Toys and Games Books

The majority of the pages in this 350-page book are loaded with color photos and information on the Ideal dolls manufactured from 1907 up through the 1980s. Most dolls are pictured in their original outfits and some photos are packages of the original outfits. Also included are photos of ads for specific dolls. The book starts with a short history of the Ideal Toy Co., while the back of the book gives more information on issue dates, characteristics, and current prices.

This book is a must have for those doll collectors that want to restore a doll to original condition.

The Collector's Guide to Ideal Dolls ID & Values 2nd ED by Judith Izen is another great book by this author. I have been looking for information on a Miss Revlon doll for years and I opened the box and right on the cover is the information I have been looking for. I am thrilled! Any doll collector or lover would love this book. Thanks Judy for another great job! Very fast shipping and a signed copy, it doesn't get any better than this!

Enjoyed this book and also the prompt manner in which it was delivered to me by userbro128. It was a used book and let me tell you it did not look used at all. Highly recommend the seller and the book to any one intrested.

I truly recommend this book, not merely for finding out your Ideal doll's monetary value, but more as a walk down memory lane. Being 56 years old, I remember growing up with many of Ideal's dolls. I especially enjoyed the brief mention of the Snuggles' doll and rocking horse(which many books on dolls leave out). So, if you are tired of reading dribble..., then snuggle up with this pictorial walk down memory lane.

Fabulous color pictures of all the dolls in the book- tons of dolls you will recognize and some you won't. Also features the manufacture marks you will find on dolls to identify them. Most of the dolls are shown in original outfits- some with original packaging and a small percentage are shown redressed. Complete with price guide.

We stumbled on the Eye Spy books purely by accident, but what a find! While we only have a couple of them, we get them from the library all the time and I can't say enough good things. My older son (almost 4) is into counting all the things he finds and finding things that rhyme. My younger son (19 months) will look at it with me, his brother, his father, and do the signs for the objects he knows. He has also learned more signs from these books as we "read" and sign the book with him. These books are terrific!

My 15 month old daughter loves all the I spy little books. I didn't think she would be ready for them, but after receiving this one as a gift, we've gone out and bought more. Although she loves to read, we find she seems to be more patient when we read this book and sits in our lap trying to spy for 20 minutes at a time (since we reread it).

My 2 year old daughter enjoys this book. She often ask for her I-spy book(s) again and again and sits and looks through the book by herself. It keeps her occupied and sitting still for several minutes and that says alot.

My son is always picking this book these days. He loves to find everything and does pretty well at 2 1/2.

Good starter I spy book for the younger spier in your house. I would say 3 or 4 would be the oldest.

My 6 month old son enjoys this book. One evening, before bed, my husband called me into the room to show me that my son was pulling down the characters' hands to see their eyes! He enjoys Peek-a-boo with us, but I was really surprized to see him interact with the book like this. Of course he needs help to let go of the hands and not rip them, but I think I can say with certainty that he likes it!

My daughters loved this book. Both of them start to play peakaboo when I read this too them. They always laughted everytime I read the book.

I purchased this book for my son when he was about 10 months old and it's been a huge hit from the very beginning. His eyes light up when I ask him to get his "peek-a-boo" book. He loves to lift the hands to show who's hiding. It's a family favorite!

My son loves to play with the flaps on this book. There isn't much educational about the book, but he smiles when he opens the hands of each sesame street character. It is more of a fun book.

My 9 month old loves this book. He has a great time looking behind the flaps to play 'peek a boo.' I highly recommend!

My daughter loves this book! Don't have time to write more, but it's great.

Once upon a time many years ago I watched my daughter Emma play with her cousin Brian, whom Emma lovingly referred to as Meatball, and I wondered how long it would take before he began to cry. At eight years old Meatball looked like a smaller version of Rhett Butler, he talked with a squeaky voice that was struggling to mature, and his blondish hair oddly matched the color of his skin. Every game between the two kids eventually turned sour--a bump of the head, a twisted arm or even harsh words would send the boy reeling into the kitchen looking for comfort. While I admired his theatrics, I did not acknowledge them. Emma, on the other hand, like to pretend he was her plaything, a doll she collected. Take, for example, the afternoon she dressed him up like a pirate and sent him out into the yard with a steak knife searching for the neighborhood tabby cat. Florence, the woman that lived across the street and spent most of her days with her nose between the blinds of her front window, knocked on my door and demanded that I do something. I invited her in for coffee but she ranted and raved, cluck-clucking about manners and responsibilities and child-rearing, none of which I particularly cared to hear about. Meatball ran inside and tugged at Florence's blue polyester pants. "Don't worry," he said. "I buried the knife in the backyard." Florence grabbed his wrist and told him that he needed to dig it back up. He sighed heavily, stared at the ground and then began to cry. I pulled the cigarettes from the pocket of my robe, lit it, and waved him inside.

Charlotte, Meatball's mother, picked him up every day at 5 o'clock. She sat on the couch with Meatball on her lap and listened as he recounted his day. She disregarded any of Emma's attempts to defend herself when Meatball claimed she had harmed him. But who would believe an eight-year-old boy that said his cousin had instructed him to hunt for prey and bring back souvenirs?

A real hit with our six year old. The illustrations are wonderful and the educational aspect is not totally obvious. A very entertaining book that's he took to share with his class at school.

Cute way of having students know how they use math in their everyday lives. Great explanation of the mathmatical idea behind the book.

I read this book to my sister's kids (ages 4-8) and they all really enjoyed it. They had a lot of fun with the story (and didn't even know they were learning). This book is great for kids.

My friend introduced me to Wizard a year ago. Since then I bought a set and play it with all my family and friends. They went out and bought their own sets. My wife is a card hater and she insists on playing it at family get-togethers. It is a great and easy game.

We were hooked the very first time we played and, subsequently, so has everyone to whom we have introduced it. It's difficult to explain in this review, but the directions that come with the cards are very clear. As with all card games, luck plays a part, but in Wizard you soon become aware of the strategies as well. Bidding and making your bid is the primary premise of the game. Our ten year old grandson grasped the concept about half way through the first time we played with him. He was hooked!

Great game. We played this game for hours. The learning curve is not too bad and the scoring is a little difficult but everyone really enjoyed this game. Our family's ages are 6 to 82. Highly entertaining and I really recommend this card game.

I got this game for Christmas, and love it! I am 18 and play it with my dad and grandparents. I like it, because I finally have a chance to beat my dad and grandpa, and my grandparents like it because it is more challenging and spontaneous than Bridge. It's small enough to play at home, on vacation and in airports during layovers! This game is highly reccomended!

Four years ago I was introduced to the game of Wizard by an ex-boyfriend and his family. That relationship didn't last, but my facination with the card game remains. It is a great game because of its flexible number of players, fast-paced and above all, entertaining. It is an easy game to teach new players because it is based on several popular card games including hearts, spades, and whist. Nearly everyone who I have played the game with enjoys it and rushes out to purchase their own deck.

Well, the editors of this reference book tried their best to make it colorful and interesting for "kids," and they did succeed to a certain extent.

I learned that less than 500,000 people live in the state of Wyoming; the Dodgers finished under .500 in 1999; most world currencies, except the British pound, are worth less than the U.S. dollar; and so forth.

One thing about dated reference works, like this one: they quickly become historical reference works.

Another good thing about it: you can thumb through this book quickly and only stop when your interest is really piqued, if ever. Otherwise, donate it someone else. That's what I did.

Diximus.

Rarely is a reference book a popular title in our elementary school library. This is currently our most requested book. It's visually appealing. It's filled with facts and information that kids need for reports, but it's also filled with the kind of things kids are always curious about. It's fun for browsing as well as research. Highly recommended!

I have been reading this book for over 1 year! I got this book for a Christmas present and I learned a lot from this book! This book has information on almost every topic. I can't wait until the book "The World Almanac for Kids 2003" will be published!

I may not have this book but I do have the 1999 edition of the Almanac for kids and it is great. Every chance I get I use it. If i liked the 1999 edition i know the 2001 is even better and I'm sure You'll like it too.

I have two daughters, ages 8 and 13, and they both love this book. It's packed with everything they want to know, and much more. The color pictures make it even more interesting, and they love the puzzles and quizzes. Every parent with kids should get this book!

My 5 year old went from scribbling and frustration to drawing a discernible hen in 5 minutes! It has already done wonders for her self-esteem. She now says, "I can draw! This is easy!" She wants to draw everything in the book. I wish I had known about these months ago! I just ordered the whole set.

This book has given my 5 yr old son confidence by helping him to draw simple animals that he thought were too difficult to draw. He has not been as interested in the writing part. It would have been nice if it was like a workbook with blank pages across from each page so he could practice right in there.

I homeschool my kids and I bought this book for our art lessons. This is such an easy to follow drawing book. My kids are ages 5,7 & 10. All 3 are finding it easy to follow and their drawings are so good. I like to do the pictures myself. I like how the next step of the drawing is in a different color, it makes it so much easier. My 7 yr old even sat down with the book by herself and drew a picture without any help, and it turned out really nice. Hope this helps.

My girls, 8 and 4, love this book. I am amazed at how well their drawings come out. Not only are their drawings fantastic but the older girl utilizes the writing exercises and thinks they are fun - unlike other writing exercises.

I am a homeschooling mother and would recommend this book to anyone with children, homeschool or not. They will love it.

Bought this for my 5 YO daughter - it gave her incentive to practice her printing - she wasn't allowed to attemp the drawing part until the writing part was finished.
Basically, each page has three-four sentences for them to copy with a full picture already done above it on the same page. On the next page, the main object of the picture (a pig for example) is drawn with basic shapes in a step-by-step manner - even my older girls love to try to draw them.
I can't wait to get the next book in the series - great idea!!!!

All other books about GI Joe take note: You have just been left in the dust. Michlig's authoritative and highly readable GI Joe: The Complete Story of America's Favorite Man of Action is the best single source of information about the origin of GI Joe that exists. Colorful anecdotes illuminate this exhaustively informative, definitive work about America's Movable Fighting Man. It belongs on the bookshelves of everyone interested in the history of playthings.

Richard C. Levy
Washington, D.C.

A great read for the hardcore collector or the novice.

Full of great insider info and eye watering photographs.

Excellent review of the life and times of America's Moveable Fighting Man. Especially interesting are the details of the conception and behind-the-scenes work in creating the prototype figure and marketing concept, an aspect of the story that may interest even non-Joe devotees. Collectors may wish to note that this is a much-expanded (and therefore more essential) version of the slender book included with the G. I. Joe Masterpiece Edition boxed figure.

Don't confuse this book with the "GI Joe collector's guides" that exist in various forms. This is a different animal - - gripping, well-written nonfiction, telling the story of a small family-owned business and its leap of faith on a brand new type of toy for boys, the now-ubiquitous "action figure."

The story of the GI Joe product illuminates the story of the toy industry itself. I found this look inside the process of bringing a product to market and maintaining its value over the course of decades fascinating.

I don't normally give a Five Star rating, but my god, this book is wonderful. The story is fun and indepth. The design is AMAZING and the images of the GI JOE figures are wonderfully shot.

If you have even a slight, passing interest in GI JOE, buy this book, you won't be dissappointed!

This game is very enjoyabale. It takes about an hour to play a round with the standard rules. The pieces are pretty indestructable. They are pre-painted so the out-of-the box time to play time is low

As collectibles, many of the pieces are worth a lot right out of the box. Each box is a suprise as to what you will find. A decent collectible if you want something harder to damage than cards, but still want to be able to play with the collectible item (as opposed to say, coins)

This toy is really cool. It is simple for young players and fun for everybody. I like the board best.

This toy is really cool. It is simple for young players and fun for everybody. I like the board best.

I used to love to lay Yu-Gi-Oh. I even played in tournaments. But then I discovered Star Wars. It's even greater than Yu-Gi-Oh! After watching all 6 Star Wars movies, I really into the characters, which made the game more interesting.

This is a great set of minis for a good price if you buy from a third party seller. In my first 3 packs I got 2 very rares and 1 rare. I was so pleased that I am buying the rebel storm boosters

This is by far the best book on vintage Star Wars action figures that I've ever read (and I've read just about all of them)! Covers all VINTAGE Star Wars figures (and most vehicles and playsets) released by Kenner between 1977 and 1985 (perhaps the author will consider including a section on the Ewoks and Droids figures in the next edition?). Tons of full-color PHOTOS, and tons of details and information you will not find anywhere else. Here are some of the highlights: (1) great photos of every loose and carded Star Wars figure every released - including important variations, (2) a complete description of every version of every cardback ever released, (3) a nice section on vehicles, playsets, creatures, and cases, and (4) thorough sections on promo and mailer items, POTF coins, multi-packs, pre-production items, and store displays. I even found the price guide to be more credible and helpful than most. All in a high-quality book with nice, thick, semi-gloss pages. Great for the new or intermediate collector; but, even serious, long time collectors and professionals will likely learn a lot from this book.

Beautifully photographed and exhaustively researched! Nothing like it exists out there. Could we persaude the author to do a volume for the 1995 and beyond material?

I happened upon this book while browsing through some other Star Wars titles and let me tell you, I'm glad I did! I have been collecting vintage carded Star Wars figures for about 3 years now and I have been dreaming for a book like this. I am by no means trying to collect every cardback and figure variation created by Kenner, but any one can with the help of this book. (And alot of $$$ of course!) Mr. Kellerman covers every aspect of vintage collecting, from sequence(release)numbers, to figure/card variations, vehicles, playsets, pricing/value and even store displays. It is all in very easy to understand text and charts showcasing the entire history of the vintage Kenner line from the first release double telescoping Luke Skywalker SW 12 back to the POTF Imperial Dignitary 92 back. A MUST have book for any vintage fan/collector. Weather you've been collecting for 2 years or 20, this book is a valuable addition to our hobby.

This book is great for Star Wars action figure collectors. It was very helpful as a resource to fully understanding my collection. Excellent photos throughout book. Written clearly. This seems to be the only book in the market to cover the entire vintage Star Wars action figure in such detail.

I REALLY, REALLY liked the book. Hopefully the previous reviewer will eventually understand how to like the original bubbled carded action figures too.

John Kellerman has stepped up to the plate and hit a home run! This book is without a doubt the best on the market. I've been collecting vintage Star Wars figures for 26 years and can honestly say that any collector who doesn't have a copy of this book should have their memory erased!

From the pictures to the rarely seen prototypes, this book has it all. It is warm and inviting to the reader, not like some rigid price guides, and has clear, crisp photos. The compilation of this book alone is a triumph in itself! A book that the collecting community has been waiting for.