I Love Messes! by Robie H. Harris; Illustrated by Nicole Hollander. (Little, Brown; 28 pages; ISBN: 0316109460; Ages: Baby-Pre-K.)

This title is the third in the series, "Just Being Me." Here the main character, a little girl, loves making "big, mushy messes" with things such as crayons and food from the refrigerator. The mess, of course, must be cleaned up—and so must the little girl. "At bath time, Daddy and I washed the strawberry yogurt out of my hair. We washed the eggs, milk, mustard, and catsup off my feet, and the bright red dots off my hands. But Daddy left the red dots on my face. 'I kind of like them,' he said."

An afterword by Linda Mayes, M.D., of Yale University Child Study Center, is included.

Count Me A Rhyme: Animals Poems by the Numbers by Jane Yolen; Photographs by Jason Stemple. (Boyds Mill Press/Wordsong; 32 pages; ISBN: 159078345X; Ages 9-12.)

Jane Yolen and her son, Jason Stemple have teamed up to create a winning, unique counting book of poetry. In addition to the poems, Yolen has included Arabic numerals and Roman numerals, as well as other vocabulary such as "sole" and "solitary" for the number one, for example. The animal photography is superb. A visual and verbal delight! Don't miss this one.

Freedom Riders: John Lewis and Jim Zwerg on the Front Lines of the Civil Rights Movement by Ann Bausum. (National Geographic; 80 pages; ISBN: 0792241746; Ages: 9 and up.)

In the forward, John Lewis writes, "We call this crusade the Freedom Rides, but it was more than just a ride for freedom. It was a a ride meant to awaken the heart of America to the injustice of its own laws and traditions." Author Ann Bausum has done a marvelous job at capturing the essence of those unjust traditions as well as temperaments which permeated the South during those turbulent times.

The book is extremely well-designed and executed. A list of riders, a chronology, a resource guide, and bibliography is included. Freedom Riders deserves a place on your classroom or library bookshelves.

Remember World War II: Kids Who Survived Tell Their Stories by Dorina Makanaõnalani Nicholson. (National Geographic; 64 pages; ISBN: 0792271793; Ages: 9 and up.)

The author has skillfully and seamlessly woven together brief biographical remembrances with historical information to create a spellbinding account of WWII. In the foreword, former Secretary of State Madeline Albright writes, "Although war destroys, like any part of life, it also teaches. Together let us search for lessons in the experiences recounted and the images reproduced in this warm and compelling book."

Non-Fiction at its best. Don't miss this one.

Freeze Frame : A Photographic History of the Winter Olympics by Sue Macy. (National Geographic; 96 pages; ISBN: 0792278879; Ages: 9 and up.)

Just in time for the Winter Olympics, this exceptionally well-done book provides history, biographies, facts and figures, and, of course, superb photographs that will inform and entertain readers. Highly recommended. Read the entire review »