Cool New Books for January

One of the major highlights in this month's roundup of cool new books is THE BOY ON FAIRFIELD STREET, a picture book biography of Ted Geisel --- creator of the legendary feline Dr. Seuss and bestselling author of such classics as THE CAT IN THE HAT and GREEN EGGS AND HAM. 2004 marks the 100th anniversary of Dr. Seuss's birth, and reading about Geisel's life is a great way to celebrate this memorable occasion.

We also have some marvelous works of fiction, including the story of a young boy who learns all about the importance of freedom from the writer of the Declaration of Independence himself.

BE HEALTHY! IT'S A GIRL THING: Food, Fitness, and Feeling Great
Mavis Jukes and Lilian Wai-Yin Cheung
Crown
ISBN: 0679890297
Ages 10-up
128 pages

In BE HEALTHY! bestselling author Mavis Jukes teaches girls what they need to know in order to achieve an active and healthy lifestyle, and how to feel good about their bodies. Readers will find basic nutritional information, ideas for safe exercising, tips on how to eat right no matter where they are, and lots of other kid-specific information --- all written with Jukes's trademark energy and enthusiasm.

BRIAN'S HUNT
Gary Paulsen
Wendy Lamb Books
ISBN: 0385746474
Ages 10-up
112 pages

Readers of HATCHET, THE RIVER, BRIAN'S WINTER and BRIAN'S RETURN know that Brian Robeson is at home in the Canadian wilderness. He has stood up to the challenge of surviving alone in the woods, preferring to be on his own in the natural world to civilization.

When Brian finds a wounded and whimpering dog one night, he senses danger. As Brian cares for it, he worries about his Cree friends who live north of his camp. His instincts tell him to quickly head north. With his new companion at his side, and with a terrible, growing sense of unease, he sets out to learn what happened.

THE VARIOUS
Steve Augarde
David Fickling Books
ISBN: 0385750293
Ages 10-up
448 pages

Midge, who is staying with her eccentric uncle during the holidays, has her fair share of adventures with the Various, a band of fairies. The existence of the Various, who are strange, wild and sometimes even deadly, has been kept secret since the beginning of time. But when their world begins to clash with the human world, they are threatened with extinction. This gritty and captivating story of courage and strength against terrible odds is the first in a powerful trilogy that will be quite difficult to put down.

THE BOY ON FAIRFIELD STREET: How Ted Geisel Grew Up to Become Dr. Seuss
Kathleen Krull
illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher
Random House
ISBN: 0375822984
Ages 6-12
48 pages

Award-winning author Kathleen Krull has produced the first picture book biography of Dr. Seuss, in which she focuses on the first 22 years of the life of Ted Geisel, the man who created this unforgettable character. As a child, Geisel loved drawing the animals he visited in his father's zoo and eventually realized that he could make a living doing what he loved to do best --- doodling and writing funny things about the world as he saw it.

PASCUAL AND THE KITCHEN ANGELS
Tomie dePaola
G.P. Putnam's Sons
ISBN: 0399242147
Ages 4-up
32 pages

When Pascual is born, angels fly down and sing to him from the trees. When he sings to the sheep as a little boy, they sing back to him. But when he joins the Franciscans, they send him to the kitchen. The only problem is, Pascual doesn't know the first thing about cooking! That's when the kitchen angels fly down, and delicious dinners appear on the friars' table night after night.

SLITHERY JAKE
Rose-Marie Provencher
illustrated by Abby Carter
HarperCollins
ISBN: 006623820X
Ages 4-up
32 pages

One day Sid innocently brings home a snake to keep as a pet. But when the snake escapes, the entire household is turned upside down as his family frantically searches for slithery Jake. You'll be surprised right along with them when his hideaway is finally revealed.

WHEN MR. JEFFERSON CAME TO PHILADELPHIA: What I Learned of Freedom, 1776
Ann Turner
illustrated by Mark Hess
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0060275790
Ages 6-9
32 pages

A young boy is fascinated by a lodger at his mother's boardinghouse in the summer of 1776. The man is Thomas Jefferson, and he spends every night writing a mysterious document --- the Declaration of Independence. From talking to Jefferson, the boy begins to realize what it means to be free. Although she has written a work of fiction, Ann Turner brings the legendary figure of Thomas Jefferson alive for young children and captures the spirit of independence in a passionate, poetic voice.

--- Compiled and written by Tom Donadio

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