Toys and Games Books

Any book with Steve Axtell on the cover gets my attention. Ax is one of the driving forces in puppetry, and would not pose for a cover on a whim. Bruce & Paul, the authors, have collected all the basics needed to start practicing vent. Lots of good tips for beginners on performance, sample scripts, and all around valuable info.

I just got the book and already I am starting to get the hang of it. I am nowhere near good enough to take it on the road, but this book will give you the tools to feel confedent right from the start.

This is an easy to read and use book and a great activity to do with your kids, particularly if they have any speech difficulties. You can get started with a sock puppet if you like, so it's also inexpensive.

As someone who got interested in ventriloquism (and eventually dumped a 20 year newspaper career to work with WOODEN dummies) I was often frustrated reading how-to-do-ventriloquism books. Most were either amazingly boring, unknowingly pompous, or filled with cutsey-comments that seemingly padded an explanation of what I believe is actually a relatively easy "art" (if you are nutty enough to practice in front of a mirror until you perfect the "hard" letters). This is one of my FAVORITE now to do ventriloquism books -- and to this day it remains the funniest. I still do a routine in my show based on the structure of one of Paul Stadelman's classic bits (I have long since replaced the actual jokes). The late Paul Stadelman was a "classic" and I believe underrated vent who performed, taught and was on television for many years. And this book is worth it's price just for the zippy routines with Stadelman and his dummy Windy Higgins. These don't go on and on with long set-ups but are punchy, quick pay-off bits (and if Stadelman used a pun it was seldom groan-inducing). Stadelman was clearly more influenced by vaudeville and comedy teams than by other ventriloquists (which I think is GOOD). At the least these routines help readers understand routine construction and setup-joke structure. The late, wonderful Col. Bill Boley (another performer who deserved a higher national profile since there are zillions of ventriloquists running around doing bits of his published work and others who painstakingly "emulate" his original routines) was the only other ventriloquist whose published routines came CLOSE to doing this. And to TEACH you vent? This book has it all. It gives you the substitute letters (to say for the hard letters) and words to practice to perfect them. It also tells you how to make a puppet out of your hand, gives you performing tips, has some great ventriloquism-related photos, and and list of suppliers and organizations (some of this is outdated now). If someone was interested in "vent" and had this book, George Schindler's Ventriloquism: Magic With Your Voice and the in-its-own-class Maher Studios correspondence course they'd have it all. Plus, if they have this book they're going to also have some BIG laughs while reading it. Paul Stadelman is truly ventriloquism's unsung hero!

As a teacher and mother of two, I owned a large collection of children activity books. I was very pleased with my purchase of "Where is Thumbkin". Each featured song is grouped with Things to Talk about, themed Curriculum Extension Activities (clearly labeled with learning goals whether geared for math, art, language, creative movement, gross motor skills, etc.), and Related Biography. Several activities are given for each song. Activities are geared for ages 3-6 and are clearly defined and easy to re-create. I bought this book a little early - I find I use "And The Cow Jumped Over the Moon" by Pam Schiller and Thomas Moore more often right now as I have toddlers at home, but I look forward to my children growing into these fun activities. Whether you are having a day of themed activities at home to brighten a Monday afternoon, or a Preschool/Kindergarden/First Grade teacher who is trying to create a fun classroom curriculum, this book is a wonderful resource.

This is a fabulous resource for any early educator developing curriculum for young children.

If you teach young kids and use songs and rhymes, this book is a must have. It has lots of fun activities to use for each song. Some of the songs are not in the month I would have thought logically but most of the ones you will use are in there. It gives you enough ideas to come up with your own unit from each song.

I am a Pre-K/Kindergarten teacher who is also the mother of a three year-old and a 2 month old. I use this book in and out of the classroom. It combines traditional children's songs, rhymes and finger plays with activities that cover all content areas. I try to buy books that are arranged thematically and/or seasonally and this accomplishes both. I must admit I love Pam Schiller. I also have her Creative Resources Book:A Complete Childhood Curriculum( I think that is the title) Anyway, her books are so thorough that lesson planning was made less of a chore. Now that I'm on maternity leave my 3 yr. old and I use this book almost daily. Early childhood educators should get this and her other books. I am working on getting all of her books (I'm a bookrat). Also recommended Hang Loose with Mother Goose by Dayle M. Timmons. She gives numerous activities using many nursery rhymes including clip art. She also arranges them under at least twenty early childhood themes eg. Little Miss Muffet and/or The Itsey, Bitsey Spider and their activities could be taught as you teach a learning unit on insects. This is a fun book.It has pocket chart activities, mini-books, rebus activities and simple cooking activities.

I work at a daycare with 12 months to 24 month babies....they all love this book...this is the one book i could read to them over and over and they would not get bored....very entertaining

my daughter loves these books so much. the second she see's them see goes crazy for them!! if you have little ones get these books for them!!!

My 2-year old son Connor received Where's Spot for Christmas (thanks, Aunt Judy!) and it was love at first sight. I didn't think anything would be able to knock One Naked Baby from atop his "most requested" list, but this charming little book did the trick.

The book focuses on mama dog Sally's search for her wayward pup Spot, who is late for supper. Each page finds Sally in a different part of the house, and contains a lift-up flap that hides a different animal. The text is kept to a minimum (usually it's just "Is he under the bed, etc.?" followed by "No"), but it has a rhythm that really drew my son's interest and had him eagerly turning pages in the hopes of eventually finding Spot. The illustrations add to the book's charm. There are plenty of bright colors and the animals are just irresistible. I'm a confirmed cynic, but even I can't help but grin when Sally and Spot finally settle down for their dinner. My son's enthusiastic "Good boy, Spot" only makes that smile wider.

As simple as the book may seem, it does include plenty of learning opportunities, from identifying the various animals and colors to the household items and shapes. The repeated use of the word "No" also provides a simple example of how letters are combined to make a word.

This fun little book gets my highest recommendation, and more importantly it get's Connor's "Again, again!" seal of approval. It's a great addition to any toddler's library, and would make a great baby shower gift as well.

This is my favorite Spot book so far (and we have a whole collection of them!). I got this for my daughter when she turned 2, and this is one of the only books she would actually sit through. She is now 3-1/2, and we still read it on a regular basis. You lift the flaps at all Spot's hiding places and each one has one of his animal friends until you finally find Spot himself. This is such a fun book!

We have had this book for several years and is a favorite in our family. As my children grew and entered jr. high and high school everytime a class required bringing a book from home to read out loud this was the book choosen. It is a book that has been read to and enjoyed by many a toddler being baby sat at our house and, continues to be a well loved book by children and adults alike.

I bought this book for my 1 year old daughter. She's now 3 and the book is still her favourite! She loves opening the flaps and finding familiar animals underneath. The graphics are bright simple, and consistent that I could make up stories about each of them as I go along the book.

I bought these books (Who's Making That Mess/Smell/Noise) for my then 18 month old son for Christmas. At first we would read the story and lift the flaps to see what was there. Now he loves to look for the semi-hidden yellow duck and white mouse on each page. He also loves to point out the different animals making the smells. This book (and the others) has kept him entertained for a month so far and there is still room to grow. I highly recommend these books.

I have had this book since I was two. When I was small I used to sit on my dad's knee and he would read the book. Then I would open the flaps on the pages, and help dad to make the funny smell noises. Now of course I am more mature than that, and I read the book for my two year old sister. There are two people in the book, Ben and Annabelle, and there are lots of animals making smells. Some are nice smells, but the best ones are the nasty smells, pee-youuu!

Excellent resource for teaching traits of writing. Everything is done for you! All you need is an overhead.

I found this book of lesson plans with overheads very well organized and it fits perfectly with the writing curriculum in my school. It's very clear and illustrates the elements of writing using many examples, making it an easy way to demonstrate the craft lessons.

I have been a middle school teacher for 15 years. No other book comes close to this one when it comes to practical, easy to explain, writing lessons. Even "voice," which I have always found exceedingly difficult to explain, is covered in a coherent manner. I use this every year to kick off the writing process. For some kids it is review, others not so much, but either way this book, for me, is a must-have.

Reading this book was truly a passage back in time for me. As I was growing up, I played with so many of the toys listed in this book. The Slinky, Lincoln logs, the Spirograph, Cootie, Mousetrap, Etch a Sketch, Mr. Potato Head, Gumby and Pokey, Rock'Em Sock'Em Robots, Twister, Tinkertoys, Frisbees and the Hula Hoop all passed through my hands. With a large number of children my age in the neighborhood, the toys I didn't have were often owned by others. Therefore, reading this book brought back very fond memories of playing with Clive, Sandy, Dale, Rick, Paul, Terry, Cindy and all the other kids who grew up with toys that you physically manipulated. I strongly recommend this book to anyone with a background similar to mine.

This 208 page, softbound walk-through-the-past volume features 250 full color, very large, sharp photos that are a joy to behold. I enjoyed looking at the photos and reading each comprehensive write-up. A real memory jogger. I was quite surprised at the number of these things I actually owned as a child, and welcomed seeing them again in life-like color. Even many of the boxes are shown. There's plenty of interesting text accompanying the photos and year 2000 values. The toys run from Easy Bake Ovens, Slinky, Cootie, Thingmakers, Lincoln Logs, and Spirographs to Tootsietoys, Monster Kits, Pez, Colorforms, Life-Size Kitchens, Gilbert, Renwal Doll Stuff and Captain Kangaroo. You'll really enjoy seeing some of these toys you haven't thought of in years. I have many books on baby boomer collectibles, and this one ranks among the best. Get it and enjoy !

No generation is so defined by its toys as the Baby Boomers. They loved them as kids. They collect them as adults. 100 GREATEST BOOMER TOYS explores the phenomenon. It's fun and it's serious.

First the fun. The books got hundreds of great pictures. It's like a Christmas catalog. Look up old favorites. Discover items you'd forgotten.

And there's a ranking system which seems pretty much designed to provoke arguments. Wait until you see who's #1!

More substantially there are short essays on many of the toys. Little studies in anthropology, in social history, they tell us about the 50's and 60's. The tie-in of G.I. Joe and the draft is, I think, very apt and really well done.

Once you pick it up, you will be drawn in.

As a member of a Dollhouse and Miniatures Club, this book on the advertising of early dollhouses, I find this book a MUST BUY for all collectors and other people seeking info on dollhouses and the styles that were out there for the public to buy. Again, as a collector, it is essential to have a book like this to use as a "guide", especially when so many houses and furniture of these periods are unknown and this also gives a glimpse into how these products were advertised to entise the public, especially children to buy these products. This book is yet another fantastic book by Dian Zillner to further eductate us in the past and present Dollhouse and Furniture collectables.

I purchased this book for my Mom for Christmas and she was in heaven!

I didn't want to wait the 2-3 weeks to receive this, so I purchased it from one of the secondary sellers listed in the Amazon ad page and got a wonderful NEW book for under $20.00! Paging thru this fun nostalgic book is just like Christmas morning for any baby boomer who was a little girl waiting for Santa in the 1940's thru 1960's.....also has some 1970's dollhouses and furniture. What a wonderful find! You will love it!

This series is designed for anybody who works with students in upper grades.

BOOK 1 covers the Distributive Law, linear equations, number lines, properties of exponents, polynomials, and factoring polynomials. (Much easier than it sounds.)

Includes Answers and a Pre-Algebra Review. Excellent!

This series starts with the ultimate in basics and moves rapidly, in a well ordered fashion, to the essence of Algebraic concepts. The book takes what you learned in Arithmatic and shows you how it applies to upper Mathematics. The explainations are clear and precise with no fluff. We used it when my daughter was struggling with the conceptual jump from Arithmatic to Mathematics. The book leaves no gaps or guess work. When she was through with the exercises in book 1 she tested into the upper half of Algebra 1. I highly recommend it for any student. Forget the expensive, boring, repetitive, & typically hated curriculums. We did follow it with the second book which is equally as well done.

I am delighted to use this excellent, thin (77 page) algebra text with my son. I have been homeschooling my five children beginning in 1993. After dragging through Saxon Algebra with my two daughters, I was weary of the cluttered, text-rich format that covered way too much material. In about a month and a half, we will have covered this book completely. I look forward to receiving Algebra Book 2.

I plan to supplement with Saxon and Barron's Algebra the Easy Way for word problems. However, I want a clear initial presentation of the basics that progresses logically. This book delivers in a very pleasing way.

Thank you, Stephen Jahnke!

Written and photographed by Ellen B. Senisi, All Kinds of Friends, Even Green! is an adventurous picture book for beginning readers about a real-life pet iguana. Expertly taken color photographs of a boy and his beloved reptile companion, along with whimsical text, make All Kinds Of Friends, Even Green! unique, distinctive, and highly recommended.

"All Kinds of Friends, Even Green!" is written and photographed by Ellen B. Senisi. The text and photos tell a story about Moses, a disabled boy who gets around in his wheelchair. At school, his class is given an assignment to write about friends. Moses is inspired to write about a very special friend: Zaki, an iguana. Zaki is also disabled, having lost her back toes after a mite infection; Moses has a special affection with her.

This is a wonderful portrait of a multiethnic school environment that includes disabled youngsters. The acknowledgement section of the book thanks the participants at Zoller School in Schenectady, New York. After the main text there are three interesting supplemental articles: about disabilities, about young Moses, and about iguanas. The colorful, lively photos are enjoyable to look at. This book effectively reminds us that disability is an issue that affects both human and non-human beings. Moses and Zaki are likeable and admirable "characters," and the book movingly celebrates the special love a child has for a cherished pet.

I really liked this book, and so did my 6 year old son. I have a boy with special needs who is 5, and this author captured the curiousity and excitement of a small child so well, and then revealed the disability of the boy in the book in a very positive manner. My son had fun reading it, and I know that the ideas that were in the background are what I want my son to "get". I would definetely recommend this book.

This is one of the greatest chess puzzle books, but be forewarned; it's also one of the most difficult. Some of the puzzles have easy to see white to move and mate in three, but can you find the mate in two? The whole book is "white to move and mate in two," and the puzzles are culled from award-winning puzzle competitions. My only potential complaint is that sometimes the position of white is unbelievably secure and racking your brains for a victory in two moves seems pointless, but they are puzzles that are guaranteed to pull you back from the vices developed from internet speed chess. This is why we need more books like this.

I am a chess newbie, and this book has helped me to think ahead. Good endgame variations also.

This little book collects 125 (orthodox) chess problems/puzzles/brain-teasers. Each of them was extracted from actual game play in history. Every problem has a chess diagram and comes with the question "white to move and mate in two." I personally found solving those puzzles both challenging and fun. Solutions and hints can be found on the last few pages of the book.