January 2010 Notable Toys — Books

This nifty book provides a script that highlights junior's parts, plus has masks for characters to wear.

Children learn that common shapes can be found everywhere in this 8-page, bathtime, anytime fun book. Launch date: September 1999.

From three snowy white polar bears to seven fluffy bunnies, kids will love reading the 10-page rhyming board book and counting to ten with all the wonderful numbers in nature! Next, they can use the game cards to match all the animal sets. Launch date: September 2009.

The Liberty Cow is a New York Moolette. Moo's "Moo York Adventure: A Bovine's Guide to New York City" is both a story book and activity book. The book includes fun facts, funny photo mooments, stickers, coloring pages and plenty of room for you to cowmemorate your Moo York Adventure. Have more stories to tell? Download additional pages for your Moo York Cowpanion Passport. The gift set comes packaged in a recycled gift bag.

The My Cow Moo Cowbination Set includes an adorable Moolette (toy version of Moo) and our award winning book, "Moo Becomes a Cash Cow". Moo's book is designed to open the dialog about want vs need and the importance of saving your moola! Hopefully, Moo’s storybook will inspire your child to cowtinue her tales with her Moo Cow. Moo's books are printed on FSC-certified paper and soy ink. The gift set comes packaged in a recycled gift bag.

Deborah Zemke has shown how to make fun, easy, and personality-filled doodles with her books D Is for Doodle, Doodle a Zoodle, 2 Is for Toucan, and Doodles to Go. Now children can doodle at mealtimes with these placemats, featuring 36 doodles from her books. Bound together as a pad—so there's always another placemat ready when one has been used—this set makes the perfect gift and will liven up dinners at home and in restaurants, picnics, and birthday parties.

Liven up lunchtime with these placemats, which teach kids how to turn an A into an Alligator, a Z into a Zebra, and a number 9 into a hot air balloon. The tear-off pad means there’s always a new placemat when you need one. Deborah Zemke has shown how to make fun, easy, and personality-filled doodles with her books D Is for Doodle, Doodle a Zoodle, 2 Is for Toucan, and Doodles to Go.

Famous for its innovative, inspired, and distinctive home-decor designs, DwellStudio™ has come out with this accordion board book featuring designs from tis bestselling children's line. Say hello to a hippo, a bunny and even a kangaroo. Colorful and stylish, this sturdy board book is perfect for children and parents on the go or as a delightful display in any room.

Famous for its innovative, inspired, and distinctive home-decor designs, DwellStudio™ debuts with this beautiful counting board book featuring designs from its beststelling children's line. Children will count colorful birds from one to five. Playful and stylish, this sturdy board book is perfect for children and parents at home or on the go. Just the right size - and style - for little hands.

This gift set includes two fun SAMi books about eating and a washable nylon bib with a SAMi illustration. It's the perfect way to make mealtime into reading time!

Kids can discover the complex inner-workings of a pirate ship, from the roaring raids on a Spanish galleon to the salvage mission of a sunken vessel. From the outer decks to the crew’s quarters, this book reveals various parts of the pirate life. Intricate illustrations show the smallest details and may cause some laughs as readers notice funny scenes hidden inside the ship. It features naval battle scenes, a sunken ship panorama, and even pirates dropping cannon balls. Kids can peek behind decks, windows and hulls to unfold panoramic foldouts. The following page gives a breakdown of each scene with clear explanations, interesting facts and more illustrations. "Panoramic gatefolds and wonderfully engaging illustrations reveal the rich and colorful scenes of a pirate ship," Jessica Lemp, Marketing Assistant, Langenscheidt Publishing Group, told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2010.

Girls can peek behind foldouts and flaps to uncover a treasure of royal secrets from favorite fairy tale princesses, such as Cinderella, Thumbelina and Snow White. The life of a Princess is one of diamonds, ball gowns and handsome princes, but it’s also filled with little secrets. How did the Princess feel the pea? What lies in Sleeping Beauty’s spell book? Launch date: November 2009.

Kids can discover the complex inner-workings of a castle, from the lavish banquet hall of the lord and lady to the soldiers arming the battlements, and from the outer moat to the inner chamber. Intricate, full-color illustrations show the minute detail, and funny scenes are hidden in the art behind the castle wall. Readers can peek behind doors, windows and walls, and open panoramic foldouts, then find a breakdown of each scene on the next page. Launch date: 2010.

This handbook covers everything from when dinosaurs lived to when they disappeared, how they grew up to the different varieties that existed, and more. Foldout pages and flaps that lift reveal further information to make discovering facts about dinosaurs a fun and educational experience. "This unique book combines fresh, interactive design and eye-catching illustration to make an educational topic fun," Jessica Lemp, Marketing Assistant, Langenscheidt Publishing Group, told TDmonthly. Launch date: November 2009.

This handbook is designed to explain global warming in a simple-to-understand, fun-to-read way. Kids will discover how global warming affects us all, what a carbon footprint is, what greenhouse gases are, and more. Foldout pages and flaps lift to reveal further information to make discovering facts about global warming a fun and educational experience. Launch date: November 2009.

This fold-out handbook answers kids' questions, such as, "Where do clouds come from? What is wind? Why does it rain? How are rainbows formed?" Foldout pages and flaps that lift to reveal further information are designed to make discovering facts about the weather a fun and educational experience. Launch date: November 2009.

Jordan Weisman, co-creator of the acclaimed Cathy’s Book series, launches an interactive trilogy based on the 2012 end-of-world Mayan prophecies. Nathan Richards learns on his 13th birthday that his destiny is to be challenged by the Mayan god Kukulkan in a game that decides the fate of the human race. Read the Book - Play the Game - Save the World. "The combination of book and game board with 11 game pieces and dice engages the reader to interact with the story — as our hero plays the game, so can the reader. Play the game online in a single player mode against the computer or a two player mode against anyone anywhere in the world. The online game will also act as decoder ring where specific locations on the board will give players background fiction on the book's characters and teaser fiction about what happens in the next book," Geri DiTella, Marketing Coordinator, Running Press Book Publishers, told TDmonthly. Launch date: April 2010.
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The denim tool belt holds a saw, hammer, screwdriver and pliers. The box also includes four illustrated board books that describe how each tool works. The box is 8.5" x 6.5" x 6.5".

In Robby The Blue Koala Rides The Discovery Express, Giftofhappiness Media Productions uses fun antics and colorful animation to make learning opportunities out of entertainment. "Parents and teachers see Robby as educational programming disguised as entertainment. Kindergarten fundamentals have never been so easily accessible. But shhh! Let the kids enjoy and keep the secret between us," Giftofhappiness Owner and Founder John Lawrence told TDmonthly.

Inspired by classic stringing bead toys, this innovative collection of 10 books in various shapes develops motor skills while introducing color, shape, and pattern in a wonderfully playful way. Children will have hours of fun reading this set as books, playing with them as blocks, or stringing them as beads. WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD—Small parts. Not for children under 3 years.

This 40-page hardcover delves into the Battle of Long Island during the Revolutionary War, as told by teacher Benjamin Tallmadge and other sources. It is written by Selena Castrovilla and illustrated by Bill Farnsworth. The book was named to the 2008 IRA Children's and Young Adults' Book Award Notable Book List. Launch date: April 2007.

The Adventures of Tommy the Tomato is an alphabet book geared towards ages 4-9. It follows Tommy the Tomato through his days in school where he learns from his classmates as well as his teachers. When reading "The Adventures of Tommy the Tomato", children go on an educational adventure alongside Tommy the Tomato. Throughout the book, Tommy encounters other fruits and vegetables, all of whom explain how they are beneficial to Tommy, and in the same breath, to the child reading.

Ever wondered if the light in the fridge stays on when you close the door? Fiber optics can light the way. It may sound like some supercomplicated electronic technology, but the basics are quite simple. Author Jim Becker helps kids understand what’s going on as they use the power of light to build 10 high-tech electronic projects, including a burglar alarm, an electronic rooster, and a flexible flashlight. The kit includes two preassembled workbenches (transmitter and receiver), three optical fiber rods and a connector, 26 hookup wires, two LED couplers, 12 activity cards , and a 12-panel fully illustrated booklet. "The retail feedback we have received tells us that there is not a similar product on the market," Darcy Morris, Director of Sales & Marketing, SmartLab Toys, told TDmonthly. Launch date: April 30, 2010.

Developed by Del Visionaries, the Little Green Money Machine is a gateway learning system designed to teach children lifelong skills, in addition to building confidence and self esteem. The book and storefront stand can be used at home, in the classroom, and with youth groups and fundraising projects. This system teaches children about money management and business, and lays the foundation to learn about entrepreneurship. The interactive book, "The Little Green Money Machine: Kids in Business Around the World," offers content, ideas and exercises to give children ages 7 to 14 the tools and know-how to run a business, set goals, and pursue their dreams. The storefront is an all-purpose business stand where children can set up actual business ventures and fundraisers and apply what they have learned in the book. It includes adjustable-height upright posts, five magnetic and dry erase banner areas for marketing and increased visibility, built-in cupholders, a built-in money tray with lock and key, a solar-powered calculator, and a storage area for marketing materials, such as brochures, fliers and business cards.