Brightlings Stackers by Leap Frog

This is a cute, but not very exciting, addition to the Brightling family of toys. The set of three little cups sit on top of a base that lights up when you push down on it. Strengths: The cups are a good size for little hands (9 months+) to grasp. The cups work well as nesting toys (putting one inside the other). Weaknesses: Based on my experience with the toy the weaknesses far out weigh the strengths. The cups are difficult to stack securely because the base of each cup is wavy, so there is a lot of frustration for little ones when attempting to stack the toy. Also, as I mentioned earlier, the base of the toy lights up, but you can make it light just by touching it, the cups don't even need to be involved in the play. If you're looking for a good stacking toy, there are betters ones than this out there. Price: $20 - $25. Where to Buy: The Stackers are a little bit hard to find because they aren't available in lots of toy stores, but you can of course find them online or through eBay.

Brightlings Exploration Station by Leap Frog

Home to Bobblers, Tumble Tunnel, Babbling Bandshell, Rainbow Balcony, and Alphabet Alley, the Brightlings Exploration Station offers a world of exciting activities for young children. This toy has two different modes, toddler and baby, which you activate by turning the green part on the top to hide the number or reveal them. In baby mode children can drop the brightling playpals in through the top and they come to the bottom which triggers music. In fact, just about every action on the toy triggers a song, except for the open/close gate and the yellow/blue/red tags you pull. When the toy is in toddler mode it will tell you how to say hello and goodbye in German, French, Japanese, Spanish, and English when you open/close the gate. You can move the tab around the ABC's so it sings the ABC song. It will also sing a number song when you drop the pals into the chute. Strengths: It's a fun toy to explore and you can easily use it with the other Brightlings play sets. Weaknesses: There is actually a HUGE weakness with this toy. It clearly states on the box that children under three years should not use it because of choking hazards on small parts, but the toy is obviously marketed for a much younger audience. It has a baby and a toddler mode, not a preschooler mode. This is a fun toy to play with, but you need to keep a very close eye on your little one when he or she uses it. Price: $20 - $30. Where to Buy: The toy was widely available about three years ago, but now you can only find them on sites like eBay or through online toy retailers.

Roll-a-Rounds Pull & Spin Caterpillar by Fisher Price

This is a great addition to the roll-a-rounds line of toys by Fisher Price. The caterpillar comes with three clear plastic balls that have movable pieces inside of them. When you pull the caterpillar, the balls move around and the little objects spin and wobble. Strengths: The toy is easy to pull across different floor surfaces and the balls are large enough for little hands to easily manipulate. Weaknesses: Since the balls are not contained under a plastic dome, they fall off of the toy easily which can become frustrating for children and adults alike. There is a plastic cover that comes as part of the packaging and I kept that on mine for quite a long time, until someone sat on it and crushed it (yes it was me!) Price: $25-$30. Where to Buy: This is a toy that actually came out several years ago but it's still available through eBay and Amazon.

Just a thought.......

Book reading is a special time for parents to share with their children. Not only can it be a time where you can feel close to your child, but it also provides an opportunity to help explore interesting new places and situations. The earlier you begin reading and tell stories to your child, the sooner reading will become an enjoyable part of his or her life! Here are some suggestions for making reading time a bit more fun for you and your child.
* Try to be face to with your child when you read.
* Let your child “read” the book the way he or she wants to. Don’t worry if you aren’t reading all of the words on the page! Your child may be interested in quickly flipping through the pages or concentrating on a particular picture.
* Give your child a chance to take a turn when reading books. This means you don’t have to do all of the talking. Give your child a chance to take a turn as you read the book.
* Stress important and interesting words. Add sound effects that your child will enjoy, like the sounds of animals and cars.
* Don’t feel you have to read fast in order to get the whole story completed. By slowing down you give your child a chance to better understand the words and concepts in the story. You are also giving your child more of a chance to take his or her own turn.
* Point out pictures or use gestures and sounds to help your child better understand the words of the story.
* Repeat, repeat, repeat! Even though your may be tired of a story doesn’t mean that your child is. Children love to hear the same stories over and over again. This helps children improve their vocabularies and supports concept development. Remember that practice makes perfect!

The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown

There is something to be said for a book that was originally published in 1942 and has never been out of print since that time. Such is a the enduring magic of The Runaway Bunny. At its core the book is about the enduring love of a mother for her child and the lengths she is willing to go to keep her child safe, protected, and loved. Every child has a fantasy about running away from home, so does the baby bunny in this book. The book begins with baby bunny deciding to run away from home, but Mummy bunny says that is baby runs away she will run after him. This starts a very imaginative and highly creative game of chase between mother and child! Baby bunny talks about becoming a fish in the stream, a rock on a mountain, and a flower hidden in a secret garden. Each time Mama bunny comes up with an ingenious idea of how she would stay with him and bring him home. In addition to a fun story line, the illustrations in the book are very engaging for young readers. The pages alternate between black & white line drawing to fully coloured illustrations. It's a little thing, but it helps to keep the book interesting and appealing to young readers. Where to Buy: Given the enduring popularity of this story it is fairly easy to find in children's bookstore or online distributors.

Amazing Animals Sing Along Mummy & Baby Tiger by Fisher Price

This is a fun pair of animals for little hands to explore. The baby's legs and head click when you move them and the Mummy sings a little song about her baby when you turn her head. The paws on both Mummy and baby are textured, so children who enjoy exploring with their fingers or their mouths have something interesting to feel. The suggested manufacturer age range for this is toy is 3-7 years, but I have found that 2 year olds are much more interested in what these tigers have to offer than older children. Strengths: The toys are very easy to manipulate and they fit into the Amazing animals train and boat that I described earlier in the blog. Weaknesses: The play value is somewhat limited for this toy unless you combine it with some of the other Amazing Animal plat sets. The Mummy tiger also requires batteries and my tiger seems to go through them quickly. Price: $12 - $15. Where to Buy: You can find this toy primarily through online retailers like eBay, http://www.pennywisestore.com/. and Amazon.

The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Don & Audrey Woods

This lovely book for toddlers and preschoolers is ultimately a great lesson about sharing with a friend. The story is basically about a little mouse who is trying to hide his beautiful, red, ripe strawberry from the big hungry bear, who he hears but never sees. The little mouse covers the strawberry with a blanket, wraps it in chains, puts a disguise on it, and ties all sorts of other things to keep his strawberry safe, but nothing he does seems like it will fool the bear. In the end, the mouse shares the strawberry with the reader, because that is the only way he can keep it from the bear. The illustrations in the book are beautiful and the face of the mouse is extremely expressive. The publisher recommends that this book would be appropriate for 4-8 year olds, but I have found it to be just as successful with the 30-36 month old crowd as well. Where to Buy: Although this book was originally published well over 15 years ago it's still available in children's book stores and online retailers.

More, More, More Said the Baby by Vera B. Williams

This book gives us a glimpse at the adventures of three toddlers: Little Guy, Little Pumpkin, and Little Bird. In each vignette one child is chased, tickled, kissed, swung around, and given unconditional love by an adult in their life. The pictures in the book are done in vibrant colours, but are a little bit quirky and I've found that children are either absolutely fascinated by them or they take one look and just walk away. Something that is very unique about the book is that it depicts families from different racial and generational perspectives, which is really unusual for a book that targets the young reader. You can get "More, More, More said the Baby" in hard cover, board book, and paperback versions. It is also available in English and Spanish versions. Where to Buy: The book was originally published in 1996, but is fairly easy to find at bookstores that cater to children. You can also find it on that old standby - Amazon.

One Yellow Lion by Matthew Van Fleet

One Yellow Lion is a great lift-the-flap book that is designed to help little ones learn about simple counting and number concepts between 1 and 10. The illustrations that accompany each number are really ingenious, because the number is actually Incorporated into a part of the animal's body. For example, on the page for five blue whales, the number 5 makes up part of the mouth of the largest whale. Children not only enjoy the predictability of the counting concepts, but they also seem to enjoy making the sounds for the animals as they are revealed. This is a very simple book that gets a big reception every time I bring it out for the younger children I work with. Where to Buy: Although this is an "old" book (it was published in 1992) it remains extremely popular so you can still find it in all kinds of stores that sell books for young children.

Mini Wheel Pals: Train Fleet by Tonka

Think of these as Hot Wheels for toddlers! These chunky soft plastic vehicles are the perfect size for little hands to crash, drive, and push over all types of surfaces. The wheels are also made of a softer plastic, so they are easier on furniture than other small cars that children enjoy. There are actually several different sets of these five vehicle (I lost one of mine) collections including the Round Town Fleet, the Rescue Fleet, and the Construction Fleet. The cars are small enough to be easily portable but big enough not to pose a choking hazard for young children. They also come in larger versions that are fun for older children to play with. Strengths: The attachments for the wheels are actually hidden in the toys so little toddler fingers can't easily pull the wheels off. Weaknesses: None that any of the children I've used them with have been able to find. Price: $19 -$20 for a set of five small cars. Where to Buy: These are available at most major toy retailers as well as stores like Target and WalMart.