Kids' Home Library by Lee Littlewood

More fresh and funny spring read-alouds for the younger set.

Some truly fun picture books deserve mentions and kudos. These tales are certain to elicit giggles and glee.

"Granny Gomez & Jigsaw" by Deborah Underwood; illustrated by Scott Magoon; Disney/Hyperion Books; 32 pages; $16.99.

Mountain-climbing, drumming, gardening Granny Gomez lives in a big house in the country and yearns for companionship. She gets her wish when a baby pig arrives on her doorstep. The pair watches cooking shows together and does puzzles, hence the pig's new name — Jigsaw. But Jigsaw grows quickly and can't get up Granny's back steps.

With homey, quirky scenes by Magoon, Underwood's friendly tale moves on logically as Granny Gomez builds Jigsaw a barn, misses having him around, and ends up moving into the barn with him. Kids will enjoy the tale's step-by-step storytelling about a special friendship that grows through challenges and hard work.

"Duck! Rabbit!" by Amy Krouse Rosenthal & Tom Lichtenheld; Chronicle Books; 32 pages; $17.

One of the coolest books of the last few years, "Duck! Rabbit!" proves the old adage that "it all depends on how you look at it." Featuring a white drawing of a round head with two long appendages sticking out, the book presents, with equal conviction, a duck with a bill or a rabbit with long ears.

Off stage, two voices are in conflict — 'Hey, look! A duck!" and, "That's not a duck. That's a rabbit!" The pair calmly argues throughout the book and even has explanations for the animal's movements. "There, see? It's flying!" is followed by, "Flying? It's hopping!" When the animal dips its appendages in the water, one voice thinks the "duck is so hot, he's getting a drink," while the other believes, "No, the rabbit is so hot, he's cooling his ears."

Kids, and adult readers, will certainly get a kick out of the ingenuity and surprise on every page spread. They'll also giggle when, at the end, an anteater/brachiosaurus (depending on how you look at it) appears. Good thing our attention's diverted — because we never actually find out if Mr. Elusive is a duck or a rabbit. Fun!

"Big Plans" by Bob Shea; illustrated by Lane Smith; Hyperion; 32 pages; $17.99.

Lane Smith's retro-mod illustrations are always a hoot. They shine here, in Shea's energetic tale of a little boy with big plans who dons Dad's shiniest shoes, climbs the highest hill in town and shouts: "I got big plans! Big plans, I say!"

Though Mr. Energetic doesn't really have a concrete layout, the imaginative, boisterous lad has plenty of take-charge phrases, which he yells to everyone in his path: "Listen up, big shots, bigwigs, and muckety-mucks!" and "YOU! Take a memo! YOU! Hold my calls! YOU! Ready my helicopter!"

From there, our hyped-up-on-soda-or-sugar-or-wild-fantasies boy pops in on a football game to catch a game-winning pass, becomes mayor, paints the town red, becomes president and orders the states around.

"Pennsylvania! Build a rocket ship!" "Idaho! Make some space suits using the latest potato technology!" "Missouri! Cheer up! You're bringing me down!" are just a few of his orders, which end with rocket ships, of course.

A visual stunner and a creatively exuberant ode to any child who likes to dream REALLY big, "Big Plans" rocks.

"Just like Bossy Bear" by David Horvath; Disney/Hyperion; 32 pages; $14.99.

Another tale of a type-A personality, this sequel to "Bossy Bear," from the creator of the hugely popular Uglydolls, brings back the grumpy blue bear to boss others around. But this time, Bossy Bear recognizes his own demanding ways when his best buddy Turtle starts to act the same way, shouting, "Sing to me!" at birds and, "I want all the candy!" to a pinata at a party.

Bossy Bear decides to try to set a good example, but in his eyes, it entails yelling helpful epitaphs to others: "Eat your veggies!" and "Sleep tight! Don't let the bedbugs bite!"

Sparse, vibrant illustrations against clean backgrounds showcase the personalities of Bossy Bear and Turtle. Hopefully preschoolers will get the message about the contagiousness of bossiness.

"The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau" by Dan Yaccarino; Alfred A. Knopf; 32 pages; $16.99.

I love picture book biographies for young children. It just seems smart to introduce even the smallest of kids to the fabulous lives of others, and the creative use of art and pictures help make the information come alive.

Yaccarino, creator of TV's "Willa's Wild Life" and "Oswald," is known for his bold, vividly colored pop art characters. He also does wonders with the real life of Jacques Cousteau, since Cousteau's ocean enthusiasm is ripe for colors and otherworldly images.

Simply written, Yaccarino's tale focuses on child-friendly aspects of Cousteau's life — how a pair of goggles changed his life and how, as a sickly boy, swimming built up his strength. Jacques' forays into filming underwater, journeying on "The Calypso" and inventing underwater submarines known as the Diving Saucer and the Sea Flea are exciting to read about. Yaccarino even adds a valuable message about the Cousteau Society and about the importance of protecting our seas from pollution.

Best of all are the book's glorious pages, seemingly taken from a mesh of "10,000 Leagues Under the Sea" and Disneyland's now-defunct submarine ride — modern, vintage, playful and colorful, all at once.

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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