondrous debut, an orphaned 11-year-old busker, Giuseppe, sets in motion a mystery adventure that will require all three of them to put their trust in each other. One day after a ship is lost at sea, Giuseppe finds an enchanted green violin that's washed into the harbor. He begins playing it on the streets behind his padrone's back so he can put away money to buy passage home to Italy. Knowing his padrone would put him in a rat cellar or beat him if he found out, Giuseppe hides the violin and the money in a cemetery crypt. One day after leaving the crypt, he sees a strange sight at the docks, a rope holding a crate breaks and a round bronze head rolls out. Little does he know, it's the head of a legendary automaton, and the magician who made it claimed the head could talk.