These books will help children keep what they've learned fresh for the next few months.

"Ann and Nan are Anagrams: A Mixed-Up Word Dilemma" by Mark Shulman and Adam McCauley; Chronicle Books; 36 pages; $16.99.

An anagram is a fun way to mix up the letters of a word, resulting in a completely different meaning. "Words" becomes "sword"; "Presents" can be served to "serpents"; and anagrams are easy to "spot" but hard to "stop."

Shulman's hilarious picture book, which showcases cool vintage art from Adam McCauley (of "The Time Warp Trio" series), is the clever follow-up to "Mom and Dad are Palindromes." It stars anagrammed sisters Ann and Nan, who are perpetually and understandably mixed up. Kids who love word play (Don't they all?) will enjoy the infectious book with a silly tone and unknowingly take in tons of fun grammar and spelling lessons. The mixed-media cartoon art is perfect for the fun.

"Mesmerizing Math" by Jonathan Litton; Thomas Flintham; Templar Books/Candlewick Press; 16 pages; $18.99.

Pop-up books and math are a no-brainer combination. The hands-on design of this busy book makes the sometimes-dry subject of mathematics more tactile and fun. With pop-ups, spinners, booklets, flaps and even a wrecking ball that demonstrates division, Litton's supercool book points out how exciting math can be.

When introducing ways to measure the height of a tree, one tip is to bend over, look at the tree between your legs and know that its height is roughly "the same distance between you and the tree trunk."

Other topics covered for ages 6 to 12 are shape-shifting, nifty numbers, the length of a piece of string and surveying the scene, to name a few.

"Animal Opposites" by Petr Horacek; Candlewick Press; 20 pages; $15.99.

This bold, vividly colored pop-up book showcases animal opposites with sturdy foldouts and fold-up flaps to exemplify each creature's height, width or tactile features. We begin with a "short dog" (dachshund) and its opposite, a tall giraffe (that seems even taller with the stand-up flap). Next, we see a quiet little rabbit and a "Loud, Loud" lion with a pop-out face and a mane that demonstrates its regal roar.

Preschoolers will love unfolding the flaps and guessing what animals are opposites. Detailed pop-ups show off a colorful peacock (opposite a white goose), a walking strong gorilla (opposite a weak mouse) and many other grand creatures.

"Is it Big or Is It Little?" by Claudia Rueda; Eerdmans Books for Young Readers; 26 pages; $14.

Rueda's simple book is an artsy wonder that introduces tots and preschoolers to differing points of view. With only the dramatic colors of orange, black and gray set upon stark white backgrounds, the book's lessons stand out clearly. A mouse plays with a very large ball of yarn, and the big text says, "Is it big?" On the following page, a black cat arrives to out-shadow the ball, and small text says, "Or is it little?"

Our poor, frantic mouse encounters all sorts of viewpoints in his journey to save his ball of yarn. There are all sorts of questions about dimensions, sizes and weights. In the end, while the animals pursue the mouse, the text asks, "Is it the end?" or "Is it the beginning?"

"Little Red Writing" by Joan Holub; illustrated by Melissa Sweet; Chronicle Books; 36 pages; $16.99.

Need help motivating your young writers-to-be? This fantastically fun picture book will give reluctant writers the courage to defeat doubt and share their stories. In the zesty retelling of "Little Red Riding Hood," a brave little red pencil finds her way through the many perils of storytelling, faces a ravenous pencil sharpener known as the Wolf 3000 and eventually saves the day.

Hilarious, inspirational and lighthearted, Holub's exuberant tale will thrill and loosen up learning stress.

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.