6. I Need the Next One!

Series older kids will be clamoring for.

The Kane Chronicles: The Red Pyramid andThe Throne of Fire, by Rick Riordan. (Disney-Hyperion, $18.99 each, ages 9-12, 528-464 pages, 2011) When siblings Carter, 14, and Sadie, 12, unite after years of living apart, they seem to have nothing in common until their archaeologist father, Dr. Julius Kane, disappears inside the British Museum and the siblings are thrust headlong into an epic adventure. While taking the siblings on a private tour of the museum, Dr. Kane blows up the Rosetta Stone and releases a vengeful Egyptian god who entombs him. Carter and Sadie barely escape and as they set off to rescue their father, they discover secrets of their family heritage. The siblings learn they are descendants of the pharaohs and have magical powers that could stop the gods of chaos and save humanity. This fast-paced, often funny new adventure trilogy by the author of the blockbuster Percy Jackson and the Olympians books is an easy read that they won't want to put down.

Pathfinder, by Orson Scott Card (Simon Pulse, $18.99, ages 12 and up, 672 pages, 2010). From the best-selling author of Ender's Game comes a fascinating series that moves between two complex story lines: one about 13-year-old Rigg, who has a special ability to see the paths of people's pasts, and Ram Odin, a human pilot of a colony ship from Earth. Reader's are first introduced to Rigg, while trapping with his father, a stern taskmaster who grills his son on questions of logic and the unforeseen. His father wants Rigg to be prepared for anything, though Rigg doesn't know why, and he has warned Rigg never to tell anyone about his gift as a pathfinder. But then his father suddenly dies and Rigg discovers he has a sister that his father never told him about. He sets off with a childhood friend Umbo, who has a special ability to bend time, to find her and uncover his past. Along the way they meet characters who aren't always who they seem and Rig becomes caught between a faction that wants him crowned and another that wants him dead.  In alternating chapters, Card follows Ram's voyage into the unknown with a robot trained in space-folding technology. Thought-provoking, just the thing for teens looking for a smart read.

7. Sneak in a Lesson

If Rocks Could Sing: A Discovered Alphabet, written and illustrated by Leslie McGuirk (Tricycle Press, $15.99, all ages, 48 pages, 2011). If rocks could sing? I think this proves they already do. Not only that, they play, swim and haunt about. An adorable thing to behold, McGuirk's clever book shows rocks shaped like every letter of the alphabet and some of the sweet things those words represent. On one page, two big-nosed rocks sit on a seesaw for U is for Up and on another, blobs of rock with hollow eyes and mouths fly against a black backdrop for G is Ghosts. Collected on a stretch of Florida coastline over more than 10 years, the rocks are so graphic you'd think McGuirk altered them in Photoshop, but you'll have to take her word for it: these are nature-made. Readers will be so smitten by the pictures in this book, they'll want to hunt for their own rock creatures and may even beg you to let them sleep with them at night.

This Plus That, Life's Little Equations, written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and illustrated by Jen Corace (Harper, $16.99, ages 4-8, 40 pages, 2011) What happens when readers add two things together? Amazing compromises that delight and sometimes a few mistakes, but always something they can learn from. In this charming book by the creators Little Pea, Little Hoot and Little OInk, readers discover the possibilities of combining things and how, good or bad, equations make life what it is. Sometimes life is wondrous: when they add one somersault to another and get dizzy or add a smile to a hand wave and make a new friend. And sometimes it can be icky. When they make mistakes, like adding mumbling to toe staring and get the opposite of polite. But even then, there's always a way to make it better: handshake + "how are you" = polite. But sometimes sad stuff just happens: like when something strong takes something they love away: balloon + wind = lost. This clever, gentle book helps kids appreciate -- and accept -- the consequences of actions, and life's twists and turns.

Apple Pie ABC, written and illustrated by Alison Murray (Disney-Hyperion, $16.99, ages 2-6, 32 pages, 2011) Here's a book that feels as fresh and cozy as the apple pie it begins with. Debut writer-illustrator Murray takes readers on a walk from A to Z with the tale of a girl and her dog and the pie both want a piece of. While the girl sits in her big red chair eating a slice of pie as her legs dangle, her dog nudges his empty bowl toward her for E is for Eager. Lucky for him, F is for Crumb on the next page. The dog smiles at a glistening speck on the floor. Then he licks his chops, for G is for Get a Taste for It. But couldn't he have more that just a taste? Uh oh, there he goes. H is for Have to Get a Lick of It. But even he knows dogs shouldn't put their legs up on the table and on the next page, I is for In Trouble. But what if the dog J for Jumps Up for It? O for Ogles It? or P for Pines for It? This dog is Q for Quietly Determined, that's for sure. Will he outsmart his girl in R, S and T? Guess you'll have to look to find out. How does one sum up a book that turns an alphabet lesson into a sweet story? B for Brilliant.

8. Stir Their Imagination

Storyworld: Create-A-Story Kits, created by John and Caitlin Matthews (Templar, $12.99, ages 9-12, 24 cards, 2011) Just the thing to help imaginations take flight, these clever kits immerse young writers in a make-believe place with a supply of ideas. Each kits contains 28 cards with prompts and pictures to create their own story. One side of a card gives a description of people, places, creatures or special objects that might inhabit that particular make-believe world, and the other provides a detailed picture of things they might find. Since its debut in 2010, four more kits have come out, each a delight and available for a bit less, $9.99 each. In Legends of the Sea, readers are asked to imagine what happened to a haunted wreck with a ghostly crew and to think about what adventures await a lucky sea horse who loves to play jokes. All of the kits come with a booklet detailing various games kids can play by themselves, with friends or parents. Also part of the series, Fairy Magic, Tales from the Haunted House and Christmas Tales.

Poem in Your Pocket for Young Poets, published in conjunction with The Academy of American Poets and selected by Bruno Navasky (Amulet Books, $12.95, ages 9-12, 232 pages, 2011) This charming little book by poetry teacher Navasky invites young writers to carry poems wherever they go. A poem, Navasky writes, is like "a little bird safe in its nest, it needs to stick its head up, needs a breath of fresh air now and then. It needs to play." So, he suggests, "carry it with you," but keep it safe in a pocket and once in a while "let it fly." Inside readers find a tablet of 100 removable poems by classic and contemporary poets, from Emily Dickinson to Naomi Shihab Nye. At their whim, readers can tear out any poem to read to themselves or share with others. The tablet is organized by 10 themes, each with inviting titles. Among them: "The Sweet Earth" about nature, "Where You Never Were" about the imagination, "There is Rain in Me" about the imagination and "They Loved Paperclips" about everyday things.

9. Just for Fun

Zita the Spacegirl, by Ben Hatke (First Second, $10.99 pbk, ages 9-12, 192 pages, 2011) In this zany fun graphic novel, a brave girl named Zita launches herself into another dimension to save her pal Joseph after she unwittingly lets a tentacled creature from another world enter Earth and snatch him away. Unless Zita and her band of cohorts (a giant mouse, battle orb, robot and earthling named Piper) can get to Joseph in time, he'll be sacrificed by Scriptorians, a doomsday cult, to save their planet. Great fun and a sure way to keep your child glued to a book all the way to the last page. Hatke is the author-illustrator of the graphic gems the Flight series and Flight Explorer. 

The Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book (revised and expanded edition), by Jeff Kinney (Amulet Books, $12.95, ages 9-12, 224 pages, 2011)  Zoo-Wee-Mama! For fans of The Wimpy Kid who have everything (i.e. all six titles of the phenomenally popular series), this is the book to have: a journal about their own amazing childhood. Inside fans are invited to write down how incredibly smart and witty they are, they get a chance to finish their own Zoo-We-Mama comic strips and make up their own, and they get to pour through more of Rowley's classics in full-color. But just so parents understand, this is NOT a diary. No feelings allowed. Just lots of silly stuff: like the survey of all the nutty things they've ever done, answers to questions only Greg could think of -- like "How many steps does it take you to jump into bed after you turn off the lights?" and our youngest boys' (age 7 and 9) favorite page: an outline of a brain with lobes of varying sizes to write down what's inside. Stuff like soccer, food, sleep and purple?

Star Wars Battles for the Galaxy: Fight for Victory, Become a Hero, written by Daniel Wallace (DK Publishing, $12.99, ages 9-12, 96 pages, 201l) AND Star Wars Character Encyclopedia (DK Publishing, $16.99, ages 9-12, 208 pages, 2011) Is your child deliriously happy reading Star Wars trivia? Does he have imaginary duels with his fingers against droids and clones in bed at night? My Tate does, and these two books had him staying up later than late. Both feed the love of the Force with colorful pictures, graphics and lots of action shots. Star Wars Battles for the Galaxy invites recruits of all ages to save the galaxy one page at a time. Readers receive their mission briefing, then are guided through tactics to stop a droid army and eventually shut down Endor. Star Wars Encyclopedia profiles 200+ heroes, villains and more, and fills readers on all that a fan wants to know -- including who planned the Rebel assault on the first Death Star. Both books are scaled down in size for easy reading.

10. Fun Things to Make

Make It!, created by Jane Bull (DK Publishing, $12.99, ages 4-8, 64 pages, 2011) After one look inside this eye-catching craft book, kids will be rummaging through recycling bins. And just think! You won't have to buy much of anything for them to get started! At the beginning, Bull rallies crafters, "Starve your garbage can!" and collect all those scraps. A spiraling circling shows it all: from bottle tops to junk mail, old baking tins to tights. Even parents will be surprised at how adorable scraps can look when strung, crimped, glued, woven, twisted and sewn in just the right way. Among the highlights: woolly friends from matchless mittens, a robot from a tin pan and foil, and a seat cushion from bubble wrap and candy wrappers. I've never seen our boys jump into projects so fast. (Just a bit of advice: introduce this one early in the week before the recycling truck comes. Or use it as a motivator to clear out scraps from rooms.)

How to Cook: Delicious Dishes Perfect for Teen Cooks  (DK Publishing, $17.99, ages 12 and up, 128 pages, 2011) If I could rename this book, it would be: How to Get Your Kids to Make You Dinner. This hip, fun cookbook delivers all that it promises: step-by-step recipes, great tips and fail-safe techniques, and it speaks to what teens want most in food (while going easy on the grease, sugar and processed ingredients). The first chapter, "Fast Food," gives 15 delish dishes, from hot tortilla soup and Huevos rancheros to potato rosti (crispy patties of grated potatoes). The moment our 12-year-old son glanced inside this section, he was jotting down a shopping list of ingredients. That night we dined on falafel and even our grade school boys cleaned their plates.  Now my husband keeps asking our oldest son, "Could you make that again?" Our son is not only anxious to do just that, but he's already adjusted the recipe. A nice chutney, he says, would taste great on top. Yum. I know my husband and I are ready. But from the looks of the next recipes, my husband and I might have to duke it out for the menu. I say, cannelloni; my husband's set on lamb kabobs. Oh, please, choose mine! Teens don't have to be Food Network fans to love this book; all it takes is opening the book and having a salivary gland. The biggest selling points, according to my son? The variety of dishes, the gourmet taste  and the fact he didn't have start over. It all came together on the first try.

Pop-Up: Everything You Need to Know to Create Your Own Pop-Up Book, paper engineering by Ruth Wickings, illustrated by Frances Castle (Candlewick, $19.99, ages 7 and up, 16 pages, 2010). What child doesn't dream of creating something magical?  Well, this book may not hold the secrets to Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, but if your child loves pop-ups, oh my, this is about as good as it gets. This clever book teaches kids to engineer a pop-up with very little technical know-how. All it takes is one look at the cover and pull of a flap over the "O" in "POP," and kids (and parents) will be giddy to look inside. From there, it only gets better. The book begins with a quick lesson in pop-up techniques (angle folds, parallels folds and extras like noisemakers). Then it jumps head-long into four pop-ups that a child really can do: Press out pre-folded pieces and peel off sticky-back plastic to make a dragon, castle, jungle and Frankenstein monster. (Sound too hard to be true? Don't worry, all the instructions are there and there's nothing fussy about it -- except maybe which child gets to do it first.)

11. Books to Bring on a Trip

National Geographic Kids Almanac 2012, (National Geographic, $13.99, ages 9-12, 342 pages, 2011) For any child who likes to yell, "Guess What?!," then share something cool, this is the book to have. As graphic and entertaining as National Geographic Kids magazine, this hand-size encyclopedia tells kids just about everything they ever wanted to know. Like, for instance, that the smallest bone in their body is smaller than a grain of rice or that in India kids pour dyed water and powder over their bodies to say goodbye to winter. Chapters include Going Green, Amazing Animals, Super Science and Awesome Adventures. There's even a chapter filled with boredom-busting games, jokes, puzzles and more. This isn't just a book of facts, it also encourage kids to get involved. On a page about endangered lions, they scan a digital code with a Smart Phone to learn how to help save lions and on another page, they tour a house dialed out with all the latest eco-technology. Watch the hours slip by, Mom and Dad, but perk up those ears. Something tells me, you'll be hearing it all over the car seat.

The Phenomenal Postcard Book, Where's Waldo, illustrated by Martin Handford. (Candlewick, $9.99, ages 5-9, 30 postcards, 2011). This clever little tablet encourages two things at once: practice with letter writing and a game to pass time while traveling. On each cover is a picture search from one of Waldo's journeys and on the back below where kids write is a checklist with a handful of items to find. But just a tip, before sending any of the cards, have the kids do the stamp search from the back page. Hanford shows nine stamps he's snuck into some of the postcard pictures. Could one be hanging on the museum wall of "The Great Picture Exhibition" or escaping slime-spewing dragons in "Bright Lights and Night Frights"? (both from Where's Waldo? The Wonder Book.) Looks like this might take awhile. Maybe, if we're lucky, just long enough to wait for our connecting flight. Fans will delight in seeing some of their favorite scenes from eight Where's Waldo? books and once again searching out the elusive Waldo in red-and-white striped shirt, bobble hat and glasses.

Doodles at Breakfast: 36 Tear-Off Placemats, created by Deborah Zemke (Blue Apple Books, $10.99, ages 4-8, 37 pages, 2011). So you're on the road and pop into a restaurant for breakfast, but of course it's packed, the wait is long and the kids are wiggling in their seats. Whip this tablet out, along with a pack of colored pencils, and see what happens. Who knows? When that stack of pancakes does come, you might just have to coax them away from doodling to eat. One thing's for sure, the kids will be neat and tidy at the table. There's no way they're dripping syrup on this placemat or, forbid, letting a water glass perspire on it. Part of a fantastic new series, this fun tablet teaches kids how to draw everything from aliens with radioactive squiggles to a skateboarder taking flight and a unicorn from a magical forest. Every drawing lesson includes fun facts, questions and tips -- my favorite, how to use the egg shape for heads and bodies. Other books in the series: Doodles to Go, Doodles at Lunch, Doodles at Dinner and Chicken Doodle Soup.

Celebrating Dad

from My Side of the Car

What makes a dad the best ever?

Ask a child and he or she might say:

He listens when I say things.

He helps me do stuff I want to try.

And when I need him?

He's right there, just always.

Here are three books that celebrate all the patience and love that comes wrapped up in a dad.

Roslyn Rutabega and the Biggest Hole on Earth, written and illustrated by Marie-Louise Gay ($16.95, Groundwood Books, 32 pages, 2010). Roslyn wants to dig the biggest hole on Earth, but every time she shovels down, she runs into creatures who scoff at her plan and tell her to go somewhere else. Will anyone believe she can dig all the way to the South Pole? Lucky thing Dad is near. In this sweet tale by the author of Stella, Star of the Sea, a father encourages his little girl to follow her imagination even when obstacles abound.

Mitchell's License, written by Hallie Durand and illustrated by Tony Fucile ($15.99, Candlewick, 32 pages, 2011). Rev up Dad's tummy, check the air in his slippers and climb onto his shoulders, Mitchell is driving him to bed. In this adorable tale, a three-year-old pretends his dad is a car, and Dad happily plays along, allowing him to yank his ears for reverse and squeeze his nose to make the car honk. But when Mitchell swerves over to the cookie jar for gas, he discovers that his car might have a mind of its own. Can it really hairpin turn without him?

My Side of the Car, written by Kate Feiffer and illustrated by Jules Feiffer ($16.99, Candlewick, 40 pages, 2011). Until now, something's always gotten in the way of Sadie and Dad driving to the zoo -- like when Mom broke her foot or the family dog got lost. But today is different. Sadie's just sure of it. Not even an escaped tiger can stop their plans. But what about the rain? Not if it's not raining on Sadie's side of the car. In this funny, endearing tale, a dad is tickled by his daughter's optimism and waits out the rain so she can do the thing she so anxiously wants to do.

Gilbert Goldfish Wants a Pet

By Kelly DiPucchio

Illustrated by Bob Shea

Dial Books, 2011

$16.99, ages 3-5, 32 pages

Gilbert has almost everything an aquarium fish could want.

A stone castle to swim through, a treasure chest that bubbles, even food flakes that fall from the sky.

Now if he could just have a pet to care for and love, he'd be the happiest little goldfish in a bowl.

The problem is, every creature that peers into his bowl isn't quite right.

A dog comes by and licks his bowl hello and bounds around it in circles. At first it's fun to follow him, but then he barks too much and laps up Gilbert's water.

Next, a small gray mouse sniffs at the glass and Gilbert's heart goes "pitter-patter-swish." Finally. A quiet pet.

But as soon as the mouse realizes Gilbert isn't a chunk of cheese, he scampers away. And Gilbert's heart goes plop.

Hopper and Wilson

Written & illustrated by Maria van Lieshout

Philomel, 2011

 $16.99, ages 3-7, 40 pages

Two stuffed pals set sail in a paper hat to see what's at the end of the world and discover that the best place of all isn't as far as they thought.

As Wilson and Hopper wave goodbye to their potted cactus on the edge of a vast ocean, the wind gently tugs at Hopper's red balloon and anything seems possible.

Wilson, a yellow mouse, imagines they'll find a staircase to the moon while Hopper, a blue elephant, pictures a place with lots of lemonade.

That night Wilson and Hopper fall asleep on the brim of the newspaper-folded boat under a sky of stars without a cloud in sight.

But as morning comes, rain pelts down and the sea grows choppy. Suddenly their boat begins to rise under a giant wave and in a frightening moment, envelops them.

Treasure Me: Books for Baby

from Sweet Moon Baby

You can't go wrong giving Dr. Seuss books at baby showers, but will you be the only one giving them?

I'm sorry to say, but maybe it's true. A repeat gift can happen to you!

Seussian stuff has become so popular, it's hard to imagine a shower without it -- and we certainly wouldn't want to.

After all, what new parent wouldn't want a library of Seuss for Thing 1, Thing 2 or Thing 3?

But even when a gift is that wonderful, it's never fun seeing your idea unwrapped more than once.

So what could possibly be as sweet as a bundle of Oh, Baby, Go Baby, One Fish Two Fish and Cat and the Hat?

Or for that matter, Dorothy Kunhardt's Pat the Bunny?

1. Especially for Mom and Dad

These are books that Mom and Dad will love as much as baby.

A Daisy is A Daisy is a Daisy (Except when it's a girl's name) by Linda Wolfsgruber (A Groundwood Book, $16.95, 2011) Delicate flowers transform into girls in this charming book of flower names by an award-winning Austrian artist. Some names you may recognize, like Chloe (a very young sprout), while others may be refreshingly new, such as Girassol (sunflower), Kielo (lily of the valley) and Mirte (myrtle).

Sure to make eyes misty, Wherever You Are My Love Will Find You by Nancy Tillman, about a parent's undying adoration and support (Feiwel & Friends, $16.99, 2010), and Blueberry Girl by Neil Gaiman, a magical blessing for girls (HarperCollins, Reprint Edition 2011, $17.99). Gaiman asks ladies of light and ladies of darkness and ladies of never-you-mind to shelter and guide an infant girl as she grows.

Humpty Who? A Crash Course in 80 Nursery Rhymes, by Jennifer Griffin (Workman Publishing, $11.95, 2007), plus a sing-along CD with 35 songs. Nobody needs to know that you don't know what a tuffet is. With a little cramming, new parents can lullaby with the best of them. Included are fun tips on emoting and "the miracle of the yoga om."

Who says it better than Pooh? Here are three delights: Positively Pooh: Timeless Wisdom from Pooh, When We Were Very Young and Now We Are Six Deluxe Edition, collections of poetry by A.A. Milne with decorations by Ernest H. Shepard (Dutton, $19.99 each, 2008). Magical poems about the wonder of being a child, including a favorite Halfway Down: "Halfway down the stairs / Is a stair / Where I sit / There isn't any / Other stair / Quite like / It. / I'm not at the bottom, / I'm not at the top; / So this is the stair / Where / I always / Stop."

Perfect for adoptive parents: Sweet Moon Baby: An Adoption Tale by Karen Henry Clark, illustrated by Patrice Barton (Knopf Delacorte, $17.99) A baby from China is carried around the world by a turtle, peacock, monkey, panda and goldfish to her new parents in this darling book.

2. That's My Name!

Match a baby's first name with classic characters and their stories.

For a baby named Nicholas, the Nicholas series, by Rene Goscinny, illustrated by Jean-Jacques Sempe (Phaidon, $9.95 pbk - $19.95 hbk, 2005-2008) Reprints of five classic French novels about the hilarious escapades of a school boy and his friends.

If her name is Mary, The Secret Garden, written by Frances Hodgson Burnett, illustrated by Inga Moore (Candlewick, $14.99 pbk or $22.99 hbk, 2001). A secret garden springs to life under the tender care of Mary Lennox, her spoiled invalid cousin Colin and Dickon, a Yorkshire boy.

Just right for an Alice, Lewis Caroll's Alice in Wonderland books, illustrated by a variety of artists, including Helen Oxenbury, Robert Sabuda and Rodney Matthews. The enchanting tale of a girl who falls down a rabbit hole into a world of irresistible nonsense. Also, consider giving Kevin Henkes new short story Junonia about another Alice, who on the verge of age 10 discovers that life isn't always exactly what she expected and that she likes herself just as she is, mole and all.

Or select books by favorite authors who share a baby's first name.

For a boy named Leo, Leo Lionni's four Caldecott Honor-winning classics, Inch by Inch, Frederick, Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse and Swimmy (Random House, $17.99, hdbk or $6.99 pbk, 1960s). Sumptuous collages illustrate fables of friendship and self-acceptance.

If she's named Holly, a bundle of Toot and Puddle books by Holly Hobbie: among my favorites, Toot & Puddle (the first book), You are My Sunshine, Let it Snow! and Top of the World. (Little, Brown, $6.99 pbk and $15.95 hbk, 2002-2011)

For a baby named Julia, Julia Donaldson's rhyming delights: including Room on a Broom, The Gruffalo and The Snail and the Whale, all illustrated by Axel Sheffler. (Arthur A. Levine and Puffin, $6.99 pbk -$16.99 hdbk, 2001-2011)

3. Confections

Put together a collection that's just right for baby's hands. Here are a few board books to mix and match.

Wiggle! Like an Octopus and Swing! Like a Monkey by Harriet Ziefert & SImms Taback (Blue Apple Books, $8.99 each, 2011) Rhythmic text, vibrant pictures and lenticular artwork on the cover get children waddling, wiggling, swaying and swooping.

What Do You See? and Look Who's There! by Martine Perrin (Albert Whitman & Company, $8.99 each, 2011) Children discover hidden creatures in graphic environments and through visual cut-out puzzles.

Dwell Studio's Goodnight Owl: A Lift-the-Flap Bedtime Book and Good Morning Toucan: A Lift-the-Flap Good Day Book (Blue Apple Books, $8.99 each, 2011). Gorgeous muted colors and crisp sweet graphics makes these stand out.

My Animals and My Circus, written and illustrated by Xavier Deneux -- (Bloomsbury, $9.99-$11.35, 2009-10) Happy little books of discovery with peep-through holes and bold, clever plays of color, both translated from French.

Imagebooks Finger Puppet series: my favorites include, Little Dino, Little Lion, Little Giraffe, Little Penguin, and Little Polar Bear  (Chronicle, $8.95). Also available in two Finger Puppet Party Pack collections (each $115 for 12).

Gossie & Friends series by  Olivier Dunrea (Houghton Mifflin, $6.95-$9.79, 2003-11) -- Gossie, Gossie & Gertie, Ollie, Peedie, BooBoo, Gossie Plays Hide and Seek and more. Charming, ink-and-watercolor books about a little goose and her gosling friends.

4. Classic Tales

Bundle up favorite books from your childhood:

Select from the New York Review Books' Children's Collection. Among the titles, The Backwards Day, written by Ruth Krauss, illustrated by Marc Simont; Mud Pies and Other Recipes by Marjorie Winslow and illustrated by Erik Blegvad, and  D'Aulaires' Book of Animals by Ingri and Edgar Parin D'Aulaire. Classics out of print return for a new generation. (New York Review Books, $14.95-$16.95, 2007-2010)

Wrap up a trio of Paul and Ann Rand's celebrated Little 1, Sparkle and Spin: A Book About Words and I Know a Lot of Things, recently back in print. (Chronicle, $15.95-$16.99, 2006). Exuberant stories that make learning numbers and simple addition fun by one of the most influential graphic designers of the 20th Century.

A group of fairy tales: select from such classics as Rapunzel redone by Sarah Gibb (Albert Whitman, $16.99, 2011) and The Three LIttle Pigs, remade by Joanna C. and Paul Galdone. Or choose humorous redos such as Mini Grey's Ginger Bear (Knopf Books, $15.99, 2007) or the imaginative and poetic Instructions, written by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Charles Vess, about walking into a fairy tale landscape. (HarperCollins, $14.99, 2010)

A Bear Called Paddington, The original story of the bear from Darkest Peru: 50th Anniversary Edition, written by Michael Bond and illustrated by Peggy Fortnum (Houghton Mifflin, $20, 2008). A gorgeous edition of the 1958 classic about a little bear found in London's Paddington Station wearing the sign "Please look after this bear." Pair with a stuffed toy of Paddington for a treasured gift.

The Big Book of Little: A Classic Illustrated Edition, compiled by Cooper Edens (Chronicle, $19.95, 2006). Antique illustrations of children, angels, toys and more accompany beloved children's stories, from Tom Thumb to The Little Engine That Could.

5. Books to Grow On

Select books about the lessons and joys of childhood:

It's Great to Be You: Cloudette written and illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld (Christy Ottaviano Books, $16.99, 2011) A little cloud discovers that she doesn't have to be big to make a difference. And, Bugs in a Blanket created by Beatrice Alemagna about being happy with how you look. Bugs embroidered onto fabric learn to accept each other just as they are. (Phaidon, $12.95, 2009)

Friendship: Bee and Bird, written and illustrated by Craig Frazier (Roaring Brook Press, $16.99, 2011). A mesmerizing wordless tale of a bee and bird's epic journey. Bold, happy graphics are set against a clear, sunny sky. A Sick Day for Amos McGee (Roaring Brook Press, 2010, $16.99) -- An elderly zoo keeper is nursed back from a cold by the animals he cares for in this year's Caldecott winner.

Pretend: Give The Loud Book with The Quiet Book by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by Renata Liwaska (Houghton Mifflin, $12.99, 2010-11). Both celebrate kids being kids with adorable furry friends. Or a pair of Suzy Lee's wordless gems, Wave and Shadow, about a girl's joyful play. In the first she plays chase with an ocean wave, and in the second she imagines shadows are creatures. (Chronicle, $15.99, 2008-10)

Caring: A selection by Patrick McDonnell: The Gift of Nothing, Hug Time, and Just Like Heaven: A Mutts Childrens Book. (Little Brown, $14.99, 2005-2007) Mutts creator McDonnell inspires readers to cherish nature, put friends above things and appreciate what is here and now. These are sure to make moms' and dads' hearts go pitter-patter too.

Being Little: Amy Krouse Rosenthal Collection: Pair My Baby Book: A Keepsake Journal (Potter Style, $16.99), with A Little Books Boxed Set Featuring Little Pea, Little Hoot, Little Oink (Chronicle, $19.99, 2009) -- three adorable board books about bedtime, dinner and cleaning up.