Parents of the '90s -- at least those who tend toward trends -- are buying their children retro-presents, the Erector Sets and Easy-Bake Ovens of their '60s youth.
The same holds true for their choice in children's books. "Where the Wild Things Are," Dr. Seuss, "Eloise" and Laura Ingalls Wilder never go out of style. Sticking to the classics, however, means missing out on a mother lode of wonderful new books.
So before snapping up that copy of "Horton Hatches the Egg" to wrap for a loved one, thumb through some of this year's releases. Discovering a new book with a child can be just as much fun as sharing an old favorite.
One size fits all
The books in this category are for kids of all ages, from 4-year-olds who love hearing stories to grown-ups who want to be entertained as they read aloud.
* "John Henry" by Julius Lester, pictures by Jerry Pinkney (Dial, $16.99, 40 pages) lives up to the promise of such a distinguished collaboration. Mr. Lester ("To Be a Slave," "The Knee-High Man and Other Tales") comes through with an energetic re-telling of the legend, and Mr. Pinkney ("The Patchwork Quilt," "Back Home," "The Talking Eggs") illuminates the tale with his wondrous paintings of watercolor, colored pencils and pencil.
Mr. Lester treats his subject with the respect befitting a man who single-handedly ripped a railroad tunnel through "a mountain as big as hurt feelings." But the author doesn't mind nudging his modern-day readers in the ribs with lines like, "The sun yawned, washed its face, flossed and brushed its teeth, and hurried up over the horizon."
* "George Washington's Cows" by David Small (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $15, 32 pages) is a goofy delight from the man who brought us "Imogene's Antlers" and "Ruby Mae Has Something to Say."
Readers follow the rear end of a cow through the front door of Mount Vernon, where farm animals have the run of the place. Hogs dressed in powdered wigs and waistcoats serve dinner to humans who aren't as well-mannered as the well-bred swine. And scholarly sheep in mortarboards and gowns tutor men and women who struggle to keep up with the latest geometry lesson. It's no wonder George feels inadequate. As he shoves off to cross the Delaware River, he shouts, "Sell the farm, I'll try politics."
* "BUB, or The Very Best Thing" by Natalie Babbitt (HarperCollins, $15, 32 pages) features finely detailed watercolors. It's a well-paced tale about a king and a queen who set off to find the one thing that is best for their toddler son.
They get plenty of advice from folks around the palace -- sleep is the one thing, says the night nursemaid; sunshine, says the gardener; a song, says the court musician. "Bub," says the little prince, meaning love -- the wisest answer of all. Dog-lovers will delight in the antics of the prince's golden retriever.
* "Zeke Pippin" by William Steig (HarperCollins, $15, 32 pages) is another winner from the author of some of the best children's stories of the past quarter-century, including "Sylvester and the Magic Pebble" and "Doctor DeSoto."
Zeke is a pig who plays a mean harmonica. But when his family falls asleep during the prelude to "La Traviata," Zeke is so offended he runs away. Later he discovers the harmonica is enchanted and always serenades its listeners to sleep. He uses its power to outfox a band of robbers and escape from a death-dealing coyote, and finally Zeke finds his way home, much to the relief of his worried family.
Of local interest
* "The Great Ball Game: A Muskogee Story" retold by Joseph Bruchac, illustrated by Susan L. Roth (Dial, $14.99, 32 pages, ages 3-8) has two Baltimore connections. The first is Ms. Roth, who lives here and whose books include "Gypsy Bird Song" and "Ishi's Tale of Lizard." The second is lacrosse -- the sport played in this particular ball game of long ago between the birds and the animals.
It's an action-packed traditional tale made even more raucous by Ms. Roth's cut-paper collages of varying textures and temperament, from the hulking, razor-toothed bear to the athletic crane. Don't miss it.
* "The Wave of the Sea-Wolf" by David Wisniewski (Clarion, $16.95, 32 pages, ages 5-9) is another cut-paper creation by another area artist. Mr. Wisniewski lives in Bowie, and the intricacy of his work increases with each book -- "Rain Player" and "Sundiata: Lion King of Mali" are his most recent.
This story draws on the myth of the Tlingit Indians of the Pacific Northwest coast, and Mr. Wisniewski incorporates many Tlingit motifs into his three-dimensional illustrations. The star of the story is a courageous young woman -- another plus.
* "Harvey Potter's Balloon Farm" by Jerdine Nolan, illustrated by Mark Buehner (Lothrop, Lee & Shepherd, $15, 32 pages, ages 4 and up) stretches the imagination and delights the eye. Ms. Nolan lives in Baltimore, where balloon farms are few and far between.
* "Stories of the Flood" by Uma Krishnaswami, illustrated by Birgitta Saflund (Roberts Rinehart, $15.95, 41 pages, ages 4 and up) is a fine collection of stories from all over the world about the great flood. Noah wasn't the only one who had to cope with rising flood waters. Humans and animals star in these myths from, among other places, Liberia, Vietnam, China, Greece, New Zealand and Ms. Krishnaswami's native India (she now lives in Greenbelt). The watercolors are exquisite.
Can't-miss nonfiction
* "Jazz: My Music, My People" by Morgan Monceaux (Knopf, $18, 64 pages, all ages) is a loving tribute to the men and women who gave birth to jazz and helped nurture it from its blues roots to be-bop. Mr. Monceaux, whose mixed-media paintings grace many galleries, grew up in Alexandria, La., the son of a singer named Johnetta.
Here he profiles everyone from Buddy Bolden and Leadbelly to Thelonius Monk and Lena Horne -- 41 biographical sketches in all -- and accompanies each with a portrait that adds more information in hand-written notes that can be difficult to decipher as they dance around the outline of the singer or musician.
* "Scholastic Voyages of Discovery" (Scholastic, $19.95, 46 pages, ages 8 and up) is an outstanding series of books that are as close as you can get to CD-ROMs without plugging in. They feature fine photos and graphics, acetate overlays, removable stickers and -- most important -- engaging text.
Titles in the series, so far, are: "Musical Instruments," "Paint and Painting," "Exploring Space," "Taming Fire," "Trees and Forest," "Exploring Energy," "The Art of Sculpture" and "The World of Theater."
* "The Everything You Want to Know About Sports Encyclopedia" edited by Neil Cohen (Sports Illustrated for Kids/Bantam, $7.99, 416 pages, ages 8 and up) is a safe bet for any sports fan. It doesn't have everything -- but kids can use this to get a solid foundation in a slew of sports (more than 60) before graduating to more detailed reference books aimed at adults.
A league of its own
* "So Many Dynamos! and Other Palindromes" by Jon Agee (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $12.21 -- get it? -- 80 pages, all ages) is the one gift that everyone in the family will spend time with on Christmas. For the uninitiated, a palindrome is a word or phrase that reads the same in forward or reverse, like Mom, or Otto, or A Santa At NASA -- one of Mr. Agee's latest.
His black-and-white cartoons are often central to the play on words -- an owl passes out under the hot sun and the palindrome is Too Hot To Hoot. A guy in a Red Sox T-shirt watches a game TV as he sits under a sign that reads, Boston Ode: Do Not Sob. A worker in a cheese warehouse asks, Was It A Rat I Saw? Mr. Agee surely will inspire readers to come up with some of their own.