Is There a Mystery-Solving Grandmother in Your Family?

Grandmothers, writes distinguished African-American poet Nikki Giovanni, “are a lot like spinach or asparagus or brussels sprouts: something good for us that we appreciate much more in reflection than in actuality.”

To encourage grandchildren in appreciating these figures of wisdom and immense influence now rather than later, Giovanni has edited an unusual anthology, GRAND MOTHERS: Poems, Reminiscences, and Short Stories About the Keepers of Our Traditions (Holt: $15.95, ages 11 and up). Writers such as Gwendolyn Brooks, Maxine Hong Kingston, Gloria Naylor and many lesser-known names contribute descriptions of grandmothers who range from tender to formidable. As the baby-boom bulge ages into grandparent-hood, relationships between kids and their elders will become increasingly vital. This volume, full of revelations for all ages, would make an especially elegant gift from a child to his or her grandmother.

Looking at families from a younger child’s perspective is the aim of ONE HUNDRED IS A FAMILY (Hyperion: $13.95, ages 4 to 8). Leucadia author Pam Munoz Ryan enumerates from one to 10, then by tens to 100, to depict the elasticity of contemporary family life. It’s a clever counting book as well as a not-too-preachy celebration of diversity. Busy, expressive illustrations by Benrei Huang aid in keeping the tone light. Don’t worry--the higher numbers don’t reflect mothers with 80 or 90 children, but rather neighborhoods, communities, reunions and groups united by common causes.

Next time your children complain about their chores, pull out KIDS AT WORK: Lewis Hine and the Crusade Against Child Labor, a devastating expose of the exploitation of young children as cheap labor earlier in this century (Clarion: $16.95, ages 12 and up). Newbery-Award-winning nonfiction author Russell Freedman accomplishes several goals simultaneously here--this works as a biography of Hine (the photographer whose work convinced American lawmakers to make child labor illegal), a sometimes shocking history of the employment of children in the United States, a description of what it took to reform child labor laws and last but not least--with its striking black-and-white photographs by Hine--a handsome coffee-table book.

Finally, for the perfect gift for a child in your family who’s into Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys (or even for a grandmother who appreciates Sue Grafton or Dick Francis), buy a copy of DETECTIVE DICTIONARY: A Handbook for Aspiring Sleuths (from Lerner Publication’s new “Late-Night Library” series, $13.95, ages 10 and up). From A to Z, author Erich Ballinger has the scoop, from “where the heck is Scotland Yard?” and “what is the Mafia, really?” to the Seven Golden Questions that experienced detectives ask about a crime, as well as just about everything you can stomach about blood, autopsies and homicide classifications. Wickedly irresistible, with something new for everyone.