With children headed back to school, and long summer evenings giving way to homework assignments and more rigid schedules, some parents may be looking for books to read to their younger children. Reading to children, especially at night, is a little like giving them a daily vitamin; they may be getting their nutrients elsewhere, but just as the vitamin is a little extra insurance for their physical health, reading aloud to children is a little extra boost to their mental health.

Old Tom: Man of Mystery (ISBN 1-56145-346-3, $16.95) tells the story of a cat, Old Tom, and his mistress, Angela Throgmorton, and of her attempts to get Old Tom to help around the house. Old Tom first feigns illness, then disguises himself as a Man of Mystery to avoid work. Eventually, of course, Angela finds Old Tom and brings him home again, where she serves him a big breakfast in bed, for “after all, he would be needing his strength. There was still that long, long list of things for him to do around the house.”

Author/illustrator Leigh Hobbs, an Australian who is incidentally allergic to cats, has provided the younger crew with a series of wacky drawings and a simple story that should appeal both to the eye and ear. In the illustrations his colors are bold, his lines strong and clear with a cartoonish depiction of Old Tom and Angela that adds to the humor of the story.

Harry Horse from Scotland has written a delightful tale for children about a rabbit that, having been scolded by his parents for breaking a lamp, runs away from home. Little Rabbit Runaway (1-56145-343-9, $15.95) follows Little Rabbit as he builds his house and befriends the bossy Molly Mouse, another runaway. After several quarrels, both friends are rescued by their mothers and return home, happy to find themselves in familiar surroundings and more appreciative of their families.

What makes Horse’s book particularly fine are the drawings, done in gentle, pastel colors that seem designed to induce sleep in children. The story ends, in fact, with Little Rabbit bathed and ready for bed like the child to whom the book might be read.

Sherry Fair’s The Scratching Sound (ISBN 1-57736-348-5), illustrated by Jarrett Rutland, tells the story of Spatz, a Shetland Sheepdog, or Sheltie, who chases a Gray Squirrel. Fair uses her simple story to introduce us to Shelties as a breed, both in the story itself and in an afterword, where we learn more about Shelties, especially the real Spatz. Rutland’s drawings will help young readers or listeners to understand what a beautiful dog Shelties are.

Cathryn and John Sill, who live in Franklin, North Carolina, continue to put out books for young naturalists. Two of their most recent publications are About Fish: A Guide For Children (ISBN 1-56145-256-4, $14.95) and About Mollusks: A Guide For Children (1-56145-331-5, $15.95). In their collaboration, Cathryn does the writing while Sill provides the illustrations. These lovely books with their simple texts and skillful drawings seem to demand a leisurely perusal. At the back of both books, the author has included more information that would appeal to elementary school children.

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Mark Gordon Smith’s Tuscan Echoes: A Season in Italy gave us an intimate look at this part of Italy and its people. In his recently published Last Season of the Lira: Views from a Tuscan Villa (ISBN 0-9740983-3-7, $12), Smith, who also operates a company specializing in small-group tours of Italy, takes us deeper into the towns and countryside of Tuscany. He divides Last Season into sections which he titles Places (“Villa Evening,” Veils of Gamberaia,” and more), Tables (“Signora Bianca’s Kitchen,” “Teatro del Sale,” and so on), Hands, a section about unique work like bookbinding and woodcarving (“Olives to Prayers,” “Street Music,” etc.), and Vines, a section on Italian vineyards. As he did in Tuscan Echoes, Smith in his new book places himself always in the background, allowing the reader to see the action and the people without the personal interference or intrusive opinions that so often make such travel books more a reflection of the author than of the country visited. Smith also gives us fine, detailed descriptions that make a scene come alive and that are, of course, necessary to any travel book. Here he tells us of a concert in a church in Venice:

I enter the church and stand against the back wall; all of the seats are taken. The nave of the church is dark. I can barely make out the audience in the shadows. Candles flicker atop the altar and there are a few spotlights on the group of four musicians, bows gently drawing across the strings of viola, violin, and cello. A young woman sits at the keyboard of a harpsichord. The rich, luminous finish of her instrument reflects the candlelight as she bends over the keys to her music.

In 2006, Smith’s Shelter of Italian Skies is scheduled for publication and will complete this Italian trilogy.

(Jeff Minick lives in Waynesville. He can be reached at saintsbookco@aol.com)