July 2010 Notable Toys — Books

The Hear Me Read Bible is designed to help children learn to read and learn about Jesus. This level one series is comprised of 18 complete stories that contain 25 words or less. "Each story uses colorful illustrations, limited words and repetition to help children develop reading vocabulary and skills," Rosemary Parkinson of Concordia Publishing House Corporate Communications told TDmonthly.

Told from the viewpoint of a young boy whose grandpa keeps bees, The Beeman explains how bees live and how they make honey. The book includes notes on bees and a recipe for muffins. "The informative facts and delicious recipe that comes after the Beeman's story really highlights the narration and encourages kids to get involved and try new things," Leah Lesser, Group Communications Director, Barefoot Books, told TDmonthly.

This jolly band of bugs jumps and jives to a creepy crawly calypso beat. From spiders to fireflies, butterflies to centipedes, Debbie Harter’s humorous illustrations match the Caribbean spirit of this jaunty rhyming text that introduces children to cardinal and ordinal numbers, and takes them straight into the marvelous world of bugs. "The bright and quirky illustrations, coupled with the sing-along CD, are sure to help youngsters get over their fear of creepy crawlies," Barefoot Books Group Communications Director Leah Lesser told TDmonthly.

When the day has ended and everyone else has fallen asleep, a young boy embarks on a magical adventure with his friend the Moon. Their unusual journey is described in lyrical verse, creating a enchanting story that celebrates the serene beauty of the world at night. "The lyrical text and poetic voice adds a soothing factor to this imaginative tale," Barefoot Books Group Communications Director Leah Lesser told TDmonthly.
— The Reading Tub praised the book for its “nice combination of reality reading (seeing one's glow in the water) and fantasy (the boy and moon sharing a night-time flight) that will appeal to all readers.” The reviewer added that “the notes at the back will be wonderful for expanding the book beyond the poetry when our toddler gets a little bit older.”
— Sheela from The Joy of My Life noted that the “delightful and dreamy” illustration “evokes a magical night world in this book, and, accompanied by rhythmic verse has become a bedtime must-read over the last few weeks in our house.” Sheela liked that the book contains factual scientific information while “still preserving the imaginative and magical world personifying the moon through the motley illustrations that project the ethereal story.”

In this novelty peek-a-boo book, children are invited to look through the holes on every other page to answer the repeating refrain, "Who’s coming to see how my garden grows?" The energetic, rhyming text introduces all sorts of creatures that are busy foraging and frolicking in the garden.

Even though it doesn’t have a door, Chicken, Pig and Cow love everything about the home that Girl made for them out of Popsicle sticks. Everything but Dog, who lives outside, but whose drooling makes it feel as if it’s raining inside. When Cow is left alone one day, she ends up making friends with Dog. Best of all, Dog knocks down two Popsicle sticks creating a door, so that now their home is truly perfect.
Awards: 2010 Great Books for 2010, Canadian Toy Testing Council; 2009 Toronto Public Library First and Best List; 2009 Pennsylvania Center for the Book Best Books for Family Literacy; 2009 Ontario Library Association Best Bets List; 2009 Cdn Children’s Book Centre Best Books for Kids and Teens; 2009 Canadian Children’s Book Centre Awards finalist

As the official symbol for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, the image of the Inuksuk was everywhere. This book teaches children all about life in the Arctic and these amazing stone statues. The acrostic poem, complemented by paintings, celebrates the Arctic landscape, culture and traditions. "Words are written in both English and Inuktitut, with an Inuktitut pronunciation guide included at the back of the book, so children can sound out the words in both languages," Kendal Gerard, Marketing Associate, Owlkids, told TDmonthly.

TDmonthly Review:

Please click here to read TDmonthly´s Toy Expert review of this product.

With more than 200 drawing and coloring activities, ARTastic! is designed to fuel kids' creativity, teach them drawing basics, and inspire their minds. Kids will complete pictures by adding their own creations, learn to draw simple images themselves, explore different colors and more. "High production values mean kids can use whichever scribbling or coloring medium they choose," Kendal Gerard, Marketing Associate, Owlkids, told TDmonthly.

A pony in a field moves a child to play giddy-up on her father’s shoulders; a plane high above invites kids to pretend they are birds soaring in the sky. Everyday things, seen here in striking photos, are the catalyst for imaginative play, which is captured in lively illustrations. Short bursts of energetic, rhythmic poetry are designed to inspire preschoolers to create their own fun from what they see around them.
Awards: 2009 First & Best List, Toronto Public Library; 2010 Next Generation Indie Book Award

This lively "un"cyclopedia gives young readers an eye-opening broad basis of general knowledge. From a tour of the human skeleton and the five senses to modern technology and inventions, from life in a desert to a day at the fire station, children will be delighted and fascinated at every turn of the page. "Special features throughout make information fun and accessible: Kids' Questions sidebars, What About You? bubbles, Figure It Out! activities, Did You Know? sidebars, Number Time bubbles, Day-in-the-Life pages, and more," Kendal Gerard, Marketing Associate, Owlkids, told TDmonthly.

This collection for kids who are just developing craft skills shows readers how to transform common household materials into costumes, puppets, toys, games and more. The book contains simple step-by-step instructions and photographs. "I Can Make That! consolidates the 5 books in the original I Can Make... series so this is the ultimate treasure trove of art ideas for crafty kids," Owlkids Marketing Associate Kendal Gerard told TDmonthly.

It's All Fun and Games contains more than 230 activities from crafts to magic tricks to outdoor activities. The activities are color coded by type, so kids can easily find exactly what they are looking for. Each activity lists the materials needed, the object of the game and the number of players required, along with easy-to-understand instructions and fun visuals.

My Beastly Book of Monsters offers kids the opportunity to scribble, doodle and reconfigure over 150 monstrous creatures. Tie a monster's shoes together, draw a creature that's part monster and part pickle, or scare a monster with a mouse. Each amusing scenario encourages kids to use their imaginations and their budding artistic skills.

My Beastly Book of Silly Things offers young children the opportunity to scribble, doodle, and explore over 150 silly scenarios. Armed with only a pack of crayons or markers, children interpret visual cues and solve funny mix-ups in their own distinctive way. What objects will they throw into the garbage? What's about to be hit by the little man's club? And just what are the silliest things they can think of? The ridiculous possibilities are endless.

Everyday childhood activities, such as an excursion to the park, splashing in the bathtub or fixing a snack in the kitchen, can prompt many questions from young children. This special edition of Why? celebrates the book's 10th anniversary and provides kid-friendly explanations for nearly 100 of the most common questions kids ask. "Each of the questions included in this book was carefully selected from a pool of thousands of questions submitted by real children," Owlkids Marketing Associate Kendal Gerard told TDmonthly.
Awards: 2002 American Association for the Advancement of Science Best Books for Children; 2002 Canadian Toy Testing Council 25 Great Books for Children

Designed to be both entertaining and educational, Animal Babies is an interactive book about the birth and growth of animals. It is full of tabs, flaps and touch-and-feel elements, and includes a 4'6" x 3' pullout poster with life-size images of baby African animals.

Welcome to the wondrous world of Diana Schoenbrun's "Beasties," where mythic and imaginary creatures come alive from simple materials, such as scrap fabric and thread. From werewolves to zombies to yetis to unidentifiable yet adorable beasts, these projects allow crafters to push the limits of their imaginations to sew a menagerie of whimsical beings.
— “Author Diana Schoenbrun does a fantastic job of presenting an array of wonderful creatures to create,” proclaimed BookLegion. According to the reviewers, the monsters created based on the book “make great personalized gifts for others.”
— Jocelynn Brown of the Detroit News Handmade Crafts Blog loved that the book encouraged the resourceful use of fabric scraps, since the “more woven and textured scraps of fabric, the more interesting your creatures will look.” Her colleague Erik Henrickson loved the irreverent designs of the monsters, from the “soft and fluffy” Tomte to a “patriotic Werewolf” complete with “red, white and blue fur.”

This Read Along Storybook, the first in a series of five, is a companion piece to Queetles plush toys.

Featuring a padded cover and sturdy board book pages for easy handling, this 24-page book follows inquisitive Caillou as he explores the zoo and finds all kinds of interesting wild animals. Each page features a different animal and its name, including a panther, tiger, parrot and giraffe.

In this paperback children's book, a little girl named Lily travels into space to talk to the moon.

This selection from author Will Dodson consists of six oversized movie poster postcards and a flat-spined book filled with vintage stills. "Cult Films" focuses on the sometimes campy, sometimes gruesome, sometimes thrilling movies that have attracted a small yet dedicated knot of fans over the decades. This collection is vividly illustrated with black-and-white and color images throughout. "There’s something about the quirky and bizarre nature of cult films that appeals to the movie-watcher in all of us. Cult Films strikes that same chord, covering ground never before seen by non-hardcore cult movie enthusiasts," Langenscheidt Publishing Group Marketing Assistant Andrea Sper told TDmonthly.

The Complete Hawaiian Reef Fish Coloring Book includes more than 200 colorable illustrations designed to help teach children how to identify over 80 species of fish. Each illustration is accompanied by a complete description of the fish, with information about anatomical features, coloration, body designs, feeding habits and reproductive strategies. An overview of coral reef ecology is provided to help children understand the relationship between the fishes and the coral reef as well as the importance of conservation. This eco-friendly book is printed on recycled paper. "This book is often referred to as a coloring textbook or even coloring encyclopedia, because it is the most complete source of information about reef fish that you will find in a coloring book," Lucid Publishing Author Monika Mira told TDmonthly.
Awards: Summer 2010 Dr. Toy Best Vacation Children's Products; 2010 Creative Child Magazine Book of the Year Award

Eisner award-winning writer and illustrator Jason Shiga promises 3.856 story combinations in his Choose-Your-Own-Adventure style comic “Meanwhile.” Tabbed pages send readers backward, forward and even across alternate universes as they help main character Jimmy choose ice cream flavors and explore a mad scientist’s lab. “Meanwhile” features 80 full-color pages.
— Common Sense Media cautioned that some of the book’s paths do contain death, though only through simple, gore-less representations. Common Sense Media ultimately declared the book “Quirky, inventive, and absorbing.”
— Tanya of Books4yourkids liked the book’s thick, glossy pages — perfect for a book that will be flipped through time and time again. She said the comic “is IDEAL for long car/plane/train rides and should appeal to boys and girls alike.”

Why do cats' eyes glow in the dark? How do our ears stop us from falling? This close-up look at human and animal senses delivers clear and concise answers to the questions children ask.