A Readable Feast

By Belinda Luscombe

Never needs batteries, easy to clean up, reusable, a delight for young and old: Is there anything more felicitous than a great children's book? Short on text, long on invention, the best children's books follow the Green Eggs and Ham rule: Serve up a dish made of anything imaginable as long as it's delicious. Merely edible will not do. The books below, our picks as the best of 1998, are perfect for the human small enough to condescend to sit on your lap and big enough to grasp that every single thing written in these books could happen, even to them. Though we've categorized them (because that's the adult thing to do), the best books as always are beyond order.

EXTRA ADULT-FRIENDLY

Today I Feel Silly By Jamie Lee Curtis. Illustrated by Laura Cornell

Yes, it's that Jamie Lee Curtis, movie-star daughter of Tony. Unlike most celebrities' children's books, however, hers shows not only fondness for children and familiarity with English but also a willingness to go a little nuts. It's a song-and-dance romp through the many moods of an extroverted young lass, all done in rhyme. Because being amused by children's mercurial natures is actually an adult pursuit, parents may enjoy reading this book more than their offspring.

RUNNER-UP Meet My Staff. By Patricia Marx. Illustrated by Roz Chast

Walter has a staff to do stuff he doesn't want to do: folks like I.M. Better, who takes his medicine, and Admiral B., who takes his bath. Every boy should have underlings.

OLD STORIES FOR NEW READERS

Ouch! Written by the Brothers Grimm. Retold by Natalie Babbitt. Illustrated by Fred Marcellino

Those Grimm boys moved their plots along like rockets. Today, they'd no doubt be writing screenplays for Jerry Bruckheimer. In this action-packed tale, a young man is saved from imminent death twice and then has to go to hell and back--no, really--to win the hand of the princess he loves. The religious right may not like the sympathetic portrayal of the devil's granny, but no one can fault the charming illustrations or the happy ending.

RUNNER-UP The Crane Wife. Retold by Odds Bodkin. Illustrated by Gennady Spirin

An old Japanese tale about a poor lonely guy who gets what he wants but can't help wanting more, thus destroying what he already has.

FOR LITTLE EYES

Window Music By Anastasia Suen. Illustrated by Wade Zahares

A children's book would be merely a paragraph of declarative sentences without the art: the most important part of the stew. Although there are as many illustration styles as there are ways to mess up a room, Wade Zahares' work looks fresh and sprightly, perhaps because this is his first book for kids. There's nothing to the story: a girl and her mom go to the city on a train and pass a whole lot of scenery (or window music). But the densely colorful, chalky pictures make the story a journey worth remembering. No wonder kids love trains.

RUNNER-UP Snow. Written and illustrated by Uri Shulevitz A town full of skeptical, eccentrically shaped adults is transformed into a playground by the snow everyone says won't fall. What's not to love?

FOR LITTLE HANDS

Curious Critters Created by David A. Carter. Written by Alan Benjamin

Let's qualify that heading. This is not for very little hands: a three-year-old could destroy this pop-up book on first reading. On the other hand, she would have a great time doing it. This madcap menagerie offers such nonsense as the "acrobaterpillars," a bunch of tumbling pre-butterflies; the "grinsect," whose smile grows wider and wider; and the "fluffalo," a furry pink buffalo. The piece de resistance is the "sopranosaurus," who not only moves her mouth but also, when the jewel at her throat is pressed, sings a little aria. Resist if you can.

RUNNER-UP Look-Alikes. Written and illustrated by Joan Steiner

The activity in this photography book is pointing. Each tableau is a compilation of everyday items, with buildings made of mousetraps, ships made of brushes and chairs made of pretzels, crackers and Fig Newtons. The trick is to spot 'em all.

FOR LITTLE MINDS

The Disappearing Alphabet By Richard Wilbur. Illustrated by David Diaz

"If the alphabet began to disappear/ some words would look raggedy and queer/ (Like QUIRREL, HIMPANZEE and CHOO-CHOO TRAI),/ While others would entirely fade away." In this book, wordplay is more fun than swordplay. With Ogden Nash-like humorous verse, Wilbur, a former poet laureate, explores what letters do to words and how silly it would be to lose them. Diaz, a Caldecott Medal-winning illustrator, created the illustrations on his computer, though it looks as if he cut them out of bright sheets of paper and then sprayed them with magic dust to make them sing.

RUNNER-UP Yoko. Written and illustrated by Rosemary Wells Kids in class think Yoko the cat is weird because she eats sushi. Then they try it.

FOR LITTLE DREAMERS

Martha Walks the Dog Written and illustrated by Susan Meddaugh

This is the latest in a series about Martha, a talking dog. She's a charming canine not because she chats but because of her extensive vocabulary. (Plus, she doesn't accept invitations to dinner parties.) Here, Martha meets a big, mean, chain-chewing dog who turns out to be--you guessed it--suffering from a case of low self-esteem. With the help of a friendly parrot and some witty repartee, Martha puts a smile on the big dog's face. The happy sketches enhance the droll pooch-view of life.

RUNNER-UP Slow Train to Oxmox. Written and illustrated by Kurt Cyrus

Edwin Blink, a myopic engineer, catches the wrong train. Best thing that ever happened to him.

FOR THE NOT SMALL

Holes By Louis Sachar

Stanley Yelnats is one of the unluckiest kids around. So it's no surprise he ends up digging holes in the desert as punishment for a crime he didn't commit. While the scenario in this National Book Award-winning young-adult novel seems bleak, Holes is a snappy little tale of destiny, development and digging. All the loose ends are tied up so tightly that you want to give Sachar a gold star for especially neat work.

FOR THE TINY

Fire Truck Written and illustrated by Peter Sis

A cute, quick fire-truck fix for the barely verbal siren lover in every family.