Treats That Speak Volumes

By Richard Corliss, Andrea Sachs And Belinda Luscombe

It is said that half of all unused Christmas gifts can be found on tie racks, the other half on bookshelves. We don't have any tie tips but herewith offer suggestions for children's literature, cookbooks and that hardy anachronism, the gift book. Today, when a coffee table is more likely to be the counter at Starbucks than a piece of home furniture, coffee-table books may seem of use only to their authors and reviewers (we get to keep 'em or give 'em away). But these handsome, weighty volumes provide testimony that far from being obsolete, they can still be a treat.

GIFT BOOKS

FOR THE ADVENTURE LOVER

Jungles by Frans Lanting (Taschen; $39.99)

In 120 photographs, the acclaimed Dutch naturalist turns the flora and fauna of Borneo, Madagascar and the Amazon basin into objets d'art. Not a human is in sight, though Lanting's artistry and perseverance are hard to miss in these kingdoms where he was the intruder and adversary. As he notes, "I have seen leaf-cutter ants eat my tent, fungi grow in my lenses, and larvae emerge from the flesh of my leg." This reasonably priced volume is ideal for the bright child who needs to know there's a world beyond PlayStation2--a world of drama, danger and grandeur; a realm both beautiful and imperiled. Lanting's gorgeous pictorial essay implicitly asks, Now that you've seen these creatures, why would you allow them to be annihilated by the army-ant march of "civilization"?

RUNNER-UP: Monsoon by Motoi Ichihara (Edition Stemmle; $60) This Japanese photographer limns the terrible beauty of Asia's rainy season.

FOR THE AMERICANA BUFF

Roadside America: The Automobile And the American Dream by Lucinda Lewis (Abrams; $49.50)

In their speed, size, snazz and craftsmanship, in their siren call to the restless spirit, cars sum up a lot of American virtues. They also waste natural resources, soot up the landscape and end lives. But that's for another book. Lewis has no photos of afternoon gridlock on the 405. She's here to sing the body automotive: mile-long Caddies outside a drive-in; the family car at Roy's Cafe, Motel & Gas. These elegant images of classic cars magically transport the reader to the intersection of Nostalgia Road and Dream Drive.

RUNNER-UP: Through the Shopping Glass: A Century of New York Christmas Windows by Sheryll Bellman (Rizzoli; $35) Browse through some 70 holiday tableaux in this pretty (though too small) book. The displays are artful, kitschy and to buy for.

FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT FAN

Vanity Fair's Hollywood Edited by Graydon Carter and David Friend (Viking Studio; $60)

The triumph of the first version of Vanity Fair (1914-36) was to capture America, especially Hollywood, in its early bloom of power and chic. The achievement of the magazine's current incarnation (since 1983) is to make a case that modern stars are true avatars of the grand old style. This volume's swank portraits of Cameron Diaz, Cate Blanchett, Johnny Depp, smartly juxtaposed with pictures of Gable, Garbo, Crawford (some originally published elsewhere), suggest an unbroken dynasty of movie glamour. A few shock photos--like Annie Leibovitz's 1995 reunion of Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon--prove that aging stars have a sense of humor. This is the ultimate Hollywood picture history, convincing us that stars had faces then and, glory be, still do. "It" lives.

RUNNER-UP: Thirty Frames per Second: The Visionary Art of the Music Video by Steve Reiss and Neil Feineman (Abrams; $39.95) Music videos are not songs with pictures attached; they are short films that revolutionized movie technique. Some of the best, and their makers, are analyzed here. But the visual thrill of videos is in their movement. What's really needed is a Greatest Hits DVD.

FOR THE ART DEVOTEE

Cross by Kelly Klein (Callaway; $95)

A pair of perpendicular lines: making a cross is as simple as rubbing two sticks together. Yet how much potent symbolism can be read into this image; how much religious and social weight it has borne. Place it on a nun's habit or a Klansman's hood and get drastically different readings. Tweak its four ends and a swastika emerges. There are familiar evocations of the crucified Jesus in this piquant Christmas tome (actually more a Good Friday book), but Klein lets her imagination roam wild through pictures of trapeze artists, surfboarders, plastic cutlery and body sculpture. The figure can reveal or conceal --or both, as in the David Seidner photo here. We can think of a few pious folks this book would make, well, cross. But it's sure to suit any lapsed Catholic or devout fetishist to a T.

RUNNER-UP: Five Hundred Self-Portraits (Phaidon; $29.95) Artists form their vision of the world by looking at themselves. These mirror images scan 4,000 years of art history from ancient Egypt to right now, from Masaccio to Ron Mueck.

COOKBOOKS

FOR THE TRADITIONAL COOK

Artisan Baking Across America: The Breads, the Bakers, The Best Recipes by Maggie Glezer (Artisan; $40)

Nothing is more basic than a loaf of bread--it's the staff of life, remember? But the loaves in Glezer's book, photographed by Ben Fink, twist and turn and glow and dazzle. Glezer, a baker certified by the American Institute of Baking, unravels the mysteries of sourdough, composes a Finnish rye bread and deconstructs baguettes. Her comforting tone will soothe even the nervous novice: "It's only flour and water and time," she insists. But a look through these pages shows that when Glezer bakes, it's actually high art. If anything is going to persuade time-starved American cooks to pick up the yeast, it will be this breathtaking opus.

RUNNER-UP: The Nantucket Holiday Table by Susan Simon (Chronicle; $29.95) Have a glass of hot mulled wine with chestnuts. It's the holiday season, and the fire is blazing on Nantucket Island. Simon's recipes make it burn even brighter.

FOR THE INTREPID COOK

The Foods of the Greek Islands: Cooking and Culture at the Crossroads Of the Mediterranean by Aglaia Kremezi (Houghton Mifflin; $35)

This is the genuine item, written by a Greek food writer who divides her time between Athens and the island of Kea in the Cyclades. Kremezi spent eight years collecting recipes from fishermen, bakers and homemakers on the Greek islands. The result reads like a love letter to her native land. Forget about your basic Greek salad; we're talking To Chaviari Tou Ftochou ("Poor Man's Caviar"), Ktapodi Me Skordalia (Octopus with Garlic Sauce) and Nistisimes Hortopites (Fried Greens Pies). Sprinkled throughout are Kremezi's homey observations: "My version is loosely based on a recipe I got from Gerasimos Konstantatos, a friend from Cephalonia. It was passed down from his mother, and he assures me it is the best he has ever tasted." Kremezi's book is not quite a cruise through the Greek islands, but with its tempting photos and recipes, it's the next best thing.

RUNNER-UP: 12 Seasons Cookbook by Alfred Portale with Andrew Friedman (Broadway; $45) The chef of the celebrated Gotham Bar & Grill in New York City races around the culinary calendar, daring other cooks to keep up with him. We're stirring as fast as we can.

FOR THE TRENDY COOK

Mexico: One Plate at a Time by Rick Bayless (Scribner; $35)

"Was there ever a fruit as sensual as an avocado?" Bayless writes. "So rough-hewn, dare-to-touch-me masculine on the outside, so yielding, inviting, soft spring green and feminine inside?" Was there ever a chef as passionate about a cuisine as Bayless is about Mexican food? Now that America is beyond the "spaghetti-and-meatballs stage" of Italian cuisine, the award-winning Chicago chef is determined to move north-of-the-border cooks beyond the taco. Thanks to Bayless's 26-part PBS series, Mexico: One Plate at a Time, and this luscious new cookbook, he just may succeed.

RUNNER-UP: Noodles: The New Way by Sri Owen (Villard; $24.95) Grab your chopsticks! Egg noodles, rice noodles and soba noodles never looked as delicious as they do here. Take a twirl.

FOR THE GEN X COOK

Katie Brown Entertains: 16 Menus, 16 Occasions, 16 Tables by Katie Brown with Catherine Lippman (HarperCollins; $35)

Brown, 37, is vying for the title of Martha Stewart to the Gen X crowd. Emulating Martha, she is trying to build a one-woman industry with two antique store-cafes called GOAT in Los Angeles and Mackinac Island, Mich. Her first book has a whimsical, quirky quality. Besides recipes, Brown includes party "projects" that involve such unlikely components as ink pads and door jambs. Still, her exuberance is contagious.

RUNNER-UP: Joy of Cooking: All About Vegetarian Cooking (Scribner; $19.95) It's hard to imagine Irma Rombauer cooking up a skillet of tofu. But 21st century palates will appreciate this creative tome.

CHILDREN'S BOOKS

FOR THE GENTLE SOUL

Dream Snow by Eric Carle (Philomel Books; $21.99)

Few in number are the parents who have made it through their toddler's years on just one copy of Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Dream Snow has similar ingredients: a simple story, lively collage-like illustrations and a fun gimmick for little hands: the animals are hidden under a blanket of snow that can be lifted off. And at the end of the book is a wee Christmassy surprise, just enough to be cute rather than cloying.

RUNNER-UP: Susan Laughs by Jeanne Willis; illustrated by Tony Ross (Henry Holt & Co.; $15) With her red hair and cheeky smile, Susan is just like any other kid. She sings, swings, rides a pony and a see-saw, gets mad and sad. We discover the one small difference only on the last page. Susan is in a wheelchair.

FOR THE INEXHAUSTIBLE SPRITE

Olivia by Ian Falconer (Atheneum Books; $16)

Olivia is one feisty little pig. If she were in the tale of The Three Little Pigs instead of her own, she would have built a house of reinforced concrete covered in jazzy frescoes. But Olivia has way too much vim to share a story. It's not so much what she does--goes to the beach, moves the cat (twice), refuses to nap--as the joie de vivre she brings to every activity. Falconer, whose work has appeared on New Yorker covers, has given her so much porcine panache that she would win over even the strictest parent. Most of the time.

RUNNER-UP: How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? by Jane Yolen; illustrated by Mark Teague (Scholastic; $15.95) As it turns out, they don't roar or pout or demand piggybacks, although Teague has a good time showing what they would look like if they did. And hey, if T. rex goes to bed meekly, how could your little lizard not?

FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY

The Memory String by Eve Bunting; illustrated by Ted Rand (Clarion Books; $15)

Laura's mom died, and she has a stepmom Jane. Laura's not at all happy with this arrangement and takes solace in the string of buttons her mother once owned, each with its own story. But after one of the buttons goes missing, Laura realizes that Jane understands her and her feelings better than she suspected. This is a nuanced tale for the slightly older child, and there's no tidy bow at the end. But what real family ever has one of those?

RUNNER-UP: Quinnie Blue by Dinah Johnson; illustrated by James Ransome (Henry Holt & Co.; $16.95) A sunny, curious young African-American girl celebrates the grandmother she is named after and imagines what life must have been like for her.

FOR THE JUNIOR STARGAZER

The Remarkable Farkle McBride by John Lithgow; illustrated by C.F. Payne (Simon & Schuster; $16)

One sometimes suspects that celebrities write children's books because they don't have long enough attention spans to master a short story. This may be true, but Lithgow (of 3rd Rock from the Sun fame) has produced a corker of a book, helped immeasurably by the pencil-wielding wizardry of Payne (who also does illustrations for Time). Farkle McBride is a musical prodigy. He masters new instruments and then gets intolerably bored with them, until he discovers his true avocation. (No, that would be telling.) We follow the waxing and waning of his passions in rhyming verse, complete with instrument noises. Farkle stays just on the amusing side of corny when read aloud.

RUNNER-UP: Where Do Balloons Go? by Jamie Lee Curtis; illustrated by Laura Cornell (HarperCollins; $16.95) This, Curtis' fourth book, may be her best. Balloons go on quite the odyssey once they leave their owners' hands. One even ends up outside the Bates Motel. (You may have to wait a few years to explain that one.)