Snips & Snails & Sugar & Spice

“Pigtails and Froglegs” (Neiman Marcus, $19.95) contains 275 recipes virtually guaranteed to soothe or entertain children: e.g., the pizza with a mouse face contributed by Wolfgang Puck. It’s also a very high-minded book, with an introduction by Michael Jackson (“Food is love and caring, security and hope”) and royalties benefiting Childhelp USA, Pediatric AIDS Foundation, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the Special Olympics. Oddly, it’s illustrated by Chuck Jones, creator of the Road Runner cartoons, whose drawings always radiate a roguish cynicism, and some of the recipes are on the low-minded side: e.g., “dirt cake” (crushed Oreos and cream cheese) with Gummi worms. In book stores this month.