January 2009 Notable Toys — Books

At home or away, little adventurers will enjoy engaging in wild pastimes with magnetic Sudoku, tangrams and other games, and venturing on safari in imaginative play scenes. There are 18 games, puzzles and play scenes, more than 100 magnets, a zipper bag for storage, and a handy flip-over magnetic back cover. Launch date: July 2008.

Young princesses make their way through palaces and enchanted forests as they have a ball with memory and strategy games, Sudoku, imaginative play scenes and tangram puzzles. This activity includes 18 games, puzzles and play scenes, more than 100 magnets, and a zipper bag for storage. "The Mega MagnaForms has a magnetic foldover back cover [that] allows easy movement to play games and provides endless fun for play on the go or at home," Rasheen Hewlett, marketing assistant for Peter Pauper Press, told TDmonthly. Launch date: July 2008.

Kids can trace the illustrations of Princess Bella and her adventures and watch her colorful story unfold. Launch date: February 2005.

This activity features a scratch garden filled with bright flowers and lively fairies. Kids will see their artwork blossom on rainbow-swirled and gold, silver and purple glitter pages. They can use the sketch pages to draw their own designs. Scratch & Sketch "inspire[s] kids of all ages to become more creative and imaginative," Rasheen Hewlett, marketing assistant for Peter Pauper Press, told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2007.

This product includes 20 super-cool drawing and design projects, from hieroglyphics to superheroes to Van Gogh. It comes with punch-out, reusable stencils kids can use in their designs. "Easy-to-handle wire-o binding makes each book user friendly," Rasheen Hewlett, marketing assistant for Peter Pauper Press, told TDmonthly. It was a 2006 NAPPA Honors award winner. Launch date: 2003.
— Debbie Rogers, owner of Bear and Friends in Johnson City, Tenn., told TDmonthly in a January 2012 survey that they sell a dozen or so Scratch and Sketch books each month, making them a top selling arts and crafts item.
— In an April 2015 survey, two out of 10 retailers told TDmonthly that scratch art was a best-selling travel toy.

Trendy designers can create their own fashions — party dresses, jeans, T-shirts, flip flops, sunglasses, bags and jewelry — by scratching away the black coating with the handy wooden stylus to reveal the swirl patterns and holographic colors in their hot new wardrobes. Launch date: June 2008.

Kids can learn all about Batman's crime-fighting friends and fierce foes, from The Riddler to Robin, The Penguin to Poison Ivy, as they copy 20 simple sketches of these world-class heroes and villainous criminals. They use the handy wooden stylus to scratch away the black coating on the pages and see Gotham City's characters come to life in swirl patterns and glitter colors that appear in the artwork like magic. "Our Scratch & Sketch products are great because they inspire kids of all ages to become more creative and imaginative. Kids are never limited to any one design, the colors are beautiful, and the activity promotes hand-eye coordination," Rasheen Hewlett, in marketing at Peter Pauper Press, told TDmonthly. Launch date: May 8, 2008.

All-inclusive, hand-drawn, step-by-step drawings are combined with watercolor instruction and come with classical music that innovatively provides the means to shift into the right/creative mode of thinking. The ready-to-go, eco-friendly portfolio includes the "Definitely Drawing and Watercolor" workbook, a classical music CD, a watercolor pencil set, a sharpener, a paintbrush, a sketch-pad and a pencil. The combination of materials "[creates] an optimal environment for children to produce watercolor masterpieces," Owner Cheryl Miller of Rock N Go LLC told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 2009.

Kids can create and illustrate their own story in an accordion book, then mount it in a box with a cover that they design. The kit includes enough materials to create three box books, plus one special house-shaped book. "Eye Can Art kits provide an open-ended art experience with high-quality materials and clear instuctions. All kits are multi-use, meaning the projects can be done with a friend, sibling, family member, or multiple times by the same child," Shannon Ninburg, co-owner of Eye Can Art, told TDmonthly. Launch date: December 2008.
Awards: 2009 Creative Child Top Toy of the Year Award

Young artists can dive in for hours of fun and creativity as their artwork appears like magic while they learn about 20 of the ocean's most fascinating creatures. "Our Scratch & Sketch products are great because they inspire kids of all ages to become more creative and imaginative. Kids are never limited to any one design, the colors are beautiful, and the activity promotes hand-eye coordination," Rasheen Hewlett, marketing assistant for Peter Pauper Press, told TDmonthly. "Easy-to-handle wire-o binding makes each book user friendly." Launch date: June 2005.

Snuggle up with a toddler and explore these themed picture books with
soft covers and sturdy cardboard pages. Other titles include "My Toys" ($8) and "Good Night" ($8). Launch date: February 2009.

Paper Posie's newest book, the just-published Flower Girl A to Z, is written in rhyme and filled with colorful, trendy photographs that help Flower Girls learn about their new roles in the wedding. 

6-1/4" x 6-1/4" Hardcover, 32 pages.
Illustrated throughout, includes mirror.

When Zebby and Amr create the website thetruthabouttruman.com, they want it to be honest. They want it to be about the real Truman Middle School, to say things that the school newspaper would never say, and to give everyone a chance to say what they want to say, too.

It's a spring morning on the farm. Grandma is happy the grandkis are visiting—they've picked just the right day!—and Grandpa is fixing breakfast. Suddenly his grandson reports that the cows have got loose! He thinks Big Brown Bessie just stepped on a goose! "Good gracious," Grandpa says as he pours himself a glass of milk.

In the rainforest, where Argentina meets Brazil, a frog with a very big mouth catches an enormous fly. Impressed with himself, he sets out along the path to find someone else to amaze. “I’ve eaten the biggest FLY in the whole world!” he brags. “Don’t you wish you were ME?”

Author Bob Raczka thinks it’s a neat coincidence that the word “spring,” like so many of its happy activities, ends in “ing.” Nature is busy budding and flowering; baby animals are being born; gardeners are planting; and everywhere children are running and playing.

A child spends restless nights awakened by distracting sounds, turns them into a symphony, and is finally able to sleep undisturbed. This bedtime story introduces days of the week and elements of music. Enrichment activities that complement this book can be downloaded free from www.wocto.com (Binn, Lara. Illus by Valia Ovseyko, 16 pages ) "A delightful little bedtime story that is music to the ears." — Joan Kurland, Music Teacher; Artist 2008 CD: Looking Up: Songs of Hope

Curious things happen when a brother and sister befriend an eccentric centenarian and invite her home for tea. Online lesson plans to complement this pre-chapter picture book are available for free at www.wocto.com First in the Jakry Kids series. (Jakary, Lin. Illus by Ryan Olson, 28 pages) "As an educational therapist and reading specialist, I found The Jakry Kids: Curiosity Shop to be a jewel. This is a book that you don’t have to urge your kids to read. It’s a book that they’ll be begging you to read." —Christy Hendrickson, MD, CET
Awards: A TDmonthly Classics Award for being an all-time favorite children's product.
— As of 7/21/2011 this product had 5 out of 5 stars from 1 review on Amazon.com.

This tale of adventure and friendship takes place in the enchanted land of New Mexico, and finds best friends Nimbu and Cirra in a predicament with the moon. As they are pulled into a sky full of possibilities, they wonder if their secret wish will come true. Enrichment activities that complement this book can be downloaded free from www.wocto.com (Wells, Zia. Illus by Rodrigo Gonzalez, 48 pages) "A gift of myth and wonder." — Richard Louv, Author of Last Child in the Woods; 2008 Audubon Medal Recipient

A young boy attempts to solve the mystery of his missing sock, only to realize that his sock has run away, and is quite possibly leading an adventurous life of its own. Mystery. Humor. Enrichment activities that complement this book can be downloaded free from www.wocto.com (Jakary, Lin. Illus by Ryan Olson, 40 pages ) "Children can relate to the hero’s troubles and excitedly share their own past frustrations. This will be a well-worn favorite." — Linda Hartner Coffman, M.A., Elementary School Teacher
Awards: A TDmonthly Classics Award for being an all-time favorite children's product.
— As of 7/21/2011 this product had 5 out of 5 stars from 1 review on Amazon.com.

This student activity fun book includes a comprehensive teacher's guide and engaging workbook pages which provides incremental instruction in using the KidsRuler, from inches, to half-inches, to quarters. Additionally, it includes a fraction review, and covers feet and yards, and perimeter and diameter. It features reproducible pages and is also available on CD

Gisela wakes up for a very exciting day. Someone new is coming to the castle. And Gisela is going to become a member of Papa's Court. All in the same day! The little princess can hardly wait for the day to begin...

This classic from Dr. Seuss takes children on a rhyming adventure through riddles and puns. Hardcover, 63 pages.

This paperback by Joy Massof and illustrated by Terry Sirrell lets kids indulge their nasty side while getting a bit of education. More than 50 topics are covered, including acne, maggots, halitosis and snot. Cartoons and experiments, such as making fake snot, add to the fun. Paperback, 224 pages. Launch date: January 2000.