This trio of picture books might well be called a triple treat.

“Don Quixote and the Windmills” ($16, Farrar, Straus & Giroux), a retelling of a tale from the famous Spanish novel “Don Quixote” by Miguel de Cervantes, succeeds in capturing a very funny story written for adults, and translating it into children’s terms.

Written by Eric A. Kimmel with illustrations by Leonard Everett Fisher, creating this picture book was no small feat, given the complexity of the original novel. Kimmel wisely chose one especially memorable episode that catches the flavor of its entirety; children will thoroughly understand the meaning of the adults’ phrase “tilting at windmills” by the time they have experienced the absurd battle Don Quixote wages against the recalcitrant four-armed “giants.”

This will undoubtedly be an experience for kids that can be built on later in life, when they’re able to read the complete 1,000-page saga. Don’t tell them it’s a classic, and they’ll just think they’re in for a long, good time with a knight in not-so-shining armor.

The charm of “Hot Potato: Mealtime Rhymes” ($16, Clarion Books) is that the verses not only are conveniently short but also quite snappy. Selected by Neil Philip, each mini-poem packs a punch because of its zappy bounce. Claire Henley’s multiracial pictures of kids in action add to the diversity of the text and give a welcome feeling of universality.

Some of the poems are by well-recognized names (A.A. Milne, Lewis Carroll); others are by less familiar but equally gifted rhymers, such as Michael Rosen. All of the writers share one thing in common: They know human nature very well and view its foibles with a mirthful eye. It’s hard NOT to laugh at a dad who makes a waffle that looks “like a manhole cover,” as envisioned by popular children’s poet John Ciardi.

Also charming is “You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You,” subtitled “Very Short Fairy Tales to Read Together,” by Mary Ann Hoberman, with illustrations by Michael Emberley. Designed to be read aloud by two people who each represent a different character, these tales ($16.95, Little, Brown and Company) are all-new takes on old fairy tales. In this revamping, they have much more redemptive endings. Told in truly witty style, with art to match, the happy-ending fairy tales have no villains; all the characters resolve their difficulties in constructive ways. Even Cinderella and her stepsisters manage to reconcile. If it sounds saccharine or too good to be true — it’s not. These stories just end up being warm and wise.

Pick any of these picture book powerhouses and young children will react with glee. The only question is who will have more fun: the kids they’re aimed at or the adults who do the picking.