JULIE HALE AND JIM WEBB CONTRIBUTED TO THIS ARTICLE
PLAYSET
The spunky star of the best-selling books Olivia and Olivia Saves the Circus is set to jeté her way into the hearts of theater fans old and young. Making her dramatic debut in time for the holidays, the little white pig takes center stage with
Teatro Olivia, a handsomely designed three-dimensional theater that allows aspiring young directors to mount their own productions. Created by author Ian Falconer, this ingenious, miniature playhouse serves as the perfect introduction to the performing arts.
Raise the curtain on Teatro Olivia, and you'll find a fold-out stage with wings and a handsomely appointed auditorium, complete with balcony, box seats and an audience of—need it be said?—discriminating observers. A variety of backdrops, props and costumed paper dolls provide the required equipment for special stagings of Swan Lake, Turandot and Romeo and Juliet, all featuring Olivia, who is aided in these dramatic endeavors by her little brother Ian. Together, the piglet players take the leading roles in each production. An accompanying Playbill provides plot summaries for the theatrical works, as well as biographical information on the sibling stars. Sure to be a hit this holiday, Teatro Olivia is the ultimate indulgence for active imaginations. Expect rave reviews and encores galore. Bravo, Olivia—take a bow!
COLLECTION
Your Favorite Seuss: A Baker's Dozen by the One and Only Dr. Seuss is a colorful compilation of timeless tales that young readers will treasure for years to come. Perfect for holiday gift-giving, this big, bold volume spans the esteemed author's 53-year career and contains 13 classic pieces. From Green Eggs and Ham and How the Grinch Stole Christmas! to Yertle the Turtle and Horton Hears a Who!, these selections are signature Seuss—effusive, exclamatory stories, marked by symmetrical stanzas, reliable rhythms and freshly coined phrases, all produced by a writer whose way with words was as rare as his cast of characters. Saucer-eyed, splay-footed, fuzzy specimens that defy taxonomic classification, these creatures—Sneetches, Nerkles and Preeps, to be precise—were the products of Seuss' personal surrealism. Multicolored hybrids, spirited and sprightly, they're out-of-this-world, yet unmistakably of it. Who can resist the lure of the Lorax?
Your Favorite Seuss is seasoned with original sketches, photographs and other memorabilia, as well as biographical information on the author, a Springfield, Massachusetts, native whose real name was Theodor Seuss Geisel (that's Dr. Seuss to you!). Introductory essays contributed by the likes of Stan and Jan Berenstain, actor John Lithgow, and folk singer Pete Seeger complement each unforgettable tale, making Your Favorite Seuss a grand retrospective of an American original.
NOVELTY
One of our favorite Calvin & Hobbes cartoons has the pair philosophizing on the cause and effect of
"bug barf." We like the cartoon because it reminds us of what being a child is like. Let's face it—kids
love gross stuff! Maybe that explains the popularity of the Ripley's Believe It Or Not comic strip; while
it's filled with amazing facts, odd happenings and strange creatures, there are a lot of items that are just
plain, well, yucky. That's why kids, especially boys of a certain age, will absolutely love the latest
edition of Ripley's Believe It Or Not. The book is packed from cover
to cover with a mind-bending assortment of weirdness, all in stomach-churning color. From the woman who
grows copper on her skin to the grotesque antics of creatures great and small, Ripley's is guaranteed to
evoke more "ewwws" per hour than any book you're likely to encounter. Your kids won't be able to put it
down—and we promise not to tell if a few parents also find themselves strangely fascinated by this collection of the odd, the repulsive and the utterly unbelievable.
REFERENCE
Holding a kid's attention when you're trying to teach them something is all a matter of presentation, and the
publishers of The World Almanac for Kids 2005 have the technique down cold. They do it with a combination of hip, colorful graphics and a keen insight into what youngsters are into these days. The almanac is divided into chapters that interest young readers, from space to sports, art to animals. You'll find plenty of right-this-minute cultural references, like rappers and sports stars, politicians and actresses, along with tons of information and facts. Each subject is dealt with in a few short, succinct paragraphs, accompanied by striking, colorful visuals. There's even a chapter on putting together a term paper, which you could probably do using only this book. The World Almanac for Kids 2005 is the kind of book kids or adults can read for hours, with every page containing a new surprise.
While adults may think geography is a dull subject—probably from all those times they've wrestled with maps
while driving down the interstate—kids love this stuff. After all, geography is more than blue lines on
the pages of an atlas. It's about the land, the people who live there, the things they do, what they eat, what
they wear, how they talk and much more. And who better to elucidate geography than
National Geographic? Our Fifty States by Mark H. Bockenhauer and Stephen F. Cunha
is an absorbing look at the U.S.A., and as you might expect, it's fabulously illustrated, with photographs, maps and charts that young readers will love. Dividing the country by region, Bockenhauer and Cunha cover each state with a short essay highlighting its accomplishments, history and challenges. There's also a "state-at-a-glance" box, listing quick facts, and a map with points of interest. For the youngster with an interest in the world around him, Our Fifty States is a great introduction to this great country.
ADVENTURE
The unmistakable mystique of the desert is captured in
Egyptology, a fun, fact-filled tour of ancient Egypt from the publishers of the best-selling book Dragonology. Set in 1926, this clever volume is presented in the form of a diary written by a feisty fictional figure named Miss Emily Sands. Hoping to find the tomb of the god Osiris, Miss Sands—an enthusiastic amateur Egyptologist—led an expedition up the crocodile-filled Nile River, only to disappear with her party once they reached the desert. Fortunately, her journal survived. Miss Sands' record of her adventures is a fascinating travelogue filled with incisive observations and wonderfully detailed imagery, as well as local anecdotes and legends that young history buffs will love. Removable maps, postcards and special souvenirs, including a swatch of "mummy cloth" and a copy of King Tut's mummy mask, lend the narrative an air of authenticity. There's also a complete game of Senet, a form of checkers played in Egypt, that comes with a playing board, dice and instructions. The book's seductive gold cover, encrusted with three red gems and the raised image of a Horus hawk, is sure to lure readers. With magical illustrations by Nick Harris, Ian Andrew and Helen Ward, Egyptology delivers the essence of that land—the blazing sun, the boundless desert and (best of all!) the endless attraction of the unknown. ¶
