Toys in Motion: Books

This unique soft cloth book will delight babies with four fun and exciting handcrafted cloth pop-ups. The pop-ups are soft, sturdy, extremely durable and machine washable. The classic story of Noah's Ark is simply told and beautifully illustrated, and children will giggle with glee as they turn the pages to follow the ark and identify different pairs of animals on every cloth page.

These silly little piggies play all day until bedtime when they skip down your tummy, dance on your toes and give kisses goodnight. These Piggies Finger Puppets are based on the prize-winning books by Don and Audrey Wood, published by Harcourt.

A reindeer finger puppet with a magnetic nose "sniffs" out the correct answer on each page of this board book. Santa needs help on Christmas Eve and the reindeer helps him wrap the presents, pack the sleigh and deliver everything in time for Christmas. Launch date: October 2006.

This silly monkey marks kids' places in their books with a string, while "hanging out" on the outside of the book. Designed in Europe, the Silly String Bookmarks are plush felt with a 12.5" string that allows them to fit into most books, including textbooks. Monkey's cohort includes Pig, Frog and Penguin. Launch date: May 2005.

Perfect for peek-a-boo, this easy-to-use mask book will entertain and amuse babies for hours!  Parents can actually become the animal they are reading about!  Crafted by child development experts, parents, and educators, iBaby™ books let babies be babies. Launch Date: August 2006.

Written and illustrated by the design collective oneones, this 56-page book tells the story of 12 very special months in the life of a curious wire-hair fox terrier. Beautifully illustrated and presented in hardcover, it make a perfect gift for dog lovers of all ages. Launch date: September 2006. (Read Review)

A witch who used to be mean but is now merely grumpy is determined to make a bowl of miso soup with clams. But her clams sleep and snore so peacefully, she can't quite bring herself to dump them in the boiling water. Instead, she goes to the marketplace and tries to raise money to take them back to the beach, where they belong. Written and illustrated by Naomi Kojima, the Singing Shijimi Clams is a delicate tale of determination, ingenuity and kindness. Hardcover, 32 pages. Launch date: September 2006.

This Soft Duck Colors Book is graced on the cover by a plush portrait of Rainbow Duck himself. Inside the board book, the flocked illustrations lead Rainbow Duck on an excursion into the world of colors. He learns all about yellow and blue, and green and pink, too. Illustrated by Simone Abel, the text is by Yvette Lodge.

This board book is also a fold-out animal surprise book, filled with bright photos of the world's cutest animals. Kids read clues and get glimpses of their dream pet while unfolding the pages and unveiling the mystery. What has yellow feathers and webbed feet? The most adorable duckling ever captured on film. Photographs are by Phoebe Dunn, whose 20 children's books have sold more than 12 million copies.

The Dolly Adventures is a series of fun, beautifully illustrated hardcover storybooks that promote positive interaction and learning between a child and her doll. The first book in the series, “Dolly Goes To The Supermarket,” is a winner of the iParenting Media Awards’ Greatest Products for 2005. In this story, a girl takes her doll to the supermarket and teaches her how to pick out the best foods for a strong mind and a healthy body. The little girl also practices her mommy skills as she soothes and cares for Dolly. The included clothing is designed to fit a wide range of dolls so that a child can use a doll she already has at home … her own favorite doll. The book was also named on Dr. Toy's 100 Best Children's Products list for 2006.

This delightful pop-up book will entertain and maintain its captivating properties long after the first read. Author Sarah Weeks and pop-up designer David A. Carter have combined to create a book that surprises on every page. Kids read the text, which uses colors as its theme, then try to guess what kind of animal is hiding under the hat on each page. Fold the hat back to reveal the pop-up surprise.

Move over, Sgt. Pepper. This pop-up book is not only a treat for the eyes, but for the ears as well. The rocking and rolling Snappy Town Band (made up of furry and feathered animals) is giving their first concert performance, and each pop-up plays a different tune. Kids will love the characters and hum along with the rollicking songs as they get a kick out of this spirited book.

It’s a book about dinosaurs … with a hole in it that kids or adults can fit their face in. The pages depict dinosaurs who (in one easy to read—except the names—line) tell what they like to eat. From the fern-loving Diplodocus to the dino-loving T-Rex, each page gives the name and eating habits of another animal. The hole? That’s right where the dinosaur’s face is, so readers look pretty silly and have a lot of fun.

Omega Boy and Mighty Boy team up again in another one of Omega7 comics. This one features the return of D. Diabetes

This step-by-step guide of classic yo-yo tricks includes an instruction book featuring over 20 popular yo-yo tricks. The kit includes yo-yo plus stickers. From walking the dog and skinning the cat to doing the buzz saw and rocking the baby, kids will become yo-yo pros while having fun looking at their favorite Nick characters.

This ancient Jewish tale from Eastern Europe is lavishly illustrated by Marcia Cutchin and retold by Heather Forest. The tale follows a woman who learns that hurtful words, like the feathers blown from a burst pillow, are impossible to retrieve.

The quintissential "rainy day" product, this instructional book provides kids with brushes, paint, and a palette, then teaches them how to create their own masterpieces using different styles. The book ranges from cubist and impressionist paintings all the way to comic book style, ensuring that just about everyone will find something of interest in this product.

This book spotlights baby animals and their loving relationships with their parents. It includes a baby duck, possum, mountain goat and human, along with other wild animals, against a natural setting. Kirkus Reviews says: "if the goal is to introduce a love of nature, this will do it."

Bart is a city dog who lives in a huge apartment building in Greenwich Village. His owner is Max, the nicest owner in the world. Bart longs to see the sights of the city on his own, especially at Christmastime, sans leash. Unfortunately, Max always forces Bart to stay on a leash (for his own good). One day in December, when Max is carrying an oversized Christmas Tree into the apartment, Bart goes for it and dashes out into the big city, where he dances with the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall, ice skates in Rockefeller Center, takes a trip on the Staten Island Ferry, then heads back to his warm home in Greenwich Village, and snuggles with his owner, awaiting Santa´s arrival.

Sam, the story´s main character has an allergy to peanuts, and after reading this book, even healthy readers will recognize Sam´s friend and tormentor, Jack, and come to appreciate the value of tolerance for people who are different from them. Author Elizabeth Nassau is a writer and the mother of a child with a dangerous peanut allergy. With illustrations by Margot Ott, the book will delight kids and inform them (along with their parents and teachers) about allergies and living with them.

Fall has come, the wind is gusting, and Leaf Man is on the move. Is he drifting east, over the marsh and ducks and geese? Or is he heading west, above the orchards, prairie meadows, and spotted cows? No one´s quite sure, but this much is certain: A Leaf Man´s got to go where the wind blows. With illustrations made from actual fall leaves and die-cut pages on every spread that reveal gorgeous landscape vistas, here is a playful, whimsical, and evocative book that celebrates the natural world and the rich imaginative life of children. 11"x12", 40 pages.

Starting in March 2006, babies will be able to learn about shapes, numbers and colors with this innovative Play Pockets book. The soft accordion-style cloth books open to more than two feet of unmatched play. Baby will learn to recognize objects by playing with the colorful, patterned mix-and-match cards and to count using liftable flaps on the other side of the book. The package measures 8”x6.5”x2”. The book contains 5 dual-sided connected flaps that fold flat. It can hang on the crib with cloth ties, or stand on its own. The colored and patterned cards mix and match to create more than 50 combinations. Concept by Karen Craig, illustrated by Ana Larranaga.

Everyone knows their own star sign, but how many can identify the constellations in the night sky and the stars that form them? Here is a beautiful illustrated book offering a factual, astronomical guide to the Zodiac and the celestial phenomena in which the Zodiac tradition is rooted. Illuminated by Christina Balit's dazzling illustrations, this book will appeal to horoscope-devotees, star-gazers and everyone fascinated by the reality behind the myths, whatever their age.

This 32 page hardback book, is about Christmas time and a little boy named Afam. He has decided to create and dance his own masquerade, just like the big celebratory Mmo (masquerades) which he sees performing at festivals. Each time he starts collecting things to make his costume, family preparations for Christmas — haircuts, visiting the tailor, a church service, a trip to their village — get in the way. But in the end, Afam performs the most beautiful masquerade ever!

This book about two young children who watch in amazement as shining lights appear outside their window, teaches children how to count. There are flashing lights embedded in the book and every page reveals an increasing amount twinkling lights. Children will delight at the magic of these pages as they read along and marvel at the glowing lights. The surprise ending will keep them coming back for more.