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

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: www.esrnational.org

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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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, The Toy And Game Inventor's Handbook .

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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 .

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