Holidays in the Valley : ‘Six By Seuss’ and Six Other Books Children Can Treasure

Just in time for holiday treats, “My First Baking Book” by Helen Drew (Alfred A. Knopf) shows youngsters how to make their own. Ingredients are pictured, and utensils, measuring cups and other kitchen tools are represented with line drawings. The procedures are shown step by step, with large-type instructions.

Represented are favorites like chocolate brownies and peanut butter cookies, along with cakes and other sweets shaped like dinosaurs, ghosts, animals, stars and moons, and a holiday wreath. There also are recipes for Eccles cakes, scones, and shortbread. Young cooks learn how to mix, measure and decorate with frosting, candies, and marzipan.

“The Snow Country Prince” by Daisaku Ikeda (Alfred A. Knopf), a Japanese allegorical folk tale about caring for living things, has been translated into English by Geraldine McCaughrean. Brian Wildsmith’s watercolors picture a winter sea and shore landscape setting for the fantastic swans of the story.

“Six by Seuss: A Treasury of Dr. Seuss Classics” (Random House) recalls Theodor Geisel’s best stories for aficionados and introduces them to younger readers. Included are the first Dr. Seuss story, “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street,” and the holiday classic, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!”

Some fabulous American characters of history and legend are celebrated in “American Tall Tales” by Mary Pope Osborne (Alfred A. Knopf). The author re-tells traditional tall stories about fabulous characters like Paul Bunyan and Pecos Bill as well as those involving real characters like Davy Crockett and Johnny Appleseed.

Pop-up illustrations of the world’s best-known natural wonders--the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, the caves of France and Spain, the harbor at Rio de Janeiro, the Paricutin Volcano in Mexico, the Grand Canyon in the United States, Victoria Falls in Africa and Mount Everest in Asia--make up “The Seven Natural Wonders of the World” by Celia King (Chronicle Books). Each illustration is accompanied by background text.

Written for adults but suitable for older children is “The African Elephant: Twilight in Eden” by Roger L. DiSilvestro (Wiley-National Audubon Society), covering the history and day-to-day life of this animal and the efforts to save it from extinction.

“Dinosaur!” by David Norman (Prentice Hall) looks at the ancient creatures that ruled the earth in the Mesozoic period, about 165 million years ago. The book was created as a companion to the Arts & Entertainment Network series of the same name. Norman, a British paleontologist, is recognized as a leading expert on dinosaurs and served as consultant for the television series.