Top Toys, Books, and DVDs for this Holiday Season
Play is the language of children. It helps them develop skills they’ll use throughout life and lets them escape from reality. When we think back to our own youth, we fondly remember toys that made us think, made us laugh, or sparked special interests that we’ve carried into adulthood. This year’s Gold Award winners are sure to be enjoyed by your children and, who knows, they might even trigger a lifelong passion.
For Infants & Toddlers
• Ann B. Dextrous, Discovery Channel Store, $59.95, for newborns and up; www.shopping.discovery.com. This motor-skills development toy grows as a baby’s abilities and interests expand. Five “pods” challenge little ones to master skills: twist/turn, push/pull, slide/flip, grasp and sort. The 21 knobs and activities are accompanied by lights and sounds to maintain interest and attention.
• Laugh & Learn Baby Grand Piano, Fisher-Price, $44.99, for ages 9 months and up; www.fisher-price.com. Through musical play, children can learn basic concepts of colors and numbers, as well as the fundamentals of pitch and tempo. Eight light-up keys, three modes of play and four activity options expand the play.
• NooBoo Symphonic Stacker, Manhattan Toy, $30, for ages 9 months and up; www.manhattantoy.com. A soft stacking toy with whimsical patterns, textures and sounds. As a child places a flower-shaped ring on the plush post, one of four animated sounds is emitted.
• Voyager Canopy Wagon, Radio Flyer, $99.99, for ages 18 months and up; www.radioflyer.com. This durable plastic wagon has rubber wheels for a comfortable, quiet ride. With the seat backs upright, two children can ride comfortably and safely with three-point seatbelts and a foot well. The seats fold down to provide a flat cargo area for hauling. The long handle folds under the wagon for easy storage. A removable canopy shields kids from the sun.
For Preschoolers
• Imaginext Mega T-Rex, Fisher-Price, $29.99; www.fisher-price.com. This T-Rex transports children to prehistoric times, when dinosaurs ruled the world. The control button on its tail activates glowing red eyes, fierce roaring sounds and realistic head and neck movements.
• Ryan’s Room: Stable for Two, Small World Toys, $40; www.smallworldtoys.com. This high-quality wood stable has a removable roof and easy-to-open doors. The set comes with two horses, a feeding trough and a foldable fence – just enough props to inspire imagination!
• Story Reader Video Plus, Publications International, $34.99; www.storyreader.com. This portable electronic storybook can be used independently or with your TV to read a story to your child. As your child turns the page, he hears the page read. When plugged in to the TV, the page on the screen becomes animated. Educationally-oriented games can be played using the simple attached remote control. The games advance naturally as your child’s abilities increase.
• Tangoes Jr., Rex Games, $24.99; www.tangoes.com. Invites children to be creative as they develop problem-solving abilities, spatial awareness and pre-math skills. They make designs using large magnetic shapes and image cards. Level One cards clearly define each shape; Level Two cards give a silhouette for the child to decipher. All pieces can be stored in the convenient pack-and-go unit.
• ZipBin Barn, Neat-Oh International, $19.99; www.zipbin.com. This ingeniously designed barn-shaped play box unzips on all four sides to reveal a beautiful barnyard theme play mat and three plastic farm animals. The removable roof doubles as a pretend pond. When play is done, zip up the sides and put all your play pieces inside. Also award-worthy is the ZipBin Mansion ($24.99).
For Ages 5 & Up
• Classic Moonjar Moneybox, Moonjar, $24.95; www.moonjar.com. This three-segment bank is used as a tool to help children learn financial and social responsibility. The three compartments – Sharing, Spending and Saving – can be a springboard to conversation and action regarding community service, decision-making and planning.
• Play Foam, Educational Insights, $9.99; www.educationalinsights.com. The whole family can enjoy this innovative winner! Colorful foam “beads” stick together and can be molded over and over without ever drying out, even if left uncovered. Just mold objects as you would with play dough. Clean up is easy because Play Foam doesn’t crumble or stick to surfaces or hands.
• Speed Stacks StackPack, Play Along, $39.99; www.playalongtoys.com. The race is on: Children stack and unstack specially designed plastic cups in specific ways as quickly as they can. Beat the clock, your own record or a friend’s time. Speed stacking has been proven to improve hand-eye coordination and concentration.
• The World Almanac for Kids Puzzler Deck Language Arts & Wordplay!, Chronicle Books, $9.95; www.chroniclebooks.com. This deck of cards entertains and challenges kids with simple questions on word and picture identification, directionality, rhyming, opposites, nouns, etc. Great for on-the-go fun in a car, waiting rooms or restaurants. Other Puzzler Decks include Math! (ages 7-8), U.S. History & Geography! (ages 9-10) and World History & Geography! (ages 11-12).
For Ages 8 & Up
• Fly Pentop Computer, LeapFrog, $99.99; www.leapfrog.com. This technologically advanced pen has a built-in computer, speaker and camera. Using special paper, children can play games, learn geography and improve their math and cognitive skills. To access the menu, the child just draws an “M” and circles it: the pen then states the menu options. Children can do simple activities, such as making a calculator by drawing a box with numbers 0-9 and math symbols that the Fly then recognizes. You have to see it to believe it!
• Go to Press! A Grammar Game, Learning Resources, $21.95; www.learningresources.com. This board game challenges and rewards children’s grammar skills as they assume the guise of a newspaper reporter. Visit each of the five departments, “proofreading” and correcting headlines, using punctuation, spelling, verb tense, capitalization and grammar.
• Lego Mindstorms NXT, LEGO Systems, $249.99, for ages 10 and up; www.LEGO.com. This highly sophisticated toy enables kids and adults to build and program robots. Sensors pick up sound, touch and light, and use ultrasound to gauge distance. The robot is programmed using the NXT brick – an autonomous 32-bit microprocessor that can be programmed using a PC or Mac computer. The programs can be transferred to the robot using a USB cable or Bluetooth technology, enabling the robot to be controlled remotely with a cell phone or PDA.
• Lonpos 101 Pyramid and Rectangle Game, Mic-O-Mic Americas, $16.99; www.micamericas.com. This pocket-size puzzle game contains 12 “pentominoes” pieces that can be placed in different configurations on the board to complete a rectangle. Advanced play uses the same 12 pieces to solve three-dimensional puzzles. Thousands of puzzles are possible.
• Sudoku 5x5, ThinkFun, $9.99; www.thinkfun.com. Handsomely presented in an easy-to-use magnetic box, this challenging game of numbers stands out from the rest. There are 48 cards, three levels of difficulty and a 25-square grid. Following the partial pattern shown on a card, players place magnetic numbered discs (numbered 1 to 5) in each square, without repeating the same digit in any given row or column.
DVDs
By Ranny Levy
Media – in its many forms – has infiltrated our lives unlike anything before. With the truly great DVD releases now available for home viewing, you can ensure that the time your child spends in front of the TV is positive, engaging and educational. For starters, try one of the many literature-based DVDs that pair video with beloved children’s books. We hope you will enjoy these NAPPA Gold winners as much as we did.
For Infants & Toddlers
• Make a Wish Little Fish, Swoon Pictures, 2005; 30 min.; $12.98; www.mflp.com; for up to age 5. Got cranky kids? This soothing, musical aquatic journey has the potential to calm everybody down. Swirling colors and exquisite underwater images peacefully undulate to beautiful classical music. Helps children – and parents – make the transition from active mode to quiet time.
For Preschoolers & Up
• Angelina Ballerina: All Dancers on Deck, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, 2006; 50 min.; $15.98; www.foxhome.com; for ages 3 to 6. Bringing together dance and a trans-oceanic adventure, our favorite dancing mouse gives young viewers an introduction to ballet. As Angelina makes her way to perform in Miss Lilli’s homeland (Dachovia), a mystery evolves that will engage even non-dance fans. Angelina raises the barre to bust gender stereotypes.
• Charlie and Lola: Volume One, BBC Video, 2006; 84 min.; $14.98; www.bbcamericashop.com; for ages 2 to 7. A caring older sibling is the next best thing to a fairy godmother, especially for today’s “singletons” missing out on having one. They can find a big brother in Charlie as he helps his little sister Lola sort through the uncertainties of childhood in these six episodes, using imagination, science and a touch of big brother psychology.
• Chicka Chicka 1-2-3… And More Stories about Counting, Scholastic Entertainment, 2006; 30 min.; $14.95; www.newvideo.com; for ages 2 to 6. Three beautifully animated stories with catchy sing-along tunes provide exceptional treatment of an important skill. This collection of short, book-based films is among the best in the field.
For Ages 5 & Up
• Choose Your Own Adventure: The Abominable Snowman, Lean Forward Media, 2006; 80 min.; $19.98; www.goldhilentertainment.com; for ages 6 to 12. Lots of fun to do as a group, this interactive DVD gives positive reinforcement for making good choices. Viewers hone their decision-making skills by choosing which path to follow. A smart alternative to videos games, this DVD offers good animation, reinforces commendable behaviors, and entertains with the voice talents of Frankie Muniz, William H. Macy and Felicity Huffman.
• The Man Who Walked Between the Towers ... and More Inspiring Tales, Scholastic Entertainment, 2006; 72 min.; $14.95; www.newvideo.com; for ages 5 to 9. Great animation provides breathtaking perspective in this film version of the book about French aerialist Philippe Petit, who walked the high wire between the twin towers of the World Trade Center in 1974. Upcoming generations who will never see the towers firsthand can glimpse their grandeur along with Petit’s extraordinary feat. Three other shorts are included.
• Veggie Tales: Sheerluck Holmes and the Golden Ruler, Big Idea, 2006; 52 min.; $14.99; www.bigidea.com; for ages 5 to 12. No one brings together silliness and Bible verse like these indefatigable vegetable characters do. (Does anyone else even try?) The Bible references are subtle and the message of the value of friendship is timeless. Veggies and morals – a comfortable fit in any home with kids.
For Ages 8 & Up
• Dr. Dolittle 3, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, 2006; 90 min.; $21.58; www.foxhome.com; for ages 8 to 12. Nothing is more important to a preteen than fitting-in – and that’s all young Maya Dolittle wants. But her uncanny ability to talk to the animals like her dad makes fitting-in unlikely. Yet the gift that sets her apart “saves the day” when talking animals help her and her friends rescue a financially troubled ranch.
• Spirit Bear: The Simon Jackson Story, Echo Bridge Home Entertainment, 2006; 91 min.; $24.99; www.echobridgehe.com; for ages 9 to 16. It’s too easy for kids today to be apathetic. Wake them up with this real-life story of an awkward 15-year-old who rallies everyone – from classmates to Prince William and the Backstreet Boys – to create a wildlife preserve for the rare white Kermode bear.
Books
By Helen Foster James, Ed.D., and Kathleen Krull
This year’s NAPPA winners herald the return of favorite characters and announce the grand entrance of new ones in must-read stories that make you laugh, think and wonder. Happy reading!
For Babies & Toddlers
• Messages from the Heart: My Blanket, by Sandra Magsamen; Little, Brown; 2006; $14.99. This beautifully stitched book about a blanket opens into a cuddly, baby-sized quilt.
• Mommy Hugs, by Karen Katz, Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2006, $12.95. Mommy and baby cuddle and count, starting their day with hugs and ending with a kiss.
• Tinkle, Tinkle, Little Tot: Songs & Rhymes for Toilet Training, by Bruce Lansky, illustrated by Anne Catharine Blake, Meadowbrook Press, 2006, $12.95. Humorous and entertaining motivation for toilet learning. Includes a CD.
• Your Personal Penguin, by Sandra Boynton, Workman Publishing, 2006, $6.95. A perky board book with endearing lyrics to a song you can download.
For Preschoolers & Kindergarteners
• A Place Called Kindergarten, by Jessica Harper, illustrated by G. Brian Karas, Putnam, 2006, $15.99. Children feel comforted as they read how farm animals turn from loneliness to understanding as they see a child head off to the first day of school.
• Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!, by Mo Willems, Hyperion Books for Children, 2006, $12.99. Our favorite pigeon doesn’t want to go to bed in this familiar dilemma.
• Edwina the Dinosaur Who Didn’t Know She Was Extinct, by Mo Willems, Hyperion Books for Children, 2006, $16.99. Everyone loves Edwina except for Reginald Von Hoobie-Doobie, who is ready to prove that dinosaurs are extinct.
• Happy Birthday to Whooo?, by Doris Fisher, illustrated by Lisa Downey, Sylvan Dell Publishing, 2006, $15.95. Kids familiar with birth announcements get a kick out of this guessing game about the births of various baby animals.
• Let’s Play in the Forest While the Wolf Is Not Around!, by Claudia Rueda, Scholastic Press, 2006, $16.99. Animals play while a wolf dresses – one garment at a time – and becomes hungrier in the process.
• My First Art Book & Easel, from Alex Toys, LB Kids, 2006, $14.99. This book of irresistible art assignments includes paints and assorted media.
• The Twelve Days of Winter, by Deborah Lee Rose, illustrated by Carey Armstrong-Ellis, Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2006, $14.95. It’s a blizzard of activity when the kindergarten class counts down to winter in this cumulative pattern book.
For Ages 6 & Up
• Dooby Dooby Moo, by Doreen Cronin, illustrated by Betsy Lewin, Atheneum, 2006, $16.95. Farmer Brown’s clever animals create laugh-out-loud fun when they perform in the county fair’s talent show.
• Ella Sets the Stage, by Carmela D’Amico, illustrated by Steven D’Amico, Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic, 2006, $16.99. Ella the Elephant’s school is holding a talent show, but Ella doesn’t think she has any talent.
• Flotsam, by David Wiesner, Clarion Books, 2006, $17. An exquisite, intriguing, floating fantasy about a boy and the camera he finds on the beach, like so much flotsam. Accomplished with no words.
• The Flower Ball, by Sigrid Laube, illustrated by Silke Leffler, Pumpkin House, 2006, $15.95. A quirky, radiant story about prejudice between vegetables and flowers, all whimsically resolved at a dance.
• Olivia Forms a Band, by Ian Falconer, Atheneum, 2006, $17.95. Everyone’s favorite diva returns to form a band.
• The Paper Bag Princess, 25th Anniversary Ed.: The Story Behind the Story, by Robert Munsch, illustrated by Michael Martchenko, Annick Press, 2005, $19.95. Author and illustrator provide the background of this popular book; original story included.
For Ages 9 & Up
• Andy Warhol: Pop Art Painter, by Susan Goldman Rubin, Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2006, $18.95. The author focuses on Warhol’s childhood, determination and rise in popularity in this beautifully designed book.
• Clementine, by Sara Pennypacker, illustrated by Marla Frazee, Hyperion Books for Children, 2006, $14.99. Narrated by exuberant, disaster-prone, lovable Clementine, this witty chapter book will appeal to Junie B. Jones fans.
• I Found a Dead Bird: The Kids’ Guide to the Cycle of Life & Death, by Jan Thornhill, Maple Tree Press, 2006, $9.95. This nonfiction treatment of heavy topics is intelligent, age-appropriate and packed with info about nature.
• Secrets, Lies, Gizmos and Spies: A History of Spies and Espionage, by Janet Wyman Coleman, Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2006, $24.95. This informative look at spies and espionage includes photographs, lingo and interviews.
• What to Do When You Worry Too Much: A Kid’s Guide to Overcoming Anxiety, by Dawn Huebner, illustrated by Bonnie Matthews, Magination Press/American Psychological Association, 2005, $14.95. A rare feat: a self-help book that bypasses jargon to become a terrific resource for kids.
• The Year of the Dog, by Grace Lin; Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; 2006; $14.99. For Ramona Quimby lovers, this sparkling chapter book recounts the school adventures and heritage of a Taiwanese-American girl.
For the Whole Family
• The Adventures of Odysseus, by Hugh Lupton and Daniel Morden, illustrated by Christina Balit, Barefoot Books, 2006, $19.99. Homer’s epic tale contains lush illustrations, accessible prose and thrilling adventures from Greek mythology.
• The Barefoot Book of Classic Poems, illustrated by Jackie Morris, Barefoot Books, 2006, $19.99. Another must-have, this collection highlights 70 great poems (from Lear and Carroll to Shakespeare and Poe) with illustrations that are worth dwelling on.
• Blue 2: A Pop-up Book for Children of All Ages, by David A. Carter, Little Simon, 2006, $19.95. This alphabet pop-up book intrigues readers journeying for true blue clues.
• Cranium FunFolio: Family Edition, from LB Kids, 2006, $14.99. This set contains a book and materials for making up stories, preserving family history and more to jump-start conversation.
• John, Paul, George & Ben, by Lane Smith, Hyperion Books for Children, 2006, $16.99. Smith blends a love of The Beatles with a look at the signers of the Declaration of Independence to create this fun-and-facts book.