The irrepressible, ever-original Sandra Boynton introduces a brand new Boynton board book. “Your Personal Penguin” is a read-aloud, listen-along favorite for young children and the grown-ups who read to them. Fun to hold, the book tells the story of a slightly bewildered hippo and the loyal penguin who wants nothing more than to be his pal.

Contemplate the Patterns of the Universe as you color! Math is at the heart of many natural wonders and has an abstract beauty all its own—in the silhouette of a snowflake, the spiral seeds of a sunflower, and the symmetry of the Sri Yantra mandala. From the 4-D hypercube that casts a starlike shadow, to the infinite pattern of Penrose tiles that never perfectly repeats, these 57 exquisite designs reveal their secrets as you fill them with color. Art becomes an act of discovery—no math knowledge is required! In the bonus Creating section, as you join dots, flip coins, and follow other simple steps, 12 surprising images will emerge before your eyes. This is an adventure for all ages—and a treasure for artists in Numberland!

EyeLike Stickers are the freshest, most vibrant sticker books on the market with 400 high-quality photographic stickers in each book.
— Syd Clarke, owner of Ali-Cat in Carrboro, N.C., told TDmonthly in a December 2014 interview that EyeLike Stickers: Halloween is one of their best-selling Halloween toys.

A life lesson that all parents want their children to learn: It's OK to make a mistake. In fact, hooray for mistakes! A mistake is an adventure in creativity, a portal of discovery. A spill doesn't ruin a drawing—not when it becomes the shape of a goofy animal. And an accidental tear in your paper? Don't be upset about it when you can turn it into the roaring mouth of an alligator. Barney Saltzberg, the effervescent spirit behind Good Egg, offers a one-of-a-kind interactive book that shows young readers how every mistake is an opportunity to make something beautiful. A singular work of imagination, creativity, and paper engineering, Beautiful Oops! is filled with pop-ups, lift-the-flaps, tears, holes, overlays, bends, smudges, and even an accordion "telescope"—each demonstrating the magical transformation from blunder to wonder. The smudge becomes the face of a bunny, a crumpled ball of paper turns into a lamb's fleecy coat—celebrate the oops in life.
— Emily Bieritz, manager of The Toy Box in Amherst, Mass., told TDmonthly in a December 2014 interview that Beautiful Oops is one of the best-selling books at their store.

Indestructibles are the books built for the way babies read. They are 100 percent baby-proof, chew-proof, rip-proof, and drool-proof. Printed on a unique nontoxic, paperlike material that holds up to anything babies can throw at it—gumming, spilling, dragging across the floor— Indestructibles are the little books that could. They’re indestructible. And if they get dirty, just throw them in the washing machine or dishwasher. Baby Babble is a first vocabulary book, featuring baby at the table: spoon, banana, cheese. Baby at play: blocks, teddy bear. Inside baby’s house: lamp, socks, crib. Outside baby’s window: cloud!
— Dan Marshall, co-owner of Peapods Natural Toys & Baby Care in St. Paul, Minn., told TDmonthly in a December 2013 survey that this is one of their best-selling books.

This small paperback contains 517 full-color, thought-provoking puzzles and mental games designed to stretch neurons and shake up the usual way of thinking. The puzzles are organized in 12 tuypes with 10 levels of difficulty, each designed to make the reader feel more curious, intuitive, engaged and smarter. It’s written by Ivan Moscovich, an internationally acclaimed inventor, puzzler, toy and game designer and artist.

This Brain Quest write and erase format is geared to give the earliest learners a leg up on writing, reading, and using number. Featuring an attached pack of 40 large, write-on, wipe-off cards plus a dry-erase pen, each deck teaches a critical skill to help children learn to read before kindergarten. These are practical lessons that are also fun, entertaining, and informative. Phonics teaches early reading with fill-ins for long and short vowels and basic consonant sounds, letter scrambles, complete-the-words, and more.
— ''We just got [the Phonics write & erase sets] in, and we sold 18 last month,'' said Gwen Bowden, manager of Doodlehopper for Kids in Springfield, Va.
— ''Brainquest work books and cards go the fastest,'' seconded Susan Blanton, owner of Pufferbellies in Staunton, Va.
— In a November 2011 survey 2 out of 12 retailers said that Brainquest was their best selling educational item. “Brain Quest (Workman Publishing) has always done well for us," Chris Lowe, owner of Beanhead Toys in Sandy Springs, Ga., told TDmonthly. Mike DiAndrea, manager of Hardware Toys in Paoli, Pa., told TDmonthly that sell about 30 units of Brain Quest each month.

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.

In this book of Scanimation visual effects, readers see an ice skater doing a pirouette, a boy riding his bike, a girl kicking a soccer ball, and more. The multi-phase animation used in the book is an awe-inspiring technology patented by artist and inventor Rufus Butler Seder.
— In a December 2011 survey about books, Donna Frederick owner of The Play House Toy Store in Durham, N.C., told TDmonthly that Scanimation books were her best selling titles. "People like it because it's fun like a flip book. Even adults like them. We sell out of them all the time," she said. 

A first book of motion for kids, the book shows a variety of animals in motion, including a horse in full gallop, a turtle swimming up the page, a dog running, a cat springing, an eagle soaring and a butterfly fluttering. Scanimation is a state-of-the-art six-phase animation process that combines the "persistence of vision" principle with a striped acetate overlay to give the illusion of movement, reminiscent of the kinetoscope days. Rhyming text full of simple questions and nonsense replies accompany the animations. Launch date: November 2007.
- “They are so cool. …. We've sold so many, people are coming in and asking [for it] because someone they know bought one,” Phil Wrzesinski, owner of Toy House and Baby Too in Jackson, Mich., told TDmonthly in November 2008.
- “We're bringing in hundreds,” said Theresa Oppenheim, owner of Toy World in Wayzata, Minn.
- “Everyone is coming in to see these,” agreed Peg Scholtes, owner of Capitol Kids in Madison, Wis.

Open Granny's purse (yes, she said it’s OK) and enter a treasure chest of mementos and magic. A unique, 14-page, die-cut storybook crammed with interactive features and surprises for ages 4 and up, it contains a whole life waiting to be discovered.