Get ahead in school with some early reading assignments

The emphasis is on the first of the Three Rs -- reading -- as the school year begins:

With the revival of patriotism in the past year comes another look at American history. "The Making of America: The History of the United States from 1492 to the Present," by Dr. Robert D. Johnston, is an illustrated survey of the nation's beginnings and development. Features include discussions of the great political issues that accompanied events, such as federalism, slavery, the industrial revolution, civil rights, feminism, and the terrorist threat.

"The Story of America" by Allen Weinstein and David Rubel, covers the historic ground from pre-Columbian times, with focus on specific events that helped shape the country. The book includes 28 "American Profiles" contributed by noted historians and writers, of people who had pivotal influence on these events.

Throughout history, mankind had tried to fly like the birds, but it was only in 1903 that the Wright Brothers got the first viable flying machine up and going, at Kitty Hawk, N.C. The story of how the two bicycle makers from Dayton, Ohio, developed the prototype that launched modern aviation is told in "The Wright Brothers: A Flying Start" by Elizabeth MacLeod.

Another titan of 20th century technology is profiled in "Inventing the Future: a Photobiography of Thomas Alva Edison" by Marfe Ferguson Delano. The phonograph, the light bulb, movies, storage batteries and literally thousands of other inventions are attributed to the workaholic former telegraph operator from Port Huron, Mich. Edison also could be called an entreprenuerial genius: "Anything that won't sell, I don't want to invent," he once said. "Its sale is proof of utility, and utility is success."

"Under the Ice" is marine biologist Kathy Conlon's account of her underwater explorations below the ice line in Antarctica. Her photographs document some of the undersea life she encountered, including sea stars, the antarctic toothfish, sea spiders, and volcano sponges. She also records an eerie visit to Robert Falcon Scott's base camp at Cape Evans, to which he never returned after his 1912 quest to reach the South Pole.

A few Americans are descended from Mayflower-era settlers, but probably most come from families that arrived in the United States during the great waves of immigration during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. "Tenement: Immigrant Life on the Lower East Side" with photos and text by Raymond Bial, is a look at the difficulties faced by poorly paid immigrants as they struggled to get a start on the American dream. Bial's photographs of the sights of New York City's old immigrant neighborhood -- the dark hallways, stairs and rooms of the tenements -- give a glimpse of the realities of how they lived.

Is there life out there? That always seems to be the question, fanciful or serious, that accompanies study of the universe. "Looking for Life in the Universe" by Ellen Jackson, describes the work of astrophysicists of Project Phoenix at the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute in California. This includes the twice-yearly outings of scientist Jill Tarter and her team to the mountains of Puerto Rico, where they use the world's largest radio telescope to examine nearby stars -- listening for radio signals that may indicate that there is intelligent life outside our own world.

Exotic life on this planet still exerts fascination for young readers. "SuperCroc" (National Geographic, $18.95 hardcover), by Christopher Sloan, traces the lineage of crocodiles from their prehistoric ancestors, including one that was about twice as big as today's species and which snacked on dinosaurs. The book chronicles the research of Paul Sereno of the University of Chicago, whose team uncovered fossil remains, including a 6-foot-long SuperCroc skull, in a sub-Saharan desert area called Gadoufaoua, starting in 1993.

Have you ever considered rehearsing your kids with the alphabet, teaching them about exotic animals and introducing them to surreal art -- all at the same time? Of course you haven't. But the opportunity may be at hand with "Alphabeasts" by Wallace Edwards. It's a nonsense verse, portraying animals not in the wild but in a wild-looking Victorian house. "N is for Narwhal, wrapped in a shawl" depicts the animal as a sort of Whistler's Mother figure, while "O is for Octopus, changing a light" shows the tentacled creature dealing with a chandelier. Check out the lion who's just had his mane styled, or the hippo getting ready for a violin recital. If your child doesn't think it's funny and bizarre, you will.