PINKALICIOUS, by Elizabeth Kann and Victoria Kann.

Pink. Pink. Pink. Is there any such thing as too much pink? ("NO WAY!" says the reviewer who had a hot pink wedding in the late 80s!) Pinkalicious loves pink. She especially loves yummy cupcakes with pink frosting. But, when she eats too many...she turns pink and comes down with a horrible case of pinkititis. The doctor says the cure is to stop eating pink and to eat a steady diet of green foods. YUCK! Can Pinkalicious resist the pink cupcakes sitting on the refrigerator? This picture book sings! The words are delicious and the pictures are gorgeous. Full of pink and lace and crowns, this book is a girly-girl's dream.

FANCY NANCY AND THE POSH PUPPY, by Jane O’Connor

Fancy Nancy definitely has a flair for living! She has that kind of independent spirit you hope every kid will develop and hold on to. Her exuberant, dramatic spirit exudes from this book, from the fancy sparkling cover to each fancy page, and until the fancy, heartwarming end.
FANCY NANCY AND THE POSH PUPPY is not just about wearing fancy dresses and acting glamorous. It's about making decisions and living with the consequences, the support of family members, working out differences, and giving people room to be themselves. It's also about enjoying the life that erupts around independent spirits, and having fun, even when things don't work out as you expected. And lastly, of course, it's about the words.
As in the first Fancy Nancy book, new, exciting words are thrown in to glam up the story, and the pages are packed with fancy details that are both frilly and humorous at the same time. Kids will enjoy the word play, the silly scenes, and of course, all of Nancy's very posh outfits. And, everyone will appreciate the way this story turns out.
From The Book
I am ecstatic. (That's a fancy word for happy.) We're going to get a puppy -- a real one. I hope we get a papillon, like our neighbor's dog. You say it like this: pappy-yawn. In French it means butterfly.
Plot Summary:
When her family decides to get a dog, Fancy Nancy has her own idea of what kind of puppy will fit into her posh lifestyle. Naturally, her sensible, down-to-earth family has other ideas. After sitting for her neighbor's very delicate, glamorous papillon, she learns an important lesson about the value of just being unique.

HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL: ALL ACCESS, by N. B. Grace

This book is large and looks like a scrapbook. It is put together like a scrapbook done by someone who goes to East High School. Book can be enjoyed in many ways, one of which would be to cut it apart and decorate a bedroom with it. Chock full of memorabilia, just like what kids collect--ticket stubs, notes in lockers, awards, recipes, etc. Something a little different to give as a gift for the HSM fan in your life

THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, by Clement C. Moore

There are many different printings of Clement C. Moore's THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS. However, none is as beautifully illustrated as this edition by Mary Engelbreit. Engelbreit has taken the beloved holiday classic, and put a spin on it all her own. Using bright colors, she has created a winter wonderland that takes us through the home of a little mouse, whose house is decorated with various baubles, from jewelry to food, and even pencil stubs. From there we see various depictions of children sleeping in their beds, sugarplum fairies flitting about as they dream; Jolly Old Saint Nick, accompanied by a slew of elves, as he arrives by sleigh to leave gifts for each little boy and girl within the house, and much more. Readers will be delighted to see that Engelbreit has not forgotten the eight tiny reindeer - from Dasher to Dancer, Prancer to Vixen, Comet and Cupid, and Donder and Blitzen - each with their own characteristics, from eye color, to fur color, and even to various decorations adorning their antlers. Clement C. Moore's THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS will always be a classic around the holidays. But now that Mary Engelbreit has decided to embellish the Christmas poem with her illustrations, the poem takes on a whole new life. One of imagination and wonder that will please all readers, as they take in the gorgeous illustrations, and share this classic tale with friends and relatives of all ages. A family heirloom in the making!

THE ALPHABET FROM A TO Y WITH BONUS LETTER Z by Steve Martin

This is an excellent book that will keep Mom and Dad interested during those MULTIPLE readings. Steve Martin and Roz Chast have created an extraordinarily clever treatment of the alphabet. Martin's typically off-the-wall humor is evident throughout. His couplets are saturated with alternative useage of each letter and sound of the alphabet. The vocabulary is engaging and stimulating. Chast takes it to a deeper level through often hilarious illustrations and additional vocabulary. You cannot get it all the first time. This book will prompt questions and comments from your child that will result in true conversation. The references to unusual places, animals and literature will encourage your child to explore new things and exercise his or her imagination and curiosity. What other similar book introduces the beatnik or frijoles? "A" is no longer just for "apple." It is for "appendicitis," "acne," and "ampersand." My only reservation is for some of the content. This book includes references to alcohol, and one character shouts the invective, "That's a lousy lie, you lowlife!" Some readers may choose to exercise caution before introducing these concepts during bedtime story time. All-in-all I highly recommend this book for its intellectual stimulation and creativity. This is probably the most unique book of its kind I have ever seen.

ON THE NIGHT YOU WERE BORN, written and illustrated by Nancy Tillman

The birth of a baby-"the one and only ever you"-causes jubilation throughout creation in this quietly celebratory picture book from newcomer Tillman. Polar bears dance, giraffes weave to the sound of brass horns, and "the moon smiled with such wonder/ that the stars peeked in to see you/ and the night wind whispered,/ `Life will never be the same.' " Tillman successfully sidesteps the soft-focus sappiness that can accompany this genre. Her writing has the authenticity of whispered conversation; occasionally, she pauses in her exaltations of the baby to address the subject directly: "I think I'll count to three so you can wiggle your toes for me." Her strong, assured paintings truly set this book apart. The pictures subtly radiate golden glints of moonlight, and her almost sculptural rendering style gives her characters a hefty physicality that counterbalances the ethereal sentiments being expressed. Although one suspects that grown-ups will be most taken with the topic and treatment, this is one of those rare baby books that should make both skeptics and sentimentalists of all ages happy. All ages. (Oct.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

GALLOP!, written and illustrated by Rufus Butler Seder

Gallop! A Scanimation Picture Book by Rufus Butler SederHarkening back to Muybridge’s photo sequences and moving kinetoscopes, Scanimation technology brings the illusion of movement to simple questions and answers in rhyming text.
You’ll flip through the book again and again, marvelling at the effect of motion. Astonishing and entertaining! ($19.95, HB)

PURPLICIOUS, by Elizabeth Kann and Victoria Kann. Illustrated by Victoria Kann

Pinkalicious loves the color pink, but all the girls at school like black. They tease her, saying that pink stinks and pink is for babies. But Pinkalicious doesn't think so…that is, until her friends stop playing with her. Now Pinkalicious has a case of the blues. But could she ever turn her back on her favorite color?
In the follow-up to the bestselling Pinkalicious, a young girl remains true to herself and discovers that pink isn't only a pretty color, but also a powerful one.

THE THREE SNOW BEARS, written and illustrated by Jan Brett

This charming new picture book by Jan Brett, is an adaption on Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
An Inuit girl, Aloo-ki, is out with her dog team on the ice flows when she becomes separated from her dogs. While looking for them she stumbles across the biggest igloo she has ever seen and decides to investigate. The bears have just stepped out for a stroll while baby bear's breakfast cools down. Like Goldilocks, Aloo-ki tries out the bears things until they arrive home and find her asleep! A beautiful story with Jan Brett's distinctive illustrative style. A must read for all who love the classic version

STAR WARS POP-UP GUIDE TO THE GALAXY, by Matthew Reinhart

Perfect gift idea for fans, no matter what their ageRobert Sabuda and his protégé, Matthew Reinhart, have brought pop-up books back into the mainstream, not only as concept and novelty books for very young children but as genuine works of art and engineering. Their wonderful creations attract readers of all ages, and many a Sabuda/Reinhart project has found its way to coffee tables alongside glossy art books. Reinhart's latest solo effort, STAR WARS: A POP-UP GUIDE TO THE GALAXY, is another such project that will find an audience not only among young readers but also among aficionados of paper engineering and, most importantly, nostalgic adult fans of the Star Wars franchise who will revel in this volume, timed to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the first Star Wars film. Reinhart, like many adults his age, was raised on the Star Wars mythology, and his knowledge of and appreciation for the Star Wars universe is apparent through the details he integrates into his paper creations, as well as in his dedication "to the visionary artists of STAR WARS, who fashioned a wondrous, distant galaxy with words, paint, clay, sound, and celluloid, inspiring generations of young artists around the world." The text itself is rich, dense, detailed and filled with the facts, figures and history of the fantastic world George Lucas created. The book focuses primarily on the characters and events of the three original Star Wars movies, although certain elements of the mythology do come from Episodes 1-3. Topics for the two-page spreads include the geography of the galaxy, discussions of the galaxy's social and political structures, descriptions of vehicles, the history of conflicts between the Rebels and the Empire, and Luke Skywalker's story. Since this is more of an encyclopedic guide rather than a storybook, the text does not focus on any single storyline or tell a unified narrative. Instead, it assumes its readers already know the films' plotlines and fills in the details on everything from the origins of the criminal underworld to the technical specifications of R2-D2 and C-3PO. The design of STAR WARS: A POP-UP GUIDE TO THE GALAXY will be familiar to fans of Reinhart's and Sabuda's other projects, particularly the Encyclopedia Prehistorica series. Each two-page spread consists of a large pop-up feature at its center (examples include the Millennium Falcon and a menacing Darth Vader mask), as well as several smaller, text-heavy foldout "mini books" on a certain theme, each of which may also contain one or more smaller pop-up constructions. These nested "books within a book" result in an unusually rich, interactive reading experience that will keep fans young and old poring over the pages for hours. The advertised highlights of the illustrations are Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker's working lightsabers, which turn on when their mini-books are opened. As Yoda would say, though, "Patient you must be" --- the lightsabers in my review copy took a good 10-15 seconds to light up after the page was opened. STAR WARS: A POP-UP GUIDE TO THE GALAXY is a tour de Force --- the perfect gift idea for fans, no matter what their age.