May 2009 New Specialty Toys — Books

Award-winning children's author Carole Marsh incorporates history, geography, culture and more in this White House Christmas Mystery. Each book includes SAT words, an Accelerated Reader quiz, the Lexile measure and the Fountas and Pinnell guided level. Launch date: June 2006.

These holiday readers can be used a gift for early readers, as they educate children about the story of Santa Claus, hanging stockings and cooking special meals with the family, plus other holiday traditions around the world.

Though one tree in a meadow seems all alone, this story shows how that tree is important in the lives of so many other living things. The 20-page hardcover book itself is made from 98-percent recycled materials. Launch date: April 2009.

In comic-book format, this hardback book has 32 pages that chronicle the adventures of brother and sister Benny and Penny as they go snooping in someone's backyard and end up with a new friend.  It is written and illustrated by Geoffrey Hayes. Launch date: May 5, 2009.

This 32-page, full-color, hardcover chronicles the adventures of a kiss that goes astray and ends up landing right back where it was supposed to go in the first place — from a mother to her daughter.  It is written by Jane Yolen and illustrated by Dan Baxter. Launch date: October 2008.

Written and illustrated by Denise Minnerly, "Painting the Town" tells the story of two kids who grab onto balloons and float through New York City, seeing how the primary colors of the blue, yellow and red apples they tossed mix to color the city in secondary shades.

This 32-page hardcover tells the story of a little girl and her grandfather as they paint a garden together. It is written by Andrew Larsen and illustrated by Irene Luxbacher. Launch date: 2009.

This 40-page hardcover explores "wonderfully weird" parts of the human body, such as skin sells that shed and holes in the head, while also covering facts about the appendix, wiggling ears and fingernail growth. Launch date: 2009.

The 12-book series unlocks the virtual world quests of the Jacabee Code that mirror the stories. With knowledge you gain opportunities so each book has clues inside that give the child an advantage online. The first book will feature Sacagawea in her historic role leading Lewis and Clark across the Louisiana Purchase. Available in summer 2009.

This Personal Journal serves as a chronicle of the player's unique adventure in the Jacabee Code MMO Game. It is the only place you can see the secrets behind the glyphs. The Jacabee Code is part of a larger “story” that will be revealed in good time. When you take part in the quest to crack the code you have the exclusive ability to write your very own book starring Abby, Dooley, Baldy and YOU!

With this special diary, kids write with invisible ink markers and then shine the UV mini-light on the page to read what they’ve written. Each set comes with a locking 240-page diary with two keys, a mini UV-light and two invisible ink pens in a 6.5” x 7” x 1.5” magnetic-closure keepsake box. Varieties include Fairy, Castle, Princess Pea, Dragon, Baby Deer, Firebird, Degas and Merlin. “A perfect gift, the My Invisible Diary sets combine the secret elements of invisible ink with a personal diary and a special keepsake box decorated with beautiful artwork,” Elizabeth Carpenter of Mazeology told TDmonthly. Launch date: September 1, 2007.

This 120-page activity book includes mazes, word games, puzzles, stickers and more for on-the-go fun.
— “[TRIPtivity] is going to be a big hit because it’s less expensive than the other ones,” Valla Wagner, co-owner of Teaching Toys & Books in Tacoma, Wash., told TDmonthly when discussing the Klutz line in March 2009.
— Six of 64 retailers named products by Klutz as best-selling travel toys in spring 2009.

Curious about what is hidden in invisible ink? So is Curious George. Help him discover the hidden world. The Special Pen reveals the invisibly printed pictures. Then match your stickers to the appropriate spot. Each book includes 24 pages of fun, a special pen and stickers.
— Kim Haynes, co-owner of Lollipop Toy Store in Dawsonville, Ga., told TDmonthly in spring 2009 that her store sells about $300 a month of the Magic Pen books, “if I can keep it in stock.”
— Four of 64 retailers named products from Lee Publications when discussing best-selling travel toys in March 2009.

In this word game activity book, kids fill in the blanks about their own family members on topics such as “Family Ghost Stories” and “Famous Ancestors.”
— Barbara Paeth Haas, owner of The Durango Kid in Durango, Colo., said in spring 2009 that Mad Libs sell so well she can’t keep them in stock.
— “A lot of people choose things like Mad Libs for travel specifically because they're very compact and they're entertaining for a while, and they just seem to be one of those perennially popular items,” Gini Wingard-Phillips, owner of Math ‘n’ Stuff in Seattle, told TDmonthly in March 2009.

Designed to give children ideas for creative filming while using the home video camera, this book includes a slate to mark takes, outlines gimmicks and gags, and provides step-by-step instructions on cool techniques, such as staging disappearances or fight scenes (where no one gets hurt). The guide is authored by John Cassidy and Nicholas Berger.
— “It's the Klutz that sells best,” said Patti Tepper-Rasmussen, owner of Learning Tree Toys in Oklahoma City, Okla., during an April 2009 survey of best-selling playsets and activity kits. 
— “Klutz is probably still my No. 1 seller. They have lots going on,” Pat Jensen, owner of Northwind Kites in Anchorage, Alaska, told TDmonthly. 
— “I sell a huge amount of Klutz books,” said Amy Barrett, owner of Lasso the Moon Wonderful Toys in Helena, Mont., in spring 2009.

Based on the new Spitzer Hall of Human Origins in the American Museum of Natural History which opens in February 2007, The Book of The Genome takes the young reader to the cutting edge of science, exploring and examining the tools by which we study our origins, some of the milestones in human origins, human movement across the Planet and the beginnings of being human through language, music, art and tools.

The Handstand Kids Chinese Cookbook kit features easy-to-learn recipes, such as The Great Wall of Chicken Lettuce Wraps, while teaching about the Great Wall of China; and Kung Pow! (Kung Pao Tofu), which shows characters doing karate. The Handstand Kids Chinese Cookbook introduces readers to the Mandarin language and comes in an adorable takeout box with a pair of child-friendly chopsticks. "The Chinese Cookbook introduces kids to the language, culture, and food of China in a delicious and healthy way! Children learn about new countries while gaining cooking skills that will assist them in being healthy and interested in the world around them," Yvette Garfield, creator of Handstand Kids, told TDmonthly. Launch date: May 2009.

Teddy, bib, pacifier, sheep: The charming illustratedpictures fuarantee first watching and reading fun. In these handy books children will discover lots of familir objects and will learn to name and read!

Suitable for children in grades K through 4, this activity book covers basic geometry through exercises that include drawing shapes of animals and more advanced practice in shape analysis and logic.

This activity book is designed to hold children’s interest and they build fine motor skills, and features more than 200 age-appropriate learning activities and 284 stickers.

This activity book is designed to hold children’s interest and they build fine motor skills, and features more than 200 age-appropriate learning activities and 284 stickers.

Press a song button on the guitar and sing along to popular children’s songs. Lyrics are printed in the book. Roll the bar on the guitar to play the melody note by note. Includes five song triggers.

Kids help Thomas take photos from around Sodor. “Digital camera” module includes buttons for five spread animations with sound effects, a flash snapshot button, and a slideshow button. Kids watch the LED animation and press the snapshot button to capture a still ‘photo’ that they can then view by pressing the slideshow button. Each spread animation can have six ‘photos’ and each ‘photo’ is accompanied by a sound effect.

Children will love using the real working flashlight included with this book to cast shadows on the book and the pop-ups that are on each spread. The flashlight includes five fun sounds.