With holiday parties over, the trees coming down and the playgrounds still covered in snow, it's natural to look at the remaining four months of winter with utter dread, especially for parents of energetic children. The following new titles are full of ideas for keeping children entertained and help stave off cabin fever. They can all be found in the Youth Services Department on the lower level of the Peter White Public Library.

When the little ones are underfoot in the kitchen, include them in the action. The Toddler Cookbook by Annabel Karmel contains a collection of simple recipes that toddlers can make themselves or assist in preparing.

Baking Bread with Children by Warren Lee Cohen is an invitation to share the magic of baking bread with children of all ages. It contains everything needed to get started: bread basics for beginners, a variety of delicious recipes, and a rich store of multicultural stories, songs and blessings to enliven the whole experience.

Young artists looking for ideas will find dozens of books to choose from in the arts and handicrafts section. Each craft in Step-by Step Crafts for Winter by Kathy Ross is made from readily available materials, including household recyclables.

My Indoor Garden by Carol Lerner discusses how to care for plants indoors, including such aspects as light, temperature, humidity, pests, diseases, equipment, and how to choose and grow plants.

Winter is a great time to learn a new skill. Extreme Balloon Tying by Shar Levine and Michael Ouchi promises readers that with a little practice, they'll be able to make an incredible killer whale; a spectacular T-Rex; a shake, rattle, and rolling rattlesnake; a spooky skeleton, and a glow-in-the-dark space sword.

Knitting with Gigi by Karen Thalacker gives simple step-by-step instructions and eight cool patterns children will be proud to complete on their own.

With only a few materials and easy to learn skills, Calligrahy for Kids by Eleanor Winters can help children learn to make fabulous party invitations, signs, and other exciting projects.

Winter is the best time to gaze at the stars. The Night Sky by Eduardo Banqueri introduces the amazing world of comets, meteors, asteroids, planets, stars, galaxies and other celestial phenomena in a clear and engaging way. It provides simple advice on using binoculars and simple telescopes to make the best of evening explorations without the highest tech gear.

The library has a nice collection of books on winter sports from bobsledding to ice-fishing. New titles include Snow Boarding by Clive Gifford and Let's Downhill Ski by Carol Kindeen. Both titles offer photographs of real kids in action, terms, techniques and a rundown on latest equipment.

- Ellen Moore

Youth Services