Last call for holiday book buying

Today you'll find four new reviews of terrific books, hot off the press, each perfect for holiday gifts that kids can enjoy all year long. Add to that the awesome selections by your local librarian and you've got lots of A-1 choices. Happy holidays!

Librarian's Choice

Library: Sutter Branch Library, 2147 California St., Sutter

Library Director: Karen Crocker

Choices this week: "Stanley's Party" by Linda Bailey; "Winter's Gift" by Jane Monroe Donovan; "The View from Saturday" by E.L. Konigsburg

Books to Buy

The following books are available at your favorite bookstores.

• "Flawed Dogs, The Novel: The Shocking Raid on Westminster" written and illustrated by Berkeley Breathed, Philomel, 2009, 217 pages, $16.99 hardcover

Read aloud: age 8 — and older

Read yourself: age 9 — 10 and older

Sam the Lion was a dachshund, bred to be a magnificent show dog. And he would have been had life's circumstances and one particularly jealous poodle, Cassius, not dealt him a series of unfortunate and often life-threatening blows. Now Sam was a three-legged dog complete with scars and a soup ladle for a leg and, by most accounts, flawed and unwanted.

Sam remembered his old life with his best human friend, Heidy. But that seemed long ago — before being framed by Cassius for a crime he didn't commit, before being hit by a car and rescued by a desperate man who used Sam in a dog fight, before Sam lost his leg because of Cassius.

Now in a dismal shelter — the National Last-Ditch Dog Depository (where all the outcast animals fruitlessly await adoption) — Sam sees something on TV that causes him to hatch a plan of daring revenge on Cassius at the Westminster Dog Show. Assisted by his animal friends, the group sets the wheels in motion. But when Sam unexpectedly sees Heidy, his hardened heart softens and his plan takes a different turn.

At once hilarious, tragic and heartfelt, this page-turning novel is spot-on every step of the way.

• "Maisy's Street" written and illustrated by Lucy Cousins, Candlewick, 2009, 16 fold-out pages, $9.99 hardcover/board pages

Read aloud: age 2 and older

Read yourself: age 6 — 7

Join Maisy as she walks down her street to go to Eddie's birthday party. Along the way, meet Maisy's friends and neighbors and visit the different stores, offices and homes. At long last, everyone arrives at Eddie's house, and the party can begin!

Numerous flaps to lift to reveal who is inside each building with a fold-out design that shows 10 feet of Maisy's friendly street, this fun book is certain to provide hours of reading fun.

• "Little Blue Truck Leads the Way" by Alice Schertle, illustrated by Jill McElmurry, Harcourt, 2009, 40 pages, $16.00 hardcover

Read aloud: age 2 — 3 and older

Read yourself: age 7 — 8

Little Blue Truck is on his way to make a delivery in the big city. Little Blue Truck is little, and the city is crammed with cars, trucks, big buses and limousines racing around and trying to be first in line. Many vehicles complain about Little Blue Truck's size and slowness. But in the end, Little Blue Truck, with the help of the mayor, make everyone understand that being courteous and going one at a time is the best way to proceed.

Told in rhyme, this second book about the adventures of Little Blue Truck will especially please children who like things that "go."

• "Great Discoveries: Explorations That Changed History" by various authors complied by Time from their weekly edition, Time Books, 2009, 138 pages, $29.95 hardcover

Read aloud: age 6 — 7 and older

Read yourself: age 12 — adult

Featuring some of the most exciting discoveries and explorations from around the globe, this lavish volume, with stunning photographs and concise, informative text, opens up our world to readers young and old alike.

Whether igniting an interest in the young by perusing the photographs and paraphrasing the text to a complete reading by older children and adults, this extraordinary offering has something for everyone in the family.

Kendal A. Rautzhan writes and lectures on children's literature. She can be reached at kendal@sunlink.net.