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Look-Alikes Around The World
Written and Illustrated by Joan Steiner
In this fourth outing from Steiner, the visual artist once again creates unbelievably realistic vistas and scenes out of everyday objects (and I do mean everyday — the crap that most of us have lying around the house). This time, she takes kids on a world tour. Think you're looking at a photo of the Taj Mahal? Think again — it's nothing more than some onions, a bit of lace, a couple of recorders, a ballet slipper, and some white chocolate. There's the Leaning Tower of Pisa, crafted from cookies, cheesy crackers, and acorns; and a Machu Picchu of sliced bread, peanut butter, egg cartons, and throw pillows. The fun part is, of course, studying the photos and trying to figure out exactly what everything is made from. There's a table in the back with a complete list, but going to that feels like cheating. I tell you, I don't know if Steiner has ever won one of those MacArthur ''genius'' grants, but she should. A — Tina Jordan
Recommended ages: All
Giant Pop-Out Vehicles
Chronicle
I'm drawn to all children's books published by Chronicle, and this one's no exception. Using vibrant photography and simple text, each page poses a riddle: ''It rides on tracks instead of roads. It has lots of seats inside. What is it?'' The next page then cunningly unfolds to reveal a pop-up photo of the answer. I knew the pages themselves were made to withstand toddler abuse, but I wasn't sure about the pop-ups, so I subjected them to my own informal Consumer Reports-type testing — an afternoon with a couple of, um, active 3-year-old boys. The result? Battered but still intact. Even more gratifying, the 3-year-olds liked the book as much as I did. A- — TJ
Recommended ages: 2-4
Someday This Pain Will Be Useful To You
By Peter Cameron
He's supposed to go to Brown in the fall — but all James Sweck wants to do use his tuition to buy a little house out in the Midwest, maybe Kansas or Indiana, and read Shakespeare and Trollope on his own. Really. As he tells one person after another — his impatient lawyer dad, his crazy, gallery-owning mom, his sharp-tongued therapist — he doesn't like being around people his own age; therefore, college will be of no use to him. James, who manages to be neurotic, uncertain, and deeply, deeply funny all at once, is one of the most appealing characters I've encountered of late in YA fiction. (Upon meeting his therapist for the first time: ''She had her hair up and was wearing a sleeveless summer dress that revealed her rather muscular arms. She must play tennis, I thought. Or shot-put.'') Only at his grandmother Nanette's house in the suburbs does he find understanding and comfort — and love given without reservation. This is a quiet book — not much happens; yet somehow, for James, everything happens. A — TJ
Recommended ages: Older teens
