Toys and Games Books

Well written book for a collector and enthusiast. Loads of helpful information for any restoration project. Great photos and checklists.

a great book love it

I can't say enough good things about this book! Of course it has the usual "how to remove a tire" info, but the sections on rebuilding and refinishing a vintage bicycle are plain outstanding! The information is detailed without being overwhelming. And they also make sense to non-gearheads like me. The book also gives lots of sources for obtaining vintage and reproduction parts--with URLs that actually work! One of the things I liked best about the book is that the author places much emphasis on the decision making process involved in cleaning/repairing/restoring an old bike. As we all know, many collectible bikes (and collectibles of any kind!) have been ruined by over-enthusiastic owners wanting to make them "like new." It is obvious that Mr. Love LOVES his hobby, and delights in sharing it with other people. Highly recommended!

I am mainly into restoring classic British cars, but my interest in classic bicycles has always been strong. I have found this to be an excellent book for its coverage of the restoration process, for the many helpful technical tips sprinkled throughout, and for the high level historical information covering major categories of most commonly collected bikes.

Some of best financial advice in the book relates to finding and selecting reasonable project bikes (I have a bad habit of trying to "save" bikes needing major work and/or missing parts). The chapters "Finding and Evaluating a Bicycle" and "Choosing the Right Project" have helped to change my approach. As recently as this morning, after becoming enamoured with a certain 1920s era bicycle needing restoration, I checked page 12 and was tipped off that the expense of the single tube tires might be significant. A quick phone call verified the expense...saved!

This is a well written book and well worth the investment.

Of course there is the basic "how to remove a tire" information, but there are also lots of good tips on how to evaluate a purchase, some really clever and easy techniques for brightening up an old bike's appearance, plus many excellent "insider" resources for information and replacement parts...with URLs that actually work! He uses different "experts" to demonstrate how to do a factory finish on the bike, how to get it replated etc., and the information is detailed, specific and fun to read without being overwhelming. The author places much emphasis on deciding whether to restore or not, which is a good thing-- as we all know many wonderful collectible bikes (or collectible anything!) are ruined by owners eager to make them "like new." This book strikes me as a labor of love by a person who really loves his hobby and enjoys sharing it with other people. The mechanical info might be too basic for die-hard gearheads, but even they will benefit from the wonderful body work sections!

My students love this book. I do an assignment where my kinders create their own creatures and the images of the flip-page combined creatures. It also has good prompts for creative writing assignments for older students.

I got this for my 6yr old daughter and she loves it. The illustration is beautiful but what keeps my daughter asking for it is the puzzles in it. Great Book.

I am 13 and I found this book utterly intriging. With such fine detail Messenger shows us how to look at the world in different ways. I learn something new from this book everytime I look at it.
It would suit any age group, from 3 - 100.
I loved it and I'm sure that anyone else would think the same.
10/10

This book is filled with stimulating, intriguing artwork. Children of all ages will enjoy it. It is not a typical storybook. Instead, this is a buffet of thought provoking illustrations. You can explore the pages from different positions and see new things. Your mind will enjoy all of the possibilities presented as well as the puzzles in the corner of some pages. The artwork is beautifully detailed quickening your imagination to new perspectives.

"Imagine," is one of the most outstanding children's books I have had the privilege to review this year.
Inside the covers of this book, children will be able to interact as they imagine many different scenario's, for example; what different animals would look like with other animal heads or bottoms, and they will giggle up a storm as they give it a try.That is just the beginning of the fun as this read explodes into countless imagining for your child.
The illustrations are priceless and add flare to a book that is already top of the notch.
Parents, do not miss this one. Your children will be absolutely delighted with this book and it will give them hours of entertainment as their imagination soars. I give it my highest recommendation.

This charming book is a must read. I received it as a gift and couldn't put it down. It was heartwarming, funny and sometimes a little sad. It is a true tribute to the teddy bear which is loved by humanity and pets of all ages.

A wonderful book that I would recommend to any one whether they collect
bears or not. The true stories in this book are so touching and warm. I have
already read it many times. It is my favorite of any books on bears yet.

Do you just need to feel good? Want to believe that the world can be a better place? Then I highly recommend In Search of Teddy. It is beautifully written with some of the most heartfelt stories that I have ever read. Don't let the teddy bear cover fool you. This book is about the human condition and the beauty of living life and simple things. I am reading it a second time -- something that I rarely ever do. I have, also, purchased several copies for friends. I am a avid reader and this is my favorite book this year. You don't have to be a teddy bear collector to love this book, you just have to be human. This author has trulycaptured the human spirit. If there was ever a time for a feel good book, now is the time, and In Search of Teddy is the book.I LOVE THIS BOOK.

I have seen hundreds of BEAR BOOKS and seem to read the same things over and over again..until picking this heartwarming tribute! There could never be a more fitting tribute to the annniversary of the Teddy Bear than these TRUE stories and Tales FROM THE HEART of a woman who obviously knows how to bring a smile to our faces and a tear to our eye! I am not one to sit with a book but have found myself unable to put it down reading it from cover to cover over and over and finding more in each story than before! Each of the many photographs in the book is a masterpiece in itself and I am looking forward to the day when we can purchase the prints and maybe even greeting cards with the pictures shown! I applaud and admire the writers kind and gentle soul and thank her for bringing peace and love back into our lives at a time when its needed most! A great gift for those you love. A must for your coffee table collection or bedside foe a rainy night... even if you arent a Bear collector!

It was so refreshing to read a "different" kind of bear book. I loved the essence the author deplicted between teddy bears and their keepers!! The stories within this book were so heartwarming that I found myself reading them again and that is something I rarely do with a book. I loved the fact that these were true stories and I thought the author's way of telling a story was like sitting on the front porch and listening to my grandparents tales. The pictures were outstanding and the vintage photos took me back to a time I never lived. I think this book is for everyone, not just a teddy bear lover. When a book can put a tear in your eye and also make u chuckle out loud, I feel it has accomplished the ultimate. A MUST read for the year and I think it will make a grrreat gift for all of my friends. I hope there will be a sequel!!!!

My daughter brought this home from school.

It's a cute little story about an inch worm who gets out of being eaten by offering to measure stuff for the birds. He measures tails, a bill, a neck, legs, and even a hummingbird.

It works until a nightingale asks to have his song measured. What to do?

The art work is good and my daughter did look it over.

At first she was so-so to the story as she didn't understand how the inchworm measured. I showed her with my finger and she laughed.

Others have suggested this might be a tool to introduce the concept of measurement. I can see that but my daughter already had an idea from the age old method of marking her growth height on the wall.

One of my favorite 5 bookes was Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni. The reason is, is that the worm in the story is very clever and thinks his way out of a sticky situation. That is what I like about authors like Leo Lionni. They can always come up with a great little story that influences so many children in such a positive way.

A children's book about an inch worm who loves to measure things and then saves himself by measuring. The book was the 1961 Caldecott Honor book (i.e., the runner-up to the Medal winner) for best illustration in a book for children.

Once upon a time there was a cute, little, green inch worm hanging out on a piece of grass. One day, a robin came up to eat him, but the inch worm talked the robin into letting him measure the robin's tail. Being such a useful worm, the robin did not eat him, but took him to other birds so that they could have something measured by the smart inch worm. Finally, a nightingale told the worm to measure his song or he would eat the little inch worm. Using his little worm brain, the inch worm began measuring the song until he had inched away to safety.
This wonderful book, written and illustrated by Leo Lionni, won the Caldecott Honor in 1961. He has taken a little worm and made the reader fall in love with it through the worm's usefulness in measuring and his cunning ability to escape the hungry nightingale. Even though there are many different scenes, with many various shades of green on them, Lionni has illustrated the little worm in such a way that the reader can always point him out. Children would enjoy finding the worm on each page, especially at the end of the book when he is hiding from the nightingale. Also, we always see the story from an outside perspective; eye level with the grass. It is as if we are another small animal looking in on the story.
The background of each page is pretty much the same. All Lionni has illustrated on each page is the worm and the other details that are needed during that part of the story. For example, while the inch worm is measuring the legs of the heron, Lionni has only portrayed the heron with the worm inching down its leg. I think this technique is good for younger audiences because it helps children focus on the story and keeps their attention for more specific details. This also makes sense because there is a small portion of text to read on each page which means the audience does not have much time to look at the illustrations while the reader is reading to them. As for colors, Lionni has kept them realistic. For example, the flamingo is a bright pink whereas the nightingale's colors are calmer. Overall, the colors in the book make the readers feel at ease and calm. The dull greens of the grass and the open, white background keeps the reader moving along at a steady pace. It's almost as if we know that the inch worm is going to outsmart the different birds and there is no need to get over-excited.
Lionni has intertwined the illustrations and the text in a way that they are dependent on each other. Although you could get the gist of the story by either reading the text or looking at the pictures, by having the illustrations support the text, the reader gets a more detailed, visual story. However, Lionni leaves room for the imagination to add on to the story at any time.
Overall, I loved this book. Lionni has creatively illustrated this cute story, making children and adults want to read it over and over again.
If you are looking for instructional ideas, I would read this story to students in primary grades before doing a lesson on measuring. Then I would have students measure different things around the classroom including themselves. I would also use this book when talking about different types of art. I would have children do a collage or make something with decoupage. They could even re-create a scene from the book!

This Caldecott Honor Book is easy listening for the early child and the young child as a new schoolyear begins. An industrious inch worm is the main character. He engages himself with measuring a variety of birds and lastly outwits the hungry nightingale using his measuring savvy.

Teacher Note: This book can be used to introduce the young child to using standard measurement tools. It can also be used for activities with creative non-traditional measurement activities. For example: Paper clips, hands, feet, craft sticks, shoes, beans, etc. This book can be a springboard to a thematic unit on measurement. It can be extended for study of birds, other nature studies, art experiences, and musical activities as well.

My Grand Children read and reread this book. We are all looking foward to the spring.

The Mom's Choice Awards® honors excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. An esteemed panel of judges includes education, media and other experts as well as parents, children, librarians, performing artists, producers, medical and business professionals, authors, scientists and others. A sampling of the panel members includes: Dr. Twila C. Liggett, Ten-time Emmy-winner, professor and founder of Reading Rainbow; Julie Aigner-Clark, Creator of Baby Einstein and The Safe Side Project; Jodee Blanco, New York Times Best-Selling Author; LeAnn Thieman, Motivational speaker and coauthor of seven Chicken Soup For The Soul books; Florrie Binford-Kichler, Founder of Patria Press, Inc.- an award-winning independent publisher and Member of The Children's Book Council; Tara Paterson, Certified Parent Coach, and founder of The Just For Mom Foundation(tm) and the Mom's Choice Awards®. Parents and educators look for the Mom's Choice Awards® seal in selecting quality materials and products for children and families. This book has been honored by this distinguished award.

Gardening is lots of fun, especially with this project-oriented introduction that offers 17 different gardening projects with kids in mind, from growing a hanging basket of vegetables to creating a water garden complete with fish. Simple lists of what's needed to start each project are embellished by color photos of young gardeners and botany insights with simple facts. Children in grades 3-5 will find Kids' Container Gardening most inviting.

I have 2 children, and this book brought great ideas to our family. It really created ways we could enjoy time and projects together. My son and I used one of the projects ( container gardening) for his school science project-it was fantastic.

I definately recommend this book for all parents and children. We are giving a copy to Josh's teacher as an end of the year present as well!

I always am looking for great books with lots of kid friendly projects, as I am a teacher, and I have to say, this is one of the best! It is well organized, expertly researched and written, and is very versitile. The projects are applicable for a large span of age groups, and easilty adapted to whatever enironment you are using it in, whether home or school.
I bought 2 copies, one for the school, and one for myself- I can't wait to do these projects with my own children!

Munchkin Fu is a great variation on the near-classic Munchkin gameplay.

You battle your munchkin warriors (yakuza, samurai, monk or ninja) against hordes of demons, Gaki and other monsters and collect heaps of treasure and weapons along the way.

The game is fast-paced, VERY varied (and funny too), and easy to set up and play. It's just two card decks and one dice. Simple!

I'm taking off one star just because it's got a fairly steep learning curve. There are a lot of rules, and every card in the deck has it's own set of rules to follow. It can be very overwhelming for a new player... but it's interesting enough to stick with it, and after your first game, it's easy to plan strategies and keep up with the rules and gameplay.

Another item to note is that most Munchkin decks can be combined. ie. you can use your Munchkin Fu decks with your regular Munchkin decks, or other Munchkin games. Rules for combining decks are included.

I first got introduced to the original Munchkin game only about a month ago through my boyfriend, and I fell in love. Soon after I had to have my own set and decided on Munchkin Fu. Good choice! It requires a little bit of strategic thinking, but thats what I love about the game. And this particular set is great bc we all love those silly kung fu movies, and this game is like being in your very own kung fu movie...not really, but it is still a lot of fun.

A fun card game with an oriental twist. The cards keep me laughing with the different spoofs on other oriental games/movies. This is a great addition to the Munchkin cards games.

I was introduced to munchkin about 4 years ago. I bought it soon after and have played in hundreds of times! It is the greatest party game (for 4 people unless you have the expansions, then about 4-12). I personally own Muchkin (original) and Munchkin: Unatural Axe (1st expansion pack) I am now looking to purchase Star Munchkin and Munchkin Fu. I have played all 3 of these versions and not one is any less fun than the next! I guess it's all about preference. If you have ever played Munchkin you'll know what I am talking about!!!! ENJOY any of these great game!!!

Are you sick of dungons and space? Are you sick of orcs, and the singing and dancing sword? Have no Fear Munchkin Fu is here.

All the fun of Munchkin now making fun of the cheezy kung fu movies and shows of the past.

Can be combined with the other versions.

Tons of fun , buy it.

This is the best lego mindstorms book ever printed it is in-depth in the theory behind the robots.

This is the book of the greatest, most complex Lego pieces to date, and I highly recommend it to anyone thoroughly engrossed in the area of Lego programming. It is an invaluable resource with amazing graphics, and very creative new inventions which serve as a wonderful catalyst for my own ideas. Great guide.

This book has gathered together "Masterpieces" from some of the the world's greatest LEGO creators. Builders from the US, Canada, Italy, Netherlands, and Japan have brought you their passions, the theories behind each masterpiece, and detailed building and programming techniques. "LEGO Mindstorms Masterpieces" is truly at the zenith of all related books and I believe it will become a true masterpiece both in name and in reality.

This book began in July of 2002. And, while the the creation, writing and editing was extremely difficult, the authors fought mightily to accomplish our goal: to build LEGO robots both suitable for Master Builders and worthy of this book's title! Amazing PneumADDic II and Synchropillar by Kevin as a computer processor specialist and creator of LPub and LSynth. Splendid Stair-Climber by Doug who is a well known creator of several Omni Drive Vehicles. And, two awesome works - Learning Brick Sorter and The LEGO Turing Machine that were invented by the famous Ferrari brothers - they are co-authors of the best selling "Building Robots with LEGO Mindstorms" and have been called the "DaVincis of LEGO". Biped robot expert Miguel created complex SSCT faithfully based on the real robot that was active for life search and explore in WTC, New York. Lastly, a robotic arm driven by 10 motors and feedback system - CyberArm IV that I have created as a series in four years. All of these are the real robots that are backed by real robotics - only the materials are LEGO! We are very pleased that we could explore a new frontier in LEGO Mindstorms, and be able to offer it in book form.

As the one of pioneers of LEGO robots, I have had my experience of the results in the MIT Media Lab fortunately in the middle of the 80s, and the result of my writing of over half year keeping is included in bundle CD-ROM as a over 50 pages bonus chapter. I have tried to write about a lot of topics to explain the world of robots and LEGO Mindstorms - history of LEGO robot or their philosophy of the LEGO Group, precious list and description of early LEGO educational sets for control learning, personal robot boom in the 80s, from a more than 300-year-old Japanese automata (the Karakuri) to the latest state-of-the-art robotics. I believe that my discussion and description about the way of thinking and creation - included building, programming, CAD and even about Art - are useful in particular.

We hope that this book will never lose its value and that it will become loved by people of all generations.

From Tokyo
Hideaki Yabuki
Media Activist

Included are complete building instructions for some truly amazing robots/machines. You'll need LOTS of Lego to build them though. Even if you haven't you'll be inspired by the authors imagination and ingenuity. The writing is good, and the descriptions/instructions detailed and clear.
The best reason though for buying the book is the included CD which contains no less than ten other Mindstorms books in PDF format,including the most excellent 'Building Robots with Lego Mindstorms'. I had expected to find software and sample programs, but their absence is more than made up for by the books.

After building many of the robots presented in Lego Mindstorms Masterpieces published by Syngress, I feel I am now qualified to give a fair personal assessment of this book. I have purchased many Lego Mindstorms books and each one has great ideas and a lot to offer. All books have shortcomings and room for improvement. How good a book is depends on how well it address the readers needs. My needs center on my use of Lego Mindstorms to teach mechanical engineering, logic, programming and robotics to my 13-year-old daughter. Lego Mindstorms Masterpieces is the newest addition to our Lego toolbox. There are so many positive things to say about this publication I'll place the very few items I would have preferred done differently at the end of this review.

A few key benefits this book offers to anyone involved with Lego Mindstorms are complete, well illustrated assembly instructions, detailed commentary by the authors with additional tips to aid in the construction, explanations of where the inspirations for the creation came from with historical references, web site listings for additional information and a e-book CD-ROM with program files. Many of the authors have active web sites of their own and are available to generously help people stuck during construction.

Lego Masterpieces not only expand the reader's knowledge of Lego Mindstorms applications, but engineering and robots in general. The concepts presented can be applied anywhere the logic, computers, or machines are designed and built. The book shows that the construction of a machine must go hand in hand with the programming to best fit an application. Giulio Ferrari explores basic Artificial Intelligence and the foundations of modern computers with the Turing Machine. Another chapter presents the mechanics and theory of creating logic cells amazingly through the use of pneumatics and then combining them into the synchronous PneumADDic II calculating machine by Kevin Clague. And again by Kevin, the building of an asynchronous artificial muscle using Autonomous Pneumatic Circuits in the Synchropillar without RCX programmed control. An all terrain wheeled vehicle by Doug Carlson uses his Tri-Star drive design called the Stair Climber and will crawl over and out of almost anything. A spy robot by Miguel Aguilio called The Shape-Shifting Camera Tank utilizes Vision Command's camera, can increase or decrease it's height and you may control it with it's own Lego parts constructed joystick. The Learning Brick Sorter by Mario Ferrari, which combines a robotic arm with an automated task, blends the machine with excellent basic AI programming, which can learn new tasks. And finally, the most advance Lego robotic arm I've ever seen is in the chapter on CyberArm IV by Hideaki Yabuki. Not only does this arm have five Degrees of Freedom and 180-degree rotation, but you can also build the optional Power Glove to operate the robotic arm from your own hand movements!

The few complaints I have of this book are that the Bill Of Materials on some of the chapters are printed so small and illegible that I couldn't read them with a magnifying glass! Adding a page and printing the illustrations larger and clearer would have better represented the quality of the overall material. The other complaint is found in most books. Someone should proof read it before publication. Spell checkers don't think!

My final message about this book is BUY IT and start collecting the parts you'll need. It expands the frontiers of Lego Mindstorms and you'll need all the parts you can get your hands on!

BEAUTIFUL BOOK! WONDERFUL PICTURES! IT WAS GREAT HOW MANY SCARLETT O'HARA DOLLS THERE WERE! BUT THIS BOOK COSTS TOO MUCH, IT SHOULD COME IN PAPERBACK!

Born in 1895 in the Williamsburg area of Brooklyn, Madame Beatrice Alexander was the daughter of Russian immigrants who rose to become America's premier doll maker. As a child she was known as Bertha, but soon took what she considered to be a more socially acceptable name - Beatrice. This name change was but a harbinger of her determination to excel, to rise above what she considered to be humble surroundings.

Her story is well documented and lavishly illustrated in this keepsake volume. Included are numerous full-color photos of the famous Alexander dolls.

Early on Madame Alexander adored her step-father, Maurice,emulating his love of doll making and doll repairing. He is responsible for this country's first doll hospital located on the Lower East side of New York City. The family lived above this business.

With the outbreak of World War I and America's ban on German goods, including the dolls which were the family's best sales items, it seemed their business was doomed. But Beatrice and her sisters would not accept this. They put their heads together to try to determine how to make dolls without porcelain or kilns. The answer was, of course, cloth toys. Their first success was a Red Cross Nurse doll. Beatrice was the creative member of this team, coming up with ideas and issuing instructions on making her concepts a reality.

Building upon their success the Alexander Doll company moved to a large space in the late 1920s. It was not long before their efforts were rewarded with an order from FAO Schwarz.

The Alexander Alice In Wonderland doll debuted in 1930. Today, in an updated incarnation, Alice is still one of their most popular items. There were soon Scarlet O'Hara dolls, bride dolls, Queen Elizabeth II dolls, Eloise dolls, and more.

Today, the original issues of many dolls are prized items in collections throughout the world.

"Alex" is among the latest creations - she's a very modern miss in an extravagant gold gown or capris and crop top. Her wardrobe is extensive as is her following. But, to many, a Madame Alexander doll is the Mercedes of toys.

The photos of Lia Sargent's dolls in this book are, indeed, beautiful, but the real draw is the way Ms. Finnegan, the author of the book, relates Alexander's life to what was going on in the world at the same time. Wonderful historical perspective, which is very unusual in a doll book!

Photos of many dolls in outfits never seen before.All in color.So you can identify your Alexander doll or hunt for that particular doll. This should make Madame Alexander dolls go up in value.

This book is excellent! I found the life of Madame Alexander very interesting and read this book from cover to cover. I hated to put it down. If it were not for Madame Alexander we might not know Scarlett O'Hara or Barbie as we know them today. We have a lot to thank her for...you will be amazed! I also enjoyed the photographs of the dolls. Lia Sargent, the leading expert on pre 1965 Madame Alexander dolls did an outstanding job on this book also. The photographs and photo captions show Lia's work is perfection..something Madame Alexander would be proud of. This book will be loved by generations to come. Doll collector or not, this book will leave you saying "WOW"!!!!

wonderful photos', informative narrative, the new guy can't go wrong. And the speed of shipping can't be matched. Thanks all around.

Marble Mania will prove to be the standard to which other marble related books will be compared to. A thorough, comprehensive view of all aspects of marble collecting. Graphically superior with detail that will be utilized by not only the beginning collector but the advanced collector also. Mr. Block has taken the time, performed the research and compiled this vast amount of information into an enjoyable, eye and mind satisfying beautiful book. Mr. Block is clear in his intentions to continue to be the leader in an area of great challenge, I can't wait for Mr. Block's next marble book. The bar has been raised!

Marble Mania has fine photographs of every imaginable marble from pebbles found alongside streams to the Industrial Revolution in Germany & Austria. Here the cutting of agate cubes & polishing them into marbles for export all over the world became a huge cottage industry. You have to see the beauty of all the clay, pottery, crockery, china & porcelain globes. It was fun to read this big book. Found myself chatting at the local recycle shop about the blue canning jars in their windows filled with marbles. Eyeing them eagerly, with a little more knowledge & a few more names.

I bought this book for my husband (from Amazon) for Xmas. Not only is the book very beautiful, but he has become an expert in his own right. With a year-2000 interest in things retro, marbles are enjoying a boom. We now have jars of them everywhere, looking great and, according to this great book, appreciating in value as we watch. With the help of the pricing guides we discovered that we already owned some very valuable marbles, and have since acquired more. In fact, the book paid for itself about 10 minutes after we got it, with the discovery of an unrecognized treasure.

i loved this book because it gave you funny expample of how to play i also loved it because it gave you marbles that you can play with.
from,
caroline

Mind Benders A! is really popular with my children (9 and 13 and their friends). Take Note that this 2000 edition has the complete solutions are in the back of the book. Thanks to The Well Trained Mind for suggesting this book.

Mind Benders is wonderful! Your students will love to try to solve the logic problems. Sometimes kids want to give up on problem solving, but not with Mindbenders!

It's no secret that I greatly admire Jessie Wise's The Well Trained Mind. It was Wise's recommendation that led me to the Mind Benders books, and my son and I learned a great deal working through the four A books. They were ample preparation for the more rigorous course of logic study we've undertaken this year. A word to others who have landed here because of Wise's book: Unless you are a professor of logic, you really must invest in the companion books, Mind Benders Instructions and Detailed Solutions and Warm Up Mind Benders.

These problem solving activities are a great way for your kids to exercise their brains. My 2nd grader loves them! But even my kindergartener can do them with a little help. We always make a copy of the answer chart so that we can use them again and again. I remember doing these puzzles when I was in school. A great way to spend some time without having to plug-in!

My daughter and I found the Mind Bender Series to be so much fun! So far we have completed A1-A3. We are addicted. The series is a wonderful beginning in logic.