Where’s My Cow? by Terry Pratchett, illustrations by Melvyn Grant (HarperCollins, 2005).

Terry Pratchett, in his brilliant Discworld novels, created an alternate universe in which the world really is flat, wizards spend a great deal of time not doing magic (because it causes no end of trouble, and there’s always a good dinner at the Unseen University to attend to), vampires take the no-bloodsucking pledge, Death rides a pale horse (named Binky), and beneath it all, magic gnaws at the edges until they fray, and someone must step in.

In addition to his mainstream fantasy novels, Pratchett has written other Discworld books for children, including the Tiffany Aching books (The Wee Free Men and A Hat Full of Sky, both starring Discworld’s infamous Pictsies). This is his first foray into picture books.

While avid Discworld fans may be disappointed that Melvyn Grant’s illustrations give us a very different Sam Vimes than the classic Jack Kidby vision they’re used to, the illustrations are charming, even if the picture of Foul Ol’ Ron might give a sensitive child (or adult!) nightmares.

Where’s My Cow? plays on a theme running through Pratchett’s newest novel, Thud!, in which Sam Vimes, commander of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch (and, incidentally, at this point in the series, His Grace, the Duke of Ankh-Morpork, Sir Samuel Vimes) must get home at 6:00, no matter what, to read “Where’s My Cow?” to his small son, Young Sam. In Where’s My Cow?, as Vimes reads, Grant’s illustrations show the cartoon animals from Young Sam’s book coming to life, perhaps in Young Sam’s imagination.

But Vimes isn’t satisfied with the book, even though Young Sam loves how Daddy does the animal noises: horses, sheep, hippos, and more. Young Sam, thinks Vimes, is a city child. He hasn’t been raised around farm animals — he just eats them. For Young Sam, animals go sizzle.

So Vimes creates his own story, “Where’s My Daddy?” and takes the reader on a tour to see some of Ankh-Morpork’s more colorful characters: Cut-me-own-throat Dibbler and his dreadful sausage-inna-bun, Foul Ol’ Ron (Famous quote: “Bugrit, bugrit, milennium hand and shrimp!”), the Patrician, and more.

Discworld fans will love this book as a way to introduce young readers to Pratchett’s world. Youngsters with a quirky sense of humor may also find the book appealing. It may be best followed up with more forays into Discworld for young readers, such as the Tiffany Aching novels, or the Discworld cartoon DVDs, Wyrd Sisters and Soul Music.

The Neat Line by Pamela Duncan Edwards, illustrations by Diana Cain Bluthenthal (HarperCollins, 2005).

When you’re born just a little scribble, there’s not much you can do, but as you grow into a neat line, you may find you can work wonders.

This whimsical remake of Mother Goose rhymes takes the reader on a scribbles journey. The young scribble practiced and practiced until it became a neat line. Even the line’s handwriting improves down a sheet of paper in one of Bluthenthal’s illustrations.

The neat line, ready to become part of a real book, takes a journey into Mother Goose, where it encounters familiar characters and their troubles. But rather than leave Little Boy Blue by the haystack to get in trouble for losing the sheep and cows, or letting Jack and Jill roll down the hill again, or let the contrary Mary’s flowers dry up, or let Miss Muffet be frightened away from her meal by the spider once again, the neat line steps in and neatly helps them solve their problems.

After a hard day’s work, the line draws itself an nice, quiet ending.

Bluthenthal’s simple and colorful illustrations and Edwards’ spare text pair up in a clever tale that will appeal to youngsters who may feel they’re only unformed scribbles themselves.

 Don’t Know Much About Mummies by Kenneth C. Davis (HarperCollins, 2005)

Mummies: engrossing, or gross-out? Readers may react both ways in this lavishly-illustrated picture book by Ken Davis. With his trademark question-and-answer format, Davis explores the myths, facts, and mysteries of human-made mummies.

 Beginning with Egyptian mummies, Davis explains the religious reasons behind the ancient Egyptian practice of mummification, then explains in detail the process of reducing a human body to a preserved mummy that can endure for thousands of years. The process is far more complex than just wrapping a dead body in cloth, as many young readers may imagine. Rather, the body underwent a painstaking disassembly and drying procedure long before the wrappers went on. Readers will also learn about Egyptian funerals, and the rituals of paying respect to the mummified dead — not to mention the disrespect paid by tomb raiders, some of whom were the very people who helped build the tombs, and therefore knew all the secrets!

From Egypt, Davis takes the reader on a world-wide mummy tour. He includes the Chinchorro, Paracas, and Inca mummies of South America, mysterious European-type people mummified in China, charcoal-covered and jade-covered bodies also in China, bog mummies in northern Europe, frozen Inuit mummies in Greenland, the famous Iceman from Italy, and many more.

S.D. Schindler’s illustrations throughout, some cartoony and some life-like, add liveliness and interest to the text. Schindler never shies away from reality, giving before-and-after images of mummified bodies, and realistic sketches of many different mummies. He also manages to lighten the mood with illustrated mummy jokes (How do you know when a mummy is angry? She flips her lid!).

For kids who are curious about Egypt or mummies in general, Davis’ highly-accessible text and Schindler’s engaging illustrations provide a terrific way to explore the fascinating history of mummies. The book would be useful for teachers who want to prepare world history units, or homeschool parents whose kids are interested in ancient history.

Review of Reaching for the Moon by Buzz Aldrin, illustrated by Wendell Minor (HarperCollins, 2005)  

 Those of us old enough to remember the moon landings of 1969 know the name of Buzz Aldrin, one of the Apollo 11 crew. In Reaching for the Moon, Aldrin tells his own story of how he went from a boy in the street, staring up at the moon, to becoming one of the first to walk on the moon.

Aldrin recalls his boyhood, and his dreams that he pursued, each a lesson in perseverence. From clinging to a rock collection despite a plunge in a lake, to riding his bicycle alond across the George Washington Bridge into New York City on a twenty-mile adventure, to graduating from West Point and becoming a fighter pilot, each time Aldrin set one of these goals for himself, he pressed forward until he achieved it. When he read of the first American astronaut training program, and learned that a friend of his was applying to become an astronaut, Aldrin realized that astronauts weren’t supermen. They were ordinary men like him. There was no reason he couldn’t become an astronaut, too. He applied to the program, was turned down, and applied again and was accepted.

Aldrin then tells the tale of his training for the Gemini and Apollo missions. Throughout the narrative, he inserts telling details that bring space flight to light: the liftoff that was so gentle, he had to look at the instruments to know he was on his way; looking out the window and seeing that he could cover the earth with his thumb; trying to force a flagpole into the moon’s dusty surface and finding it would only go in a few inches.

Reaching for the Moon would make great reading for classrooms during units on space travel or U.S. history. It’s also an excellent inspirational book to teach children the value of pursuing their dreams and always doing their best. One doesn’t reach the moon — or any other high-flying goal — without working hard.

This little picture book came in a package from HarperCollins. I looked at the title and thought, “Cookies? Okay — so what about cookies?” Then I saw the sub-title and paged through it, thinking, “What a fabulous concept!” It’s one of those books that makes every author say, “I wish I’d thought of that!”

Cookies: Bite-size Life Lessons by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illustrated by Jane Dyer (HarperCollins, 2006) is one of the best concept books I’ve seen in some time. On each page, cookies are used as a familiar vehicle to teach important lessons about life: concepts such as “fair” and “unfair,” what “respect” means, and what “courageous” and “honest” look like. Here’s a sampling:

Cooperate means, How about you add the chips while I stir?

Trustworthy means, If you ask me to hold your cookie until you come back, when you come back, I will still be holding your cookie.

The text is simple, but the lessons sublime, each a tasty bite of knowledge to help youngsters understand important values. The watercolor illustrations are sweet, depicting a colorful fantasy world where children interact with well-dressed, sentient animals.

This little book would be a fabulous gift from grandparents. It would be a great Sunday school reading, for though there are no overt religious messages, the values expressed are universal and presented in an easy-to-digest form. Kindergarten and primary teachers will appreciate the simplicity of the message, and might have their own student create more cookie lessons, or create their own illustrations of the concepts in the books. And of course parents will find this a calming book for bedtime reading.

All in all, Cookies: Bite-size Life Lessons gets top marks from me.