Ages 3^-6. What a difference a new format makes! This "re-imagined" edition of the classic story, originally published as The Mystery of the Missing Red Mitten in 1974, is now in an oversize format with color illustrations, and it seems like a delightful new offering. Annie has lost five mittens this winter, and she's in trouble. She and her dog, Oscar, set out to retrace her steps, through the deep, deep snow. As Annie and Oscar return to where they went sledding and built snow castles, the day's high jinks appear inset in boxes. They follow a bird, and the boxed action becomes Annie's imaginings: the bird has used her mitten for its nest; a mouse is using it for a sleeping bag. Annie wonders if it might be easier to grow new mittens; she thinks about planting her remaining mitten so she'll have a mitten tree next summer with enough mittens to give away on holidays. But when the sun comes out, and the snowman she has made begins melting, the mitten makes its appearance as a snowman's heart. Kellogg really outdoes himself with pictures that are filled with good cheer, warm spirits, and happy daydreams. He captures the way the light looks on a winter's day, and he also shows the way a room glows at Christmas when it's lit by candlelight. A book that's upbeat and touching by turns. Ilene Cooper

Kellogg revisits the story told in his 1974 The Mystery of the Missing Red Mitten, about a girl who imagines the most exciting locations for her lost mitten, this time with full-color illustrations. Ages 4-8. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved