F.A.O. Schwarz : Toys for a Lifetime: Enhancing Childhood Through Play
Universe Pub; ISBN: 0789303558
1999

by Tim Walsh

Keys Publishing
March 2004

The Playmakers: Amazing Origins of Timeless Toys is a collection of the true stories behind the greatest and most popular playthings ever invented. Did you that Play-Doh was first produced as commercial wallpaper cleaner, or that Frank Lloyd Wright's son John invented Lincoln Logs?

The Playmakers is rich with personality because the personalities behind the toys are often as entertaining as the toys themselves. They are so popular they often span generations.

Eleanor Abbott, afflicted with polio, invented a game for some children suffering with the same illness. This hospital diversion, invented in 1949, became Candy Land. She and people like George Lerner, Merle Robbins, Leslie Scott have touched countless lives through their creations (Mr. Potato Head, Uno, Jenga) and yet very few know who they are. Author Tim Walsh hopes that The Playmakers: Amazing Origins of Timeless Toys helps change that fact.

by Philip E. Orbanes

Harvard Business School Press
November 2003

In THE GAME MAKERS: The Story of Parker Brothers From Tiddledy Winks to Trivial Pursuit, Philip E. Orbanes, a game historian and former Parker Brothers executive, tells the fascinating story of how George Parker, the ultimate American entrepreneur, and his brothers grew a tiny family firm into a brand powerhouse that reflected—and ultimately helped shape—the culture of a nation. Based on extensive research—including the never-before-published personal archives of Parker and interviews with surviving family members—Orbanes reveals the origins of many classic games and details the birth and maturation of the toy industry as seen through the eyes of one of its greatest legends.

More information on this book can be found in its Official Press Release.

By Richard C. Levy and Ronald O. Weingartner

Penguin-Putnam; ISBN 1-59257-062-3
July, 2003

Inventor Richard C. Levy's licensed products have generated more than $1 billion in global retail sales. Ronald O. Weingartner has reviewed thousands of submissions and produced hundreds of them.

Go behind the scenes of the $30 billion toy industry for a vivid portrait of the people that create, pitch, license and commercialize products. Based upon more than 150 interviews, the authors will encourage you, inspire you, and lead you, step-by-step, through the perils and pitfalls of presenting, licensing and bringing products to market.

Crammed full of firsthand, empirical, insider information gleaned from hours of interviews with the industry's most successful independent inventors, and its most knowledgeable and influential executives, leaders and observers, this book is a must read for idea people.

by Gene Del Vecchio

Pelican Publising Company

By conducting an in-depth review of the great toys from ancient times to the present, youth-marketing expert Gene Del Vecchio reveals the six core qualities that help toys achieve blockbuster status.

The Blockbuster Toy! How to Invent the Next BIG Thing also sheds light on the definition of what it means to be a toy in today's world. From traditional toys, to foods, to multi-player on-line games, to the importance of story and Hollywood studio alliances, Del Vecchio casts a broad net and explains, in ways that marketers can learn from and interested readers will find amazingly insightful, how playthings become pop culture.

by Diane E. Levin, Ph.D.
(Cambridge, MA: Educators for Social Responsibility and Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children, 2003)

Order information available here:

Diane Levin, a teacher, researcher, and a therapist, calls for the creation of a "peaceable classroom," where children learn peaceful alternatives to counteract the overpowering effect of violence in the media and community. Before offering her own solutions for teachers and parents, she examines how violence in entertainment media and toys, news, and neighborhoods affects small children. Combining dialogue, anecdotes, and theory, this guide shares insights into the developmental roots of children's thinking and offers practical activities to help children meet safety needs, appreciate diversity, use play constructively, and resolve conflicts. Specifics on role-playing, group discussions, puppetry, child-made conflict stories, and peaceful games are spelled out.
This highly acclaimed book is a must for early childhood educators, parents, and policy makers.

by Susan Ann Stelfox
& Joel Dugan (Illustrator)

Mason Publishing; ISBN: 097052420X;
July 2001

Baby Be Loved has been designed to help parents connect with their infant through loving and nurturing activities that encourage developmental skills and enhance the parent-child bond. It is filled with parenting tips, exercises, songs, games and nursery rhymes. Plus each week offers a full-page developmentally appropriate illustration to entertain baby and provide early visual stimulation!

Read an Excerpt [55 Kb]
(Requires r)
Read Reviews

by Bruce Watson
Viking Press; ISBN: 0670031348
October 24, 2002

In 1913, Olympic athlete and magician A.C. Gilbert poured his boyish enthusiasm into a new toy. He called it the Erector set and in the next 50 years, 30 million were sold. In this engaging and amusing book, Bruce Watson tells the story of this amazing toy and its remarkable inventor.

Going beyond biography, Watson asks important questions. Do boys have a destructive side that toys can divert? Do today's hi-tech toys foster creativity or stifle it? And what about girls? Can they build as well as boys? The Man Who Changed How Boys and Toys Were Made is a quintessentially American story, a tale of ingenuity, enthusiasm, and one toy that fit industrial America like a nut fits a bolt.

Read an Excerpt
Read Reviews

by Richard Saul Wurman and Civitas
TOP; ISBN: 0970368488
January, 2002

Understanding Children is an invaluable source of support for all adults who make decisions on behalf of children. As professionals working in the field of child development, the authors provide this comprehensive guidebook for parents to help them better understand the issues facing their children. This colorful and informative guidebook provides answers to the questions parents are asking.

Read an Excerpt
Read Reviews

by Kathy Noll, Jay Carter
& Flora Cusimano (Illustrator)
Unicorn Press; ISBN: 0937004111
December 31, 1998

Bullying can be a serious issue for children, with potentially devastating consequences. Taking The Bully By The Horns teaches children to effectively deal with bullying and helps them diffuse potentially explosive situations. Kathy Noll uses kid-friendly language to shed light on how cowardly bullies really are, and offers smart, empowering solutions for their victims.

Read an Excerpt
Read Reviews

by Richard C. Levy
Pearson; ISBN: 0028642201
September 28, 2001

You need to be more than an inventor to cash in on your invention. Richard's Complete Idiot's Guide To Cashing In On Your Invention covers every aspect of protecting your idea to marketing it - from idea to pay dirt. The forte of this work is its advice on presentation and business practices. Nothing in it is theoretical. All advice is based upon the author's empirical experiences. Richard encourages and inspires you through homespun humor and down-to-earth philosophy. He shares proves strategies, insider information and licensing tips. His writing is energetic, practical and just plain fascinating. Also, by the same author, .

Read an Excerpt
Read Reviews

by Susan Newman Ph.D.
Broadway Books; ISBN: 0767906292
August 14, 2001

Emphasizes that having an only child is a lifestyle choice becoming increasingly popular due to a variety of causes including late marriages, parents with dual income, and family heterogeneity. In addition to being a social psychologist with several books on child rearing to her credit, Dr. Susan Newman is herself the mother of an only child. Thus, she knows from whence she speaks, and gives some great no-nonsense advice to parents on setting proper boundaries, having realistic expectations, and cultivating independence and creativity.

Read an Excerpt
Read Reviews

by Wendy A. Jordan
Taunton ISBN: 1561583529
May 15, 2001

Stands the traditional concept of the adult-centered house on its ear with designs that signal kids that "this is your house too." Going through each room of the house, but with especial emphasis on the child's bedroom, Wendy Jordan introduces creative designs for just-for-kids spaces where kids can enjoy the home environment and be themselves. This book is loaded with color photos, tips, stylistic ideas, plans and practical suggestions. It covers such plans as lofts, playhouses, high-tech homework centers and other areas that will not only give kids their privacy but convey a sense of magic and mystery.

Read an Excerpt
Read Reviews

by Dorothy G. Singer (Editor), Jerome L. Singer (Editor)
Sage Publications; ISBN: 0761919546
2000

Classic study of the effects of media on children written by two of the most the renowned scholars in the field. This volume includes updated articles by the authors as well as significant reports from other top researchers.

Read an Excerpt
Read Reviews

by Eric Frydler
ISBN: 0970177402
1992

This short primer discusses not only how to invent toys, but treats on the meaning of inventing toys in a broader social context. It is a think tank for looking at children in the millennium and for what inventing toys may mean to the future of our planet.

Read an Excerpt
Read Reviews

by Susan Munzer

Teach foundational concept learning through this illustrated guide to making educational toys and story baskets. Move your family away from TV watching and into more meaningful and fulfilling activities that are both fun- filled and satisfying.

by Nell Minow
Avon Books (Pap Trd); ISBN: 038078839X
1999

Recommends hundreds of superb movies available on video-movies that offer more than mindless explosions, casual sex, and limiting stereotypes of women and minorities-movies that exercise the mind and spirit and bring the whole family closer together. Neil Minow understands that the stories movies tell can encourage children to think, feel, and question-and to share those thoughts and feelings with their parents .

Read an Excerpt