It's that time of year — the time where parents and grandparents start looking for holiday gifts for the children in their lives. These new books teach cooking, offer buried treasure and hieroglyphs as well as reintroduce a pair of favorite book characters.

"The Playful Chef Cookbook" from Playful Life Inc., 147 pages; $18.95.

The "Playful Chef Cookbook" is a welcome addition to the array of kids' cookbooks on the market. It's spiral-bound for ease in use, splatter-proof, and simple enough for kids, between the ages of 3 to 10, to make delicious, nutritious meals. Thirty-three creative recipes come from several sections — "Eggscellent Breakfast Dishes," "Mix It Up Salads," "Traditional Holiday Favorites" and even "Pet Treats." Each recipe incorporates learning lessons about food, cooking and nutrition, from hygiene to science to timing and the importance of cleaning up.

Best of all, the cookbook stands alone, or is also available in a gift set for the ambitious chef — packaged with an apron, cooking tools, baking pan and parent instruction cards in a sturdy clear backpack ($39.99).

In this economy, with families eating more meals at home, Playful Chef's products help parents connect with their kids and attain tangible skills and goals, all while having fun. For more information, visit www.playfulinc.com.

"Paula Deen's My First Cookbook" by Paula Deen, with Martha Nesbit; illustrated by Susan Mitchell; Simon & Schuster; 176 pages; $21.99.

Food Network personality Paula Deen invites young children to share in her favorite dishes from childhood with her new whimsically entertaining cookbook. Deen's down-home, bubbly personality makes her a perfect instructor for kids, and the charm resonates from the start of her spiral-bound, hardcover cookbook with notes, messages and reminders for good manners.

Super kid-friendly, Deen's simple and easy to read recipes include peanut butter balls, Hawaiian beef teriyaki kebabs with grilled pineapple (obviously with an adult helper), chicken pot pie, strawberry delight, holiday creations, play dough for fun and even the literary Stone Soup.

"Fun With Hieroglyphs" by Catharine Roehrig; The Museum of Modern Art and Simon & Schuster; 48 pages; $24.99.

A cool gift for ages 8 and up, The Museum of Modern Art's hieroglyphic kit includes 24 stamps from the ancient Egyptian alphabet, an ink pad and an instructive book to help decipher the sounds, letters, symbols and magical powers of this fascinating mysterious language.

An exciting way to get your child to write thank-you letters and cards in an alien language, this kit rocks!

"Dig It! Buried Treasure" by S.K. Dunn; Scholastic; 47 pages; $9.99.

This kit's 48-page book gives readers the scoop on treasure hunting — from where Captain Kidd buried his, to what treasures were discovered in the sealed tomb of King Tut, to the tools used by treasure seekers. With the materials enclosed, kids can unearth their own buried gemstone and coin treasures and play a fun card game of fame and fortune.

A fun, affordable birthday party gift or stocking stuffer (if your stocking is a bit wider than usual), "Dig It! Buried Treasure" will appeal to ages 7 and up.

"Brava Strega Nona!" by Tomie dePaola; pop-ups by Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart; Putnam/Penguin; 12 + pages; $29.99.

DePaola's beloved wise Italian Strega Nona celebrates the importance of life, love, family and friends in this magical new pop-up wonder from paper engineers Sabuda and Reinhart. With a tiny foldout book, a family tree that comes to life with faces, and amazing pop-up scenes of an outdoor arbor complete with hanging grapevines, magic flowing pasta and a spinning water fountain, the pop-up kings have outdone themselves.

DePaola's lovely Italian phrases — mangia, amici and pazienza — teach kids a bit of the most important words in that magical language, and the final product is a gift-worthy gem for fans of all ages.

"Olivia: The Gift Set Collection" by Ian Falconer; Atheneum/Simon & Schuster; $29.99.

Quirky, endearing little piglet Olivia has won hearts over with her droll wit and low-key mischievousness. In this new gift set, a hardcover picture book of the original Caldecott Honor tale is included, plus a CD recording from the fabulous Dame Edna and a collectible miniature hardcover edition of "Olivia ... and the Missing Toy."

Another gift set is also available — with "Olivia ... and the Missing Toy" as the large book.

Soon to star in her own TV show, "Olivia," in any form, is irresistible.

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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