Kids' Home Library by Lee Littlewood

Activity books for youngsters help long summer days fly by. They also make travel hours more bearable.

"Clothespin Cars" from Chicken Socks/Klutz; $12.95.

Klutz's creative, kid-pleasing kits are sold everywhere as top-notch activity entertainment. "Clothespin Cars" contains enough accessories for ages 4 and up to make three cool cars with clothespins, interchangeable car designs and a cut-and-fold paper city. Simple, vividly colorful and spiral-bound, the instruction book — from Klutz preschool line, Chicken Socks — is small enough to tote to Grandma's house.

"Fuzzy Little Monkeys" ($9.95), also created by Chicken Socks and Klutz, contains all the needed items, including pipe cleaners and colorful big beads, to produce three bendable monkeys. No cutting, no glue and "no monkey wrenches" required.

"Dr. Seuss Lacing Cards: The Cat in the Hat" from Scholastic Publishing; $14.99.

With five silly lacing cards, colorful laces and a vivid book full of activities, this kit makes travel on the road a hoot for preschoolers. Lacing cards are a smart tool for developing dexterity skill and spatial awareness. The best thing about this Dr. Seuss kit is that all the parts fit in the colorful box, which closes with a magnet.

Also from Scholastic, the "Dr. Seuss Puzzle Story: Green Eggs and Ham" includes four 24-piece jigsaw puzzles and an activity book, all which fit in the similarly sturdy tote box.

"In My Pond" by Sara Gillingham and Lorena Siminovich; Chronicle Books; 12 pages; $8.99.

This irresistible board book stands ahead of the crowd with its refreshing nature graphics, sweet family-friendly story and soft, felt finger puppet built right into the book. Tots can wiggle the orange and yellow fish puppet around in the retro-tinged, watery-look pages while being reassured and entertained by its lovely words.

"Sprout Your Own Sweet Scents" from Chronicle Books; $18.99.

Gardening is all the rage, and kids can concoct their own earth-friendly mini garden with this compact herb kit.

With seeds for spearmint, tangy lemon balm and cinnamon basil — plus peat pellets, biodegradable plastic planters and drip trays, a guidebook and fun stickers — the kit has everything but water and a sunny windowsill.

Science-fair ready, with experiment ideas inside, this "sweet-smelling" kit should have kids seeing sprouts in three to 10 days, with scented leaves as soon as 14 days.

Attractive with "green" appeal, cute details (stickers to liven up pots) and nature activities, "Sprout Your Own Sweet Scents" is totally cool.

"Baby Signs" by Kyle Olmon and Jacqueline Rogers; Orchard Books/Scholastic; 12 pages; $19.99.

Another fabulous pop-up book from the Sabuda & Reinhart Studio, "Baby Signs" is a small book full of basic signs to help babies and toddlers communicate with parents. Based on American Sign Language, Olmon's book is a great way for Mom or Dad and tots to practice signing while traveling. The book's zesty pop-ups help catch Baby's interest, while its pages and design are sturdy enough to take the abuse of traveling with a toddler.

"Milo's Special Words" by Charise Mericle Harper; Robin Corey Books/Random House; 24 pages; $10.99.

Why not teach good manners on the road? This activity book stars a grumpy little guy named Milo who wants a glass of milk, but won't get it from Mommy until he uses the special word: please. Toddlers can learn that special word, and others, by turning wheels and lifting flaps — all in a modern appeal and sturdy setup, which is perfect for toting along in the car or on the plane.

"Julius! Alphabet Flash Cards" from Chronicle Books; $19.95.

Funny monkey Julius, from the popular lifestyle brand Paul Frank, stars in this set of thick alphabet flashcards, which are perfect for taking on trips or for decorating a child's room. With big, basic capitals and small letters on one side of each card, and letter-coordinating pals on the other sides, the set makes a great alphabet introduction for anywhere.

Best of all, the picture-card sides are hilarious, from "Steve is a crab," to "Pufak is a lemur" to "Dan is an ostrich," with irresistible Paul Frank appeal.

To find out more about Lee Littlewood and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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