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.

Jamie Lee Curtis is right it is hard to be a five-year-old. I’ve got two such creatures in my house, and this book hits the age-five bull’s-eye. Poised between babyhood and big kid-dom, five-year-olds want to be cuddled right before they rise out of your lap and announce plans for ruling, or at least bossing, the world. Curtis has written five previous books (including I’m Gonna Like Me and When I Was Little) and is shining brighter with each new entry, proving she has lots more to offer than simply a celebrity name. She has talent, insight, humor and voice.

The little-boy star of It’s Hard to Be Five: Learning How to Work My Control Panel is a zany fireball who proclaims the difficulties of his age: It’s hard to be five/All I want is to play/I’m starting at school/and I don’t get a say. He sums up the terrifying transition by saying, My whole world’s going to change. Laura Cornell’s illustrations bring smiles on every page. For instance, on the opening spread, our hero is plunked down on his belly reading self-help books, including Why Me? A five-year-old asks the question. And oh, that pesky, frequently malfunctioning control panel of the subtitle, the one every parent knows, which Cornell illustrates by showing that right at the center, near the heart, is a big red button marked PANIC, directly over a meter measuring Meltdown, among other amusing items.

Lest you think this book is too negative, fear not. It also celebrates being five in a big way, shouting in a two-page spread: It’s fun to be five! Big changes are here! We see how much this young man can accomplish, such as building things at school, using actual manners, obeying rules and what’s more, in a beautifully written verse: At five I can lie down alone in my bed/and dream of my past and my future ahead./And when I mess up or do right, it’s a start./’cause I have my own mind/and I have my own heart. Curtis and Cornell have hit another home run, showing cute things without being cutesy, celebrating joys without being preachy or precious. They walk a delicate tightrope, never once slipping. Just like all those five-year-olds.

Our house overflows with anticipation this summer because my twin girls are getting ready to start kindergarten. Here are some of our new favorite back-to-school books, all guaranteed to fuel excitement as well as ease first-time jitters.

Kindergartners, there’s a new bible for you: My Kindergarten, by Rosemary Wells. Writer and illustrator Wells has firmly established herself as a grand dame of children’s books with the popular Max and Ruby characters, and has written more than 100 books, including Emily’s First 100 Days of School. In Wells’ new book, we meet Emily again, along with her friends and their teacher, the lovely Miss Cribbage.

My Kindergarten is a real treasure. It’s divided into color-coded sections for each month of the school calendar, beginning with a lovely, reassuring spread called, “The Night Before the First Day of School.” Here Emily worries and wishes upon a star while her mother holds her hand and calls Emily “my little star.” Emily then steps right into classroom experiences 96 pages brimming with stories, Wells’ trademark illustrations and short, lively discussions of school events. Don’t miss Emily’s adventures in Miss Cribbage’s class. My Kindergarten is so much fun, even I am ready to enroll! For another lively, innovative book, check out I Am Too Absolutely Small for School (Candlewick, $16.99, 32 pages, ISBN 0763624039) by Lauren Child. The narrator, big brother Charlie, explains his family’s dilemma: “I have this little sister, Lola. She is small and very funny. Mom and Dad say she is nearly almost big enough to go to school. Lola is not so sure.” On the next page the siblings stand beside a measuring stick, showing that Charlie is “big” while Lola is still “smallish,” along with amusing increments such as “tiny,” “teeny” and “eeny weeny.” Lola decides she is not only too small, but also much too busy to go to school, while Charlie repeatedly tries to convince her that school will be fun.

Lauren Child’s illustrations are a zany mixture of media, including illustrations, photographs and collage. For example, Lola explains that she has no need to learn to count to 100 because “I never eat more than ten cookies at one time.” Each of her 10 words is paired with a photo of a different type of cookie, creating a mouth-watering page. Charlie finally reminds Lola that her invisible friend, Soren Lorensen, will be going to school, and Lola realizes she needs to go to keep Soren company. All turns out well, of course.

Fitting in Like Lola, Enrico the cat is nervous about starting school in Enrico Starts School (Dial, $14.99, 32 pages, ISBN 0803730179) by Charlotte Middleton. Enrico finds his first school experiences disheartening: he’s too shy to answer questions, the kids aren’t nice at recess, and they eat his sandwich at lunch. Poor Enrico tries and tries to fit in, but he isn’t very successful. Finally, Enrico’s younger brother gives him some age-old advice: stop trying so hard and simply be yourself. This makes all the difference, and soon Enrico has a new best friend.

Get ready for laughs with Mrs. Watson Wants Your Teeth (Harcourt, $16, 36 pages, ISBN 0152049312) by Alison McGhee. A new first-grade girl is convinced having been informed in no uncertain terms by a knowledgeable second-grader that her teacher is “a three-hundred-year-old alien who steals baby teeth from her students.” Imagine her fear: our heroine sits on the school bus asking herself questions like: “Is it possible to make it through first grade without ever opening your mouth?” Her worries turn to terror when she realizes that she has, you guessed it, a loose tooth.

Kids will eat this story up it’s so absurd that no young reader will fear Mrs. Watson, as they might in the hands of a less humorous writer. They’ll simply giggle at the plot and at the expressions on the faces of the characters, drawn by Harry Bliss. The first-grade heroine finally learns the truth about Mrs. Watson, but I’m not spilling the beans.

Crack the pages of these books and any young students you know will soon be ready to hop on the school bus. Just be sure they don’t ask any second-graders for advice!

The title of Giddy-up! Let’s Ride is enough to convey the enthusiasm and energy of this rollicking book for young children. Flora McDonnell prefaces her tale by explaining that her own love of riding horses originates from her grandmother, who bounced her on her knee while reciting the nursery rhyme, "This is the way the lady rides." All the while, young Flora imagined herself atop ponies and horses, as well as more exotic beasts, such as donkeys, elephants and camels.

All of these animals and more appear in Giddy-Up!, ridden by an assortment of children that includes a young cowgirl, a jockey, a princess and even a goatherd. Toddlers will appreciate the repetitive rhyme and sound effects on each spread, which manage to be both lively and soothing: This is the way the jockey rides. faster-and-faster, faster-and-faster, This is the way the rajah rides. rumpetta-trump, rumpetta trump, This is the way the princess rides. jingle-ringle, jingle-ringle. McDonnell’s acrylic and gouache illustrations feature a simple background of bold color, allowing each animal and rider to be the grand center of attention, making them loom, lumber and race across the page. For the most part, she uses bold brush strokes, adding rich, intricate details when appropriate, like the flowers, jewels and bells that adorn the elephant’s headband. Color also adds to the excitement and atmosphere. The sizzling yellow background seen as a goatherd rides a donkey down a mountain conveys the heat and brilliance of summer day in a torrid, arid climate.

The animals and color, however, aren’t the only stars of this tale. McDonnell’s riders are lively youngsters who bang a drum, clown around in a circus and twirl a lasso in the air. The final spread features all the children together, a few atop a rocking horse, others riding stick horses. "Giddy-up! Giddy-up! Let’s ride!" they all exclaim. McDonnell succeeds in bringing a classic nursery tale to life in simple yet lively style.

Have you ever met a child who doesn’t get into everything? A child who isn’t mischievous and curious? Of course you haven’t. Kids have a way of getting into anything and everything. In Robin’s Room, Margaret Wise Brown, author of such classics as Good Night Moon and The Runaway Bunny, captures the essence of a young boy whose curiosity gets the best of his parents.

This laugh-out-loud picture book focuses on Robin, who leaves things all over the house, puts a sneaker full of sand in his mother’s bed, paints the walls and plants flowers in the bathtub. His parents get fed up with his rambunctious behavior and present him with his own room. But he needs three carpenters to do some remodeling. After one week of locking himself in his room with the workmen, Robin has the most wonderful space in the house. There is a special closet for his jars of paint, a tree over his bed and a ledge planted with flowers in front of a giant window.

Best-selling author Margaret Wise Brown is known by many as the first lady of picture books. Robin’s Room, published for the first time, is a manuscript that was left behind after her death in 1952. Along with the marvelous story, the unique paintings by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher make this book particularly inviting. Once Robin is inside his room, the pictures twist to the side, then upside down so that the reader actually has to turn the book in order to keep up with him. In the bottom corner of each illustration is a picture of Robin pointing his finger in the direction in which the reader should turn the page. Robin’s Room is perfect for teaching children ages 4-8 that using their imaginations and abilities is fantastic and fun. It also teaches adults that children need creative outlets. Although it’s difficult to give kids rooms of their own in reality, it’s important that they have space in which to be creative so that they’re not painting the walls and growing plants in the tub!

Karen Van Valkenburg writes from Grand Rapids, Michigan.

At first glance, longitude doesn’t seem like a topic with the makings of a page-turner. But under Louise Borden’s sure hand, children and adults alike will find themselves caught up in the amazing saga of an important scientific challenge when they read Sea Clocks: The Story of Longitude.

For centuries, sailors were able to measure latitude, their location north or south of the equator, by using the sun and the stars. But determining longitude was a different matter. Over the years, many lives were lost at sea through miscalculations. Eventually, it was determined that the solution to the problem was a clock that could keep absolutely accurate time so that sailors could know what hour it was back at their home ports. In this way, they’d be able to calculate longitude. But building a sea clock proved to be difficult, since rolling ships and weather all affected the timepieces.

In 1714 the English Parliament offered a reward of 20,000 pounds sterling (equal to several million dollars today) to anyone who could build an accurate sea clock. The man who ultimately solved the puzzle was John Harrison, an English clock maker. The arduous task of building the device became his life’s work. Although he had no scientific training, Harrison, along with his son William, struggled for more than 40 years to create a working sea clock, or chronometer, that met the requirements. Harrison actually built four different models and was finally awarded the prize in 1773, just three years before his death.

In her new picture book, Louise Borden manages a feat almost as difficult as Harrison’s by making his story dramatic and accessible to young readers and explaining in simple terms the complexities he faced. Borden appropriately keeps the focus on the inventor’s struggle, while offering a clear explanation of the significance of his work. Erik Blegvad’s watercolors bring an elegant, old-fashioned feel to the narrative. With an author’s note, as well as a short section on some facts of Harrison’s life story, this is a wonderful work of scientific history that young readers will love.

There are hundreds even thousands of religions in the world today, and each has its own history. From Christianity and the birth of Christ, Islam and the revelations of Muhammad, to Buddhism and the teachings of the Buddha himself, it is critical that our children learn the importance and individuality of different faiths. The Prince Who Ran Away is the perfect tool for getting kids interested in other cultures and religions. The story of Gautama Buddha, the book narrates the events of his childhood and explains how his teachings became the basis of one of the world’s five major religions.

Author of over 100 books, Anne Rockwell delights here with a captivating tale that is sure to keep the attention of children ages 7-10. Beginning with his prophetic birth in a forest of flowering trees in India, Rockwell recounts the life of Buddha, highlighting the dedication and kindness he came to possess as he matured. Over the course of this little biography, Buddha realizes his compassion for his people. He begs, fasts, meditates and preaches, all of which lead to his spiritual awakening.

The illustrations are what truly make this book outstanding. With the use of vibrant colors, illustrator Fahimeh Amiri draws readers right into the tale from the beginning. The exotic Indian setting is wonderfully rendered. Among the many images that stand out is one in which the Buddha is looked upon by Mara, the Evil One. The brilliant reds, blues, greens and yellows bring the illustration to life. The most amazing image, however, is a picture of Buddha meditating under a fig tree and being taunted by Mara’s demons. Each demon is perfectly drawn to depict the Evil One’s terror, but each is also charming enough to be pleasing to the young eye. Amiri, a native of Iran, has contributed remarkably authentic illustrations. His collaboration with veteran author Rockwell adds up to a first-rate story. The Prince Who Ran Away is the perfect addition to any family’s library.

Karen Van Valkenburg is a book publicist in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The subject of the beautifully written and illustrated Mansa Musa is a few years in the life of Kankan Musa, one of the greatest kings, or mansas, of 14th century Mali the African kingdom that used to be "four months’ travel long and four months’ wide," and that, according to legend, sent explorers to the New World years before Columbus. At first glance, the story of Mansa Musa is a typical journey-of-the-hero tale, complete with wanderings in a strange land (in this case the Sahara desert), the search for a lost father and a Virgil/Obi-Wan Kenobi-type mentor in the form of a mysterious nomad named Tariq. But Burns overlays this archetypal story with his knowledge of time and place, including differences in architecture, clothing, religion and language. Burns’ words are brought wonderfully to life by Caldecott Medalists Leo and Diane Dillon’s richly colored illustrations, whose shallow perspectives and dreamy skies recall the paintings of Fra Angelico. The paragraphs of the text are separated by strips of patterns that resemble motifs found in Akan kente cloth, and the smooth pages have the look of parchment.

Many of the book’s characters, including Tariq, are presented as tall, poker-backed and intimidatingly dignified. For desert-dwelling people, that dignity is more than a social embellishment it’s necessary for life, as Tariq indicates when he chides Kankan, the future mansa: "I bought your freedom with gold . . . I offered you a camel but you chose to walk like a slave. Already, you think like a slave . . . You claim to be a man, but have not yet mastered the beast within you." Burns’ writing is as graceful as the book’s illustrations, easy for school-age children to understand without being torturous for grown-ups. The reader eagerly follows Kankan Musa throughout his travels till he finally returns to his homeland, veiled and unrecognized at first, to find his younger brother king of Mali. What happens next is interesting, unexpected and definitely gratifying.