November 2011 New Specialty Toys — Books

In addition to true, but gross, humorous, interesting and wacky stories and facts, Arizona Way Out West & Wacky and Arizona Way Out West & Witty: Library Edition make reading about Arizona’s history fun through word searches, crossword puzzles, coloring pages, recipes, crafts and many other amusing activities.

Learning to Play Piano is designed for the parent and child to experience making music together. The pre-primer method book is filled with active participatory activities: writing in note names, tracing hands, writing in finger numbers, clapping, singing and playing melodies. The pull-out Keyboard Tent (included) provides a fun visual reference to associate notes on the page to keys on the piano. Children learn to play familiar melodies with their right hand gain the readiness skills needed to graduate to any commercially available piano method. The full-color book is filled with words of encouragement and praise from the familiar Debbie and Friends cartoon character. 24 pages.

During an ordinary visit to the library, a girl pulls a not-so-ordinary book from the shelves. As she turns the pages in this book about coral reefs, the city around her slips away and she finds herself surrounded by the coral cities of the sea and the mysterious plants and animals that live, hunt, and hide there.

Discover the many wonders of the world in this amazing illustrated tour of some of the most interesting places on Earth. Each spread focuses on one destination, and the amazingly intricate artwork gives readers a visual flavor of the place, with masses to look at and discover the more you look. There are links from one place to the next – historical, geographical, natural history or just simple proximity – for example, there is an ancient Egyptian obelisk in NY’s central park, with two sister obelisks in Paris and London. Find the one in the Central Park using Google™ Earth co-ordinates and it gives you the clue to where you will be going next. You will also need to solve a puzzle with the help of Google™ Earth to collect co-ordinates for your final secret location – again on Google™ Earth. For instance, the puzzle tells you to visit the Statue of Liberty on Google™ Earth and to count the number of points on its crown. This number is one of the co-ordinates you need to find your final destination at the end of the book. Launch date: September 27, 2011.

Ricky is wishing for a Christmas tree to light up his family’s house, but Dad has been too busy—until today. Dad tries to pick out the first tree they come across at the market, but Ricky convinces him to buy the biggest tree they can find instead. While they’re trying to tie it onto their sled, the rope snaps and they tumble backward into the snow. Rather than getting angry, Dad starts a snowball fight with Ricky, and as they play together, Dad is reminded how much fun winter can be. A touching story about the strength of a bond between father and son, this colorful book featuring the lovable Ricky delivers an important message about what really matters during the holidays. Launch date: Fall 2011.

A hair-raising, thrilling sled ride down a snowy hill tests Piggy's mettle in this amusing picture book. His parents don't want him to slide by himself, but he can't resist. Soon he whizzes past alligators in fetching Nordic sweaters and dodges a legion of penguins in silly hats toting a long pair of skis, narrowly avoiding one mishap after another. Over, under, around, or through, Piggy must make split-second decisions to safely reach Mom and Dad at the bottom of the hill. Launch date: October 1, 2011.

Ian's new potty makes him feel like a big boy. He is excited to know he will wear real underpants and go to the potty, but the new system will take some getting used to. Ian sits on the potty, but nothing happens. When he is out playing, he feels a tickle in his tummy, and his pants are wet. This sympathetic story about a universal situation will help children understand that mastering this new skill takes time and patience, and everyone is entitled to a few slip-ups. Ian wears big boy underpants, builds a big boy fort, eats a big boy sandwich, and finally learns to use the potty like the big boy he knows he is. When he achieves his goal, it is time to help mom empty the potty, wash his hands, and go outside to play with the other big boys. Launch date: November 2011.

Miss Lina’s ballerinas have all learned how to dance as a group. But now Miss Lina has a new surprise for them – a boy will be joining their class and performing in their end-of-year show. The girls have grand visions of dancing their first pas de deux with a prince. But when he finds himself surrounded by so much pink and so many girls, he turns quite shy, and dances his way out the door.

It is Christmas time and Kevin is discovering all of his family’s holiday traditions. He wonders why Mom put a tree inside the house; she tells him that it’s a Christmas tree for decorating with shiny ornaments, little lights, and a golden star at the top. Then Kevin helps Mom prepare Christmas dinner for all of their relatives and is excited to exchange presents with everybody. Even though he loves the special food and is grateful for his presents, Kevin learns that his favorite part of Christmas is getting to spend time with the people he cares about. With simple language and bright illustrations, this festive story focuses on the joys and delights of experiencing a holiday through the eyes of a child. Launch date: September 1, 2011.

The fun traditions of Halloween are celebrated in this engaging picture book in which the whole family prepares for the big day. Daddy carves the pumpkin into a scary monster face, while Mommy makes pumpkin soup and pumpkin cakes with the trimmings. Everyone makes scary costumes for the neighborhood Halloween party. After bobbing for apples, the children travel door to door collecting sweets and singing scary songs. When the excitement is over, the makeup and costumes come off, and it is time to crawl into bed, forget about the ghosts and goblins, and dream of next year's celebration. Simple shapes and just the right amount of spooky suspense introduce youngsters to a favorite holiday. Launch date: Fall 2011.

The fog in Foggytown was so thick that people bumped into parking meters . . . and streetlamps . . . and each other. So Joey and Chloe's parents decide it's time to move. But Joey and Chloe love their house. And as it turns out, their house loves them . . . and has a very special and utterly fantastic way of taking matters into its own hands. Comic- and picture-book star Mark Siegel has spun a delightful and compelling fantasy for young picture book readers, illustrated in a unique style that combines elements of traditional picture book, comic, and animation art.

Dragons exist. They’re ferocious. And they’re smart: Before they were killed off by slayer-knights, they rendered a select group of eggs dormant, so their offspring would survive. Only a handful of people know about this, let alone believe it – these “Slayers” are descended from the original knights, and are now a diverse group of teens that includes Tori, a smart but spoiled senator’s daughter who didn’t sign up to save the world. The dragon eggs have fallen into the wrong hands. The Slayers must work together to stop the eggs from hatching. They will fight; they will fall in love. But will they survive? Launch date: September 27, 2011.
— As of 11/23/2011 this book had 4.4 out of 5 stars from 10 reviews on Amazon.com.

Derek Fallon gets the opportunity of a lifetime—to be a stunt boy in a major movie featuring a pretty teen starlet. After accepting the job he learns that he is the star's stunt double and must wear a wig! His friends are never going to let him live this down. If that weren’t his only problem, his parents are threatening to give away his pet monkey, and his best friend just posted an embarrassing video of him on YouTube. Can life get any worse? Still the irrepressible Derek takes it all in stride and even manages to save the day. Launch date: Fall 2011.

Ever since he was an infant, Pigeon Jones has lived on the back of an artistically gifted white elephant named Birch. Birch is a loving father, but that doesn’t stop Pigeon from wondering about the human parents who abandoned him. Birch has dreams, too—of being a well-known artist, and of finding the acrobat he fell in love with while they performed together in a circus years ago. And so, on Pigeon’s tenth birthday, their search for fame and lost loves begins. Pigeon and Birch paint their way across the world, dodging an evil circus ringleader, freeing zoo animals, and befriending singing hoboes along the way. But when they reach the end of their journey, Birch must master the most difficult art of all: letting go and allowing his beloved Pigeon to stand on his own two feet. Launch date: Fall 2011.

Surprise, absurdity, and laugh-out-loud humor are the hallmarks of this New York Times-bestselling author, and in Killer Koalas from Outer Space, Griffiths offers up a collection of ridiculous stories featuring zombie kittens, rocket stealing ants, and of course, killer koalas from outer space. Launch date: Fall 2011.

When Garnet's mother decides it's time for a change, she drops off her daughter at her aunt June's house  in Black Rock, Virginia, while she goes to Florida to find a job. Garnet has never met her Aunt June, so she feels angry and abandoned. But Aunt June thinks Garnet is there for a reason. Each week, Garnet and June visit a different religious service as Aunt June, who has cancer, tries to find God. After a miraculous spiritual healing occurs and an unexpected visitor comes to town, Garnet learns the power of love and forgiveness, and what being a family truly means. Launch date: Fall 2011.

This 8 page picture features include a ladybug beeper, a foil mirror, a crunchy sounding wing, and a pop-up rainbow. Different textures are used for multi-sensory development. The fabric is washable and detachable.

Introduce young children to water-color painting with Palette Pages Painting Books. Each painting page comes complete with its own palette of watercolors, ready to use. Just dip the brush in water and apply. Books feature 12 pages of black and white line art for painting and early-learning themes. Each book includes a sturdy fold-under painting page protector sheet, as well as a few handy painting tips for young artists. Launch date: February 2012.

Striking out into the wasteland with nothing but her baby sister, a handful of supplies, and a rumor to guide her, sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone survives only to be captured by the people of Sylum, a dystopian society where women rule the men who drastically outnumber them, and a kiss is a crime.  In order to see her sister again, Gaia must submit to their strict social code, but how can she deny her sense of justice, her curiosity, and everything in her heart that makes her whole? Launch date: November 8, 2011.
— As of 11/11/2011 this book had 4.5 out of 5 stars from 6 reviews on Amazon.com.
— As of 11/11/2011 this book had 4.22 out of 5 stars from 179 ratings on Goodreads.com.

This new adaptation of Dee Brown's multi-million copy bestseller, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, is filled with photographs and maps to bring alive the tragic saga of Native Americans for middle grade readers. Focusing on the Sioux nation as representative of the entire Native American story, this meticulously researched account allows the great chiefs and warriors to speak for themselves about what happened to the Sioux from 1860 to the Massacre of Wounded Knee in 1891. This dramatic story is essential reading for every student of U.S. history. Launch date: October 25, 2011.

Everything kids need to fly like a pro, indoors or out. Our three only-from-Klutz, rubber band powered airplanes have been carefully engineered for coolness, from the extra-large Firebird (an impressive 19-inch wingspan), to the acrobatic Lightning Looper (it really loops), to the Shooting Star (which makes such tight turns kids can fly it in the living room). Simple directions explain how to assemble the planes from the included parts and, just as importantly, how to fly them for maximum performance. And by experimenting with the variations in the book, junior aviators will learn basic principles of aerodynamics and physics.
— Mary Porter Green, owner of The Curiosity Zone in Ashburn, Va., told TDmonthly in a November 2011 survey that Klutz flying books are her best selling flying toy.
— In a November 2013 survey, Mary Porter Green, owner of Curiosity Zone in Ashburn, Va., told TDmonthly that they sell several of these books each month.
— In a December 2013 survey three out of 10 retailers said that Klutz made their best-selling books.

This original series of electronic Discover the-Sound Books allow kids to explore  backyard, farm, rain forest and pond scenes to discover the animals who live there. Each book has a sound module that plays an animal sound. Available in English and Bilingual versions (English/ French, English/ Spanish). Launch date: January 2012.

Parents can have fun with their child as they practice early learning skills with Water Magic™, an exciting new educational format by Beaver Books Publishing. This series of educational discovery books includes four colorful discovery scenes that are magically revealed with the Water Magic™ brush. The engaging activities presented above each scene reinforce the basics of each subject while keeping children entertained. Titles include Alphabet Zoo, Candy Counting, Bug Play: Matching, Circus Colors and more. Launch date: 2011.

There's a new busy word book in town—and Ugly has never looked better. Uglydoll characters are sharing their bright and colorful Uglyverse down to the tiniest detail. Featuring over 563 labeled wacky and regular words, readers will have a blast with lots and lots to search for, point to, and wonder about.