These smartly penned picture books are outdoorsy-themed and worthy of preventing summertime brain drain.

"Picnic" written and illustrated by John Burningham; Candlewick; 32 pages; $16.99.

In this "keep 'em thinking" picture book, iconic children's book author Burningham sends Boy and Girl out for a picnic, but first they just overcome obstacles. They meet their friends Duck, Pig and Sheep, and have to run away from destructive Bull, but in the process lose hats and scarves, drop balls that roll down hills, and play hide-and-seek among trees. Young readers have to help Boy and Girl locate these things before the picnic can be successful.

With Burningham's appealing sketches and larger text, "Picnic" is a fun, interactive picture book to be enjoyed over and over this summer.

"Swim, Duck, Swim!" by Susan Lurie; photographs by Murray Head; Feiwel & Friends; 32 pages; $16.99.

Young nature fans and swimmers-to-be will enjoy this photographical journey of a duckling determined to swim. Though he soon decides he'd rather take a nap and starts to become stubborn when Mama and Papa Duck tell him what to do.

Preschoolers will relate to the adorable, mischievous duckling, and will cheer when he finally swims and is so proud of himself. Just the nudge may kids may need to get out of their comfort zones, Lurie's gorgeously photographed book is a keeper.

"This Is the Rope: A Story From the Great Migration" by Jacqueline Woodson; illustrated by James Ransome; Nancy Paulsen Books; 32 pages; $16.99.

With rich and lovely oil paintings and elegant, lilting prose, "This Is the Rope" tells the story of a rope, found by a little girl that's part of a family's history. "This is the rope my grandmother found beneath an old tree, a long time ago, back home in South Carolina," it starts. "This is the rope my grandmother skipped under the shade of a sweet-smelling pine," it continues, and chronicles its history.

For three generations, the rope is passed down, used for jump-rope games, tying suitcases onto a car for the big move north to New York City, and even for a family reunion where the little girl with the rope is now a grandmother. The rope frames the powerful story of an important time in our country's history, that of the Great Migration, a time when 6 million African Americans relocated from southern rural communities to urban areas in the north and west.

Woodson uses the rope smartly as a symbol for change and for family solidarity, while Ransome's beautifully detailed paintings showcase the strength and emotions of a family on the move.

"Lifetime: The Amazing Numbers in Animal Lives" by Lola M. Schaefer; illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal; Chronicle Books; 40 pages; $17.99.

Kids who like numbers and animals will enjoy this unique, cool book, a collection of rarely known creature info presented against cool, mod illustrations. "In one lifetime," begins each page spread, which then points out that a caribou will grow and shed 10 sets of antlers, a woodpecker will drill 30 roosting holes in the woods, and a rattlesnake will add 40 beads to its rattle. ("If you can hear this rattle, you are TOO close!").

Mixed media illustrations have a vintage, muted but zesty look to them that bode well for read-alouds. Kids ages 5 to 8 will be most surprised that in one lifetime, a seahorse will birth 1,000 babies! A glossary with more animal-specific details follows, with descriptions of averages and math, too.

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