Wendy Mullin has had a do-it-yourself approach to fashion since her years as a student, when she was studying by day, sewing by night, and selling her creations in the back rooms of Midwestern record stores. Now, she brings her vintage-inspired looks to the masses by offering her craftier fans patterns from which to make the clothes themselves, along with her original instructional manual Sew U. Her new book Sew U: Home Stretch, which just hit shelves, tackles the tricky world of sewing with stretchy knits, from a simple crewneck tee to the floaty "Madame Butterfly" dress. Get ready to indulge your every Project Runway fantasy.

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True, a tray of fluffy cupcakes will excite any child (and many adults, for that matter), but the creators of Hello, Cupcake! know how to take that excitement to the next level.  The cookbook is full of truly step-by-step instructions that even a baking novice can easily follow. Decorate your cakes like sunflowers for a garden party, ears of corn for a summer barbecue, puppies for an animal lover's birthday, or even spaghetti and meatballs for April Fools Day. Your kids will be more than eager to lend a hand in the kitchen.

Leave it to a Hollywood mom to show us how being more Earth-friendly can actually make you more glamorous. Author Sophie Uliano takes readers through a step-by-step process to make their lives more eco-chic. From her custom yoga program to her own line of green beauty products, the book is full of cool products (a whole chapter called "soulful shopping") and easy ways to help reduce your carbon footprint. Even Julia Roberts is a fan--she wrote the foreword!

In September, the promise of brand-new school supplies is enough to get the kids excited about class. But come April, a freshly sharpened pencil won't quite do the trick. Why not reintroduce some excitement with this series of Vintage Marvel notebooks? The set of four 48-page books features graphic scenes from vintage editions of Spiderman, Captain America, and other favorites. You could even dole them out one at a time to keep things interesting, but remember: with great power comes great responsibility.

It's always a nice surprise to read a good kids' book by one of your favorite adult authors (see our story here), and this one is no exception. Naughty Cherie, by the ever-prolific Joyce Carol Oates, tells the tale of a misbehaving kitty who is inspired to reform after meeting some even naughtier animals. Oates manages to teach a lesson without bludgeoning us with it. It's perfect for lulling your own little mischief-makers to bed.

Oliver the cat isn't much of a friend-maker. In Clare Turlay Newberry's classic Marshmallow (just released in a brand new edition), the reticent feline-well-fed and loved by Miss Tilly-must put up with the presence of Marshmallow, a hopelessly cute bunny. The book won the Caldecott honor in 1943, but its simple, artful illustrations and the message that sometimes a new friend can warm even a seemingly over-full heart, still endure today.

Remember when yelling "shotgun!" and winning the coveted front passenger seat was, like, the best thing ever? Revisit that childish innocence with The Encyclopedia of Immaturity. This 412-page tome, full of colorful illustrations and plenty of funny ideas, will teach your kid about all the hilarious--if slightly obnoxious--things you used to do yourself, including hanging a spoon from your nose, doing a wheelie, and skipping the perfect stone. Just remember: How to Sneak Around may have been easier when you were under four feet.

If leisurely evenings entertaining friends seem reserved for the carefree-and-childless, it's time to give Kitchen Playdates a read. Author Lauren Deen posits that there's actually plenty of room in your home for both your kids and your social life. She offers up ten themed "dates" complete with menus, diversionary craft projects, and 75 delicious and easy recipes -- complete with age-appropriate tips for little helpers.

Whether you're an art history buff or just looking to inspire some original finger-paintings, you won't want to miss flipping through 30,000 Years of Art. Editors at Phaidon Press have been hard at work on the giant digest for the past five years, and their labor shows in the gorgeous oversized pages, which feature everything from ancient caveman scribblings to the most modern of masterpieces. The comprehensive 13-pound tome takes you on a historical journey through art all over the world, from contemporary works to some dating all the way back to 28,000 BC. It's written in a way that's as accessible as it is informative—and no matter how many years you hang onto it, you'll find something new every time it's opened.

Weighing in at a hefty few pounds, Squiggles: A Really Giant Drawing and Painting Book might be the heavyweight champion of the kids' coloring book collection. The doodle-friendly tome is the latest innovation from Taro Gomi, creator of the best-selling Scribbles and Doodles (and the ubiquitous Everyone Poops). Here, Gomi uses his graphic style to deftly take kids through 204 pages of playful drawings with instructions for creative embellishment. It's an inspiring journey--and the paper is even thick enough to paint on.

We're already aware that kids say the darndest things, but what happens when one father sets out to answer their obscure questions—as logically and completely as possible? In Father Knows Less Or: "Can I Cook My Sister?", author Wendell Jamieson enlists the help of everyone from astronauts to dominatrices to satisfy the curiosities of his 7-year-old son, Dean, and other kids. Among the weird, albeit fascinating, facts (it hurts more to get stung by a jellyfish than run over by a car, but giving birth is the most painful experience someone can go through), Jamieson seamlessly weaves in sometimes heartwarming, sometimes hilarious stories about his own childhood curiosities and obsessions. Not only will you love this, you should buy a copy for every parent you know.

Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle's Bear books have been teaching kids to read for four decades. The last of the set from the winning team, Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See?, releases today in same spirit, with bold collages and simple, rhythmic stories. And in case your child is new to the series, a 40th Anniversary edition of the first Brown Bear and a gift set with all four books was also just released.

Released yesterday, Ribbit!: Flip and See who Froggy Can Be is a fun children's book by Bender & Bender, a group of photographers, digital artists and prop stylists. They started with a photograph of a real frog and, with a little computer magic, dolled it up to create different (forgive us) "froggynalities," including Cowboy Chad, Gorgeous Greta, and Brave Ben. Then they sliced the pages in thirds, allowing you child to try Chad's head on Greta's torso.

Got an insatiable appetite? The Hungry Guides are adding to their collection with the release today of Hungry? Seattle Family. (They've already covered Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York.) Perfectly sized to fit in a glove box and packed with easy-to-read icons, including those for vegetarian and exceptional kids' menu, and ambience factors (such as "noisy babies ok"), the book has helpful information for more than 200 restaurants. Thankfully there's also an icon for "drinks for Mom and Dad." Fun for the whole family whether you're a longtime local or just a tourist.

Three titles that will have you covered no matter what you're in the mood for: Though Lulu Meets God and Doubts Him might be unsuitable for Henry James readers, the fluffy beach read provides a satiric and entertaining look at Manhattan's art scene. In Blindsided by a Diaper, a collection of short stories, parents reflect on how kids drastically derailed marital bliss. And literary journalist Ryszard Kapuscinski chronicles the early days of his career in Travels with Herodotus--describing how he sees the world for the first time and is both riveted by its beauty and shocked by its brutality.

Indulge your inner child--or entertain your real one--with Doodles to Go, by Deborah Zemke. The book comes with pages of step-by-step instructions for drawing impressive-looking animals, a black pen, and perforated pages to make it easy to share finished artwork. Plus, all the doodles start with letters and numbers, so there's even a little education thrown in. (We'll call it smart doodling.)

A lot of the old-guard pregnancy books will a) scare the wits out of you and b) make you feel that you have time-traveled to a bygone era of calico-print skirts and make-it-at-home yogurt. From the Hips is a modern mom's guide to pregnancy that skillfully balances expert know-how from doctors, midwives, lactation consultants, and doulas with wise and funny tales from the mom front. Controversial issues like elective C-sections, cosleeping, and extended breastfeeding are explored in a rational, refreshing way, and hundreds of anonymous-mom quotes throughout the book make you feel like legions of girlfriends are guiding you through the fabulous but sometimes treacherous path of pregnancy and parenting.

The long-awaited Spider-Man 3 is out in theaters today, but you can avoid the opening-night crowds by tiding your kids (or yourself) over with The Amazing Spider-Man Pop-Up. Flip through the 16 pages and watch Spidey encounter seven of his most notorious foes, including the Green Goblin and Dr. Octopus. Each spread has a comic-book style narrative, a pull-out villain profile, and an action-packed pop-up. Hopefully it will teach your children that the superhero was a Marvel legend long before Tobey Maguire started donning spandex.

Clothing, accessories, dinnerware, fragrances—now Cynthia Rowley can add fantasy memoirs to her resume with the release of her first solo literary project: Slim. The book contains a whimsical collection of stories from her childhood ("How to Turn Your Bathtub into a Wishing Well," in which a young Rowley devastates her bathroom plumbing with mud, pebbles, and papier-mâché clumps) and through the beginning of her fashion-designer career (describing how she literally blew up the runway with a gunpowder fuse in "On with the Show"). Each tale is accompanied by Rowley's equally fantastical hand-drawn illustrations, which will likely captivate a reader of any age.

A child's favorite toy or blanket soothes her through restless nights, accompanies her on every journey—and by childhood's end has often been worried to an unrecognizable mess. Dirty Wow Wow and Other Love Stories (also available at John Derian) offers 50 intimate portraits of such objects. Blankie Belmont's travels have reduced him to a frayed mass of knots; a much-loved stuffed bear is secretly not the "real" Ralph, but one of nine standbys purchased to avoid an emergency state of complete destruction as the result of too much love. You and your child are sure to recognize something of your own first friends among the sweet, peculiar pages.