BOOKSHELF

LITTLE ROCK — Sandra Boynton’s One Shoe Blues

Sandra Boynton and Michael Ford (Workman publishing, $10.95, all ages)

It’s hard to categorize this dandy little creation by Sandra Boynton that stars B.B. King singing the blues about his lost shoe. It is a book about a short movie (a music video, really) included on a DVD tucked into a pocket inside the front cover. The DVD is the real star of the set as B.B. King laments,with toes a-tapping, the loss of that wayward shoe.

Boynton, whose other works include inspired children’s books and several collections of children’s songs (created in cooperation with Michael Ford), has given us a real gift by bringing in King as the talent with sock puppets as backup singers and a rhinestone bespectacled Momsock on jazz saxophone. It’s a pure pleasure to see the King of the Blues playing around like this. He performs with good humor and charm.

DVD extras include a tongue-in-cheek short on the work in which Boynton reveals that the movie is her vision on “loss, and redemption and sock puppets.” “Sock Puppet Screen Tests” is another DVD extra.

Where is that shoe? The answer is plain to see, and kids will love that they figured it out themselves.

Eragon’s Guide to Alagaesia

Christopher Paolini (Knopf, $24.99)

This oversize, graphically rich book is a companion piece to Christopher Paolini’s popular Inheritance cycle fantasy series about a farm boy who finds a mysterious stone that turns out to be a dragon egg.

It’s a fair bet that fans of Eragon, Eldest and Brisingr will delight in Eragon’s Guide. Fantasy fans who haven’t yet found the series may find an entry point here, though there will be some spoilers for those who read the series after this book.

It is presented as a gift from Eragon that has been left for the reader, who is destined to become dragon rider. The premise is that as a new dragon rider the reader will need to know all about the magical land where Eragon lives if he is to survive its many perils.

There is much to entertain in this beautifully realized volume, including maps, histories to study and interactive elements like notes in envelopes, a sample of Elven fabric and a sparkly scale from a dragon wing.

Flutter! Fly!

Kaaren Pixton (Workman, $4.95, 0 and up)

Artist Kaaren Pixton has paired with Workman Publishing to create a series of baby books called Indestructibles. Printed on a durable material, they are touted as “100 percent baby proof: chew-proof, drool-proof, and rip-proof!” We tried to tear our copy but were only successful in creasing it some. A week with a real toddler will be the real test, but these tiny tomes are more likely to survive than others. In addition, there are no staples to rip out (the binding is sewn) and the handy little books can be thrown into the washing machine when they need freshening. Even with those advantages they wouldn’t be worth a mention if the content wasn’t top-notch, but it is.

Pixton’s beautifully colorful paper-collage illustrations are captivating. In Flutter Fly babies will discover images of things with wings including a butterfly, a bat and a goose. There are no words, but they’re not necessary. Other books in the series feature creatures that creep and crawl and farm animals.