What happens when you pair one of America's most-beloved comedians with one of the nation's premier cartoonists? Well, I suppose lots of things could happen -- one thing that did happen, when Steve Martin got together with The New Yorker's Roz Chast, is a new book for young readers called "The Alphabet from A to Y with Bonus Letter Z!"

A centuries-old Jewish religious book manages to survive into modern times, in the new novel by Pulitzer Prizewinning journalist and novelist Geraldine Brooks. Clues to its provenance come from the wing of an insect, crystals of salt, a single white hair, and what appears to be a wine stain -- each carefully explored in vignettes that Brooks brings to life. Her book is called "People of the Book." [Interview taped at Politics and Prose, Washington, DC]

Felicia Pearson didn't get off to a very good start in life -- born to a crack-addicted mother in East Baltimore, her childhood was spent in the company of some of Baltimore's toughest characters. Snoop, as she was eventually dubbed, became a "baby gangsta," killed a woman in self-defense at age 15, and wound up in prison. On being paroled, she nearly fell right back into the old, dangerous life, before a chance encounter in a nightclub with a cast member from HBO's gritty series "The Wire." Producers invited her down for an audition, and the rest is history, as Snoop became what's been described as "one of television's most frightening and intriguing villains." Her memoir is called "Grace After Midnight."

Steve Irwin changed his world. Through a unique ability to connect with all creatures - human and animal - Irwin entertained, inspired, and taught us. His untimely death in 2006, in a fateful encounter with a stingray, stunned us all. His wife Terri is committed to carrying on Steve's legacy. In her book "Steve and Me," she tells their story.

While Farmer Joe is en route to a Tractor Society Conference a couple of thousand miles away, back at the farm the members of a most unusual underground rock band are preparing to go on tour. Jarrett Krosoczka's book for children, "Punk Farm on Tour," tells the story of the talented Cow, Sheep, Pig, Goat and Chicken.

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