For the ‘nice’ list

There’s hardly ever a shortage of toys on kids’ lists for Santa. But for those young ones who have been very good, consider the following, which are among the best books, discs and videos that came out this year.

The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book One:

The Amulet of Samarkand

13 audiocassettes

Book Two: The Golem’s Eye

16 audiocassettes

Random House/Listening Library

$35 and $39.95, respectively

Ages 10 and up

www.listeninglibrary.com

Jonathan Stroud’s dark and witty trilogy about an apprentice wizard named Nathaniel and his demon jinni Bartimaeus is no Harry Potter-wannabe series -- Charles Dickens-meets-”The Apprentice” is closer.

In his audio book performance, British actor Simon Jones brings each character vividly to life. His Bartimaeus, the dominant voice, is a lip-curling delight.

Book One finds Nathaniel outgrowing his first master and using Bartimaeus to foil a plot against the prime minister in a gothic London ruled by wizard bureaucrats and peppered with demons both zany and scary. In Book Two, Nathaniel’s ambitious rise is stalled by political schemers, werewolf police and a deadly golem, while Bartimaeus encounters a commoner in the anti-wizard Resistance.

*

Fairy Tales

e.e. cummings

Illustrations, Meilo So

W.W. Norton & Co

$17.95

Borders Books, Barnes & Noble

One of the mid-20th century’s literary greats wrote four children’s stories, as treasurable for their tenderness as for their delightful whimsy. “The Old Man Who Said ‘Why’ ” (“Once there was a faerie who lived on a farthest star. He was very good-natured and had yellow hair and blue eyes.”); “The Elephant and the Butterfly” (“Once upon a time there was an elephant who did nothing all day. He lived by himself in a little house away at the very top of a curling road.”); “The House That Ate Mosquito Pie” (“Once there was a house who fell in love with a bird.”); and “The Little Girl Named I” (“Once upon a time there was a little girl named I. She was a very good little girl, wasn’t she? Yes indeed; very good.”)

*

Teatro Olivia Pop-Up Book/Toy

Ian Falconer

Simon & Schuster/

Universe Publishing

$24.95

Border’s Books, Barnes & Noble

www.powells.com

Any budding set designers, choreographers or directors in the 12-and-younger crowd? This beautifully made pop-up book box is actually a sturdy fold-out theater, based on the award-winning “Olivia” books by set designer and artist Ian Falconer about an imaginative, artistic little pig.

A drawer contains hanging backdrops for “Turandot,” “Swan Lake” and “Romeo and Juliet”; cardboard Olivia and Ian dolls; a Playbill replica giving plot summaries and artist bios; plus blank stock to create original backdrops and characters of the junior impresario’s own design.

*

Prince Cinders DVD

First Run Features

$14.95

(800) 229-8575 or

www.firstrunfeatures.com

In the DVD release of this daffy 1994 animated romp, based on Babette Cole’s picture book twist on “Cinderella,” life is hard for scrawny little Prince Cinders, who keeps house for his three mean, hulking big brothers.

In this 30-minute tale, Cinders is left home alone while his brothers head out for Princess Lovelypenny’s big disco bash. Cinders’ fairy godmother shows up. The bad news: She’s still in training and a wee bit magic-challenged.

When she attempts to turn Cinders into a handsome hunk, he turns into a huge hairy gorilla instead.

Undaunted, Cinders heads for the party anyway and chaos ensues along his bumpy road to a happy ending.