Pizza Kittens written and illustrated by Charlotte Voake (Candlewick Press; $15.99; ages 3-6). This comical picture book details the pitfalls of trying to get the family together for a nice, relaxing dinner. Joe, Lucy and Bert are antsy kittens as well as very picky eaters (“I think I can see carrots,” “Only a tiny bit of lettuce for me!”). So, mealtime is chaotic with the kittens rushing away from the table as quickly as they can (“Come on, let's watch TV!”) leaving Mom and Dad to stew. But even when the kittens help set the table and are served their favorite, pizza, it's easy to tell that the mealtime peace will be short-lived. Ms. Voake's loose-lined watercolors are artful in their simplicity, and her wide-eyed kitties are simply endearing. On top of that, the not-so-happy ending is refreshingly realistic.

        Coraline by Neil Gaiman (HarperCollins; $15.99; ages 8 and up). With a master storyteller's touch, Mr. Gaiman (American Gods, see “sound bites”) turns the “through the looking glass” plot on its ear. This dimension-bender is the unnerving story of a bored only-child who slips through a door in her family's apartment into a parallel world. But what first appears as a wondrous place — tasty meals, magic toys (“windup angels that fluttered around . . . books with pictures that writhed . . . little dinosaur skulls that chattered their teeth”), a closetful of costumes, doting parents — quickly turns grim. Not only does the grasping “other mother” refuse to let Coraline leave, but she has also entrapped Coraline's parents and three other children in her world. Coraline can be clueless at times (she overlooks obvious hints) but that's exactly the point; it is courage, and love, that see her through. The writing is nimble and filled with startling imagery.

        Slim and Jim written and illustrated by Richard Egielski (HarperCollins; $15.95; ages 5-7). Right from the start, you know this is an old-fashioned story. With chapter headings such as “A New Home,” “Kidnapped” and “Happy Ending,” what else can it be? Slim, a down-and-out rat, and Jim, a generous mouse from a nice middle-class home, become fast friends when Jim saves Slim from the clutches of Buster, a cat who has lured Slim into a life of crime. But Buster soon catches up with Slim, and it is only through the deft use of yo-yos (yes, yo-yos) that Slim and Jim escape. Mr. Egielski's rich, earthy illustrations depict a ramshackle riverfront city with a worn Dickensian air about it. Despite the allusions to the past, this is a thoroughly modern picture book with sophisticated design touches and a tongue-in-cheek narrative.

— Sara Pearce

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