Year-end children's books make fine gifts

The first nine months of 2003 witnessed the publication of numerous fine books for children.

There was, of course, the fifth installment of the Harry Potter series - a best-seller before it even hit the printing presses - and several other lively fantasy novels, including Eragon, by 19-year-old Christopher Paolini, and Kate DiCamillo's The Tale of Despereaux, a rollicking story of a brave and witty mouse in love with the charming Princess Pea.

Some delightful books for young children also appeared, such as Doreen Cronin's Diary of a Worm, humorously illustrated by Harry Bliss; that most amusing Walter the Farting Dog, by William Kotzwinkle and Glenn Murray; and the eye-popping Alice in Pop-Up Wonderland, a reinterpretation of Lewis Carroll's classic tale with J. Otto Seibold's ingenious pop-up illustrations.

A good crop, but not the year's complete harvest. October, November, and December also have yielded excellent titles, just in time for holiday gift-giving. With the assistance of two experienced critics of the genre (my children), I culled the best bushel of books out of scores published in the last quarter of the year. We selected books for babies, elementary-school readers, and older kids. My daughter is almost 15, but we decided not to include teenage "chick lit" (example, the Gossip Girl novels by Cecily von Ziegesar), or any books specifically targeted to contemporary teenagers. We did, however, select a few classic tales for readers of all ages that have just come out in handsome new editions.

For babies and very little kids

Tails, by Matthew Van Fleet (Harcourt), won hands down. Its furry, fuzzy, shiny, slippery, and otherwise textured tails, enhanced with pullouts and flaps, proved fun to touch and manipulate. The various animals connected to them cavorted happily over the pages, subtly teaching counting skills and opposites. The chief charm of this book, however, may be the scratch-and-sniff spot on a skunk's tail.

Snow Bear, written and illustrated by Piers Harper (Scholastic). Another winner. This is a "soft-to-touch" book about a polar bear cub who gets lost but, with the help of friends, finds his way back to his mother. Very sweet and snuggly - a great winter book to get cheek-to-cheek with.