 |
||
|
|
Gift-Giving Made Easy
Award-Winning Stuff Kids Will Love Just in time for holiday giving, the National Parenting Publications Awards bring you the best gift ideas for children. For the past 18 years, NAPPA has set the gold standard in evaluating children’s products, with its team of expert judges and family testers highlighting the cream of the crop in children’s entertainment and learning. Here are the 117 NAPPA Gold Award-winners for 2008. You can find more sure-bets for kids among the NAPPA Honors winners highlighted at www.NAPPA.Parenthood.com. Toys This year’s Gold Award-winning toys encourage children to understand their world, from basic skill-building and effective personal interactions to the environment and cutting-edge technology. For Infants & Toddlers • Crayola Beginnings Washable Triangular Paint Brushes , Crayola, $4.99; www.crayola.com • Illumination Station,Sassy, $7.99; www.sassybaby.com • Musical Motion Activity Jumper ,Disney Baby Einstein, $79.99; www.babyeinstein.com • smart-e-bear , Intellitoys, $79.99; www.intellitoys.com • Swap ’n’ Go Snail ,International Playthings, $36.99; www.intplay.com For Preschoolers • Animal Scramble ,Wild Planet, $19.99-$29.99; www.wildplanet.com • Curious Bonz Band ,Curious Toys, $26; www.curioustoys.com • Disney Pix Jr. – Mickey Mouse Clubhouse ,Digital Blue, $49.99; www.digiblue.com • Ezyroller , Ezyroller LLC,$99-$119; www.ezyroller.com • KidKraft Pink Retro Kitchen & Refrigerator, KidKraft, $270; www.kidkraft.com • Pengoloo, The Fun South Pole Eggspedition! , Blue Orange Games, $29.99; www.blueorangegames.com • ZinkoTek, ZinkoTek, $350; www.zinkotek.com For Ages 5 & Up • Crayola Digital Camcorder , Sakar International, $59.99; www.sakar.com • Face-Off Frenzy PowerBand Hockey , FunSlides Toys and Games, $39.99; www.funslides.com • Karito Kids World Collection: Piper Whelan Doll and Book , KidsGive, $99.99; www.KidsGive.com • Kingka , Kingka, $24.99; www.kingkagames.com • Paradise Horses and Barn Buddies,Paradise Kids, $49.99 (horses), $19.99 (buddies); www.paradise-horses.com • Royal Rescue ,Educational Insights, $24.99; www.educationalinsights.com • Triker Rocker,Q- Int B.V., $199; www.q-int.com For Ages 7 & Up • Air Hogs Zero Gravity Micro,Spin Master, $29.99; www.spinmaster.com • ArtLab Car Design Studio, SmartLab Toys, $22.99; www.smartlabtoys.com • Boochie, Gamewright, $34.99; www.gamewright.com • Captain Clueless , Gamewright, $19.99; www.gamewright.com • EyeClops Night Vision, Jakks Pacific, $79.99; www.jakks.com • Flibbix , Merillian, $39.99; www.merillian.com • Set Cubed, Set Enterprises, $20; www.setgame.com • Uberstix Scavenger Series Pirate Ship & UFO and Uberstix Scavenger Series Landshark & Dragster, Uberstix, $14.99 each; www.uberstix.com Note: All NAPPA-winning products have, to the best of our ability, been judged to be safe and well-constructed. They have been checked against the most recent government safety recall lists. However, we do not warrant their safety or appropriateness for your child and we are not liable for any injuries that may result from their use. DVDs This year’s NAPPA winning DVDs are the finest batch yet. Every title is one that you can happily add to your collection and enjoy sharing with the children in your life. For Infants & Toddlers • Baby Einstein: 10th Anniversary Special Edition Baby Mozart , The Baby Einstein Co., 2008; 28 min.; $19.99; www.babyeinstein.com • Little Laureate’s My World Colors , Little Laureate, 2008; 30 min.; $24.99; www.littlelaureate.com For Preschoolers & Up •Abby in Wonderland ,Genius Products, 2008; 42 min.; $14.93; www.geniusproducts.com • Elmo’s World: Summer Vacation,Genius Products, 2008; 51 min.; $12.93; www.geniusproducts.com • The Biscuit Brothers: Go Make Music! Vol. 2 ,Biscuit Biz, 2007; 144 min.; $14.99; www.biscuitbrothers.com For Ages 5 & Up • Gustafer Yellowgold’s Have You Never Been Yellow? ,Apple-Eye Productions, 2007; 60 min.; $19.99; www.gustaferyellowgold.com • Jane and the Dragon: A Dragon’s Tale ,Shout! Factory, 2008; 120 min.; $13.99; www.shoutfactory.com • My Friends Tigger & Pooh: Super Sleuth Christmas Movie ,Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, 2007; 44 min.; $19.99; http://home.disney.go.com/shopping • Treasury of 100 Storybook Classics ,Scholastic/New Video, 2008; about 15 hours; $99.95; www.newvideo.com/scholastic.html • VeggieTales : Tomato Sawyer and Huckleberry Larry’s Big River Rescue , Big Idea, 2008; 50 min.; $14.99; www.bigidea.com For Ages 8 & Up • Ballet Shoes , KOCH Entertainment, 2008; 85 min.; $24.98; www.kochvision.com • Nim’s Island , Fox Home Entertainment, 2008; 96 min.; $29.98; www.nimsisland.com • Shelly Duvall’s Faerie Tale Theatre: The Complete Series , KOCH Entertainment, 2008; 23 hours; $99.98; www.kochvision.com • Unstable Fables: 3 Pigs and a Baby , The Jim Henson Co., 2008; 80 min.; $19.97; www.unstablefables.com For Ages 12 & Up • Viva Cuba, Film Movement, 2007; 80 min.; $19.98; www.filmmovement.com Storytelling & Spoken-Word Many of today’s storytellers and spoken-word artists attract a strong following. Whether you’re familiar with these artists or not, it’s easy to be a fan of these NAPPA Gold winners. For Younger Children • Music Tales, Musicians Out of the Box, 2006; $14.99; www.MusiciansOutoftheBox.com • U Tell A Tale: Stories Told Through-U, Cygnus Storytelling/National Institute on Media and the Family, 2008; $15; www.mediawise.org For Elementary Students • Tell Me A Story 2: Animal Magic , written by Amy Friedman, read by various artists; D & F Productions, 2007; $18.95; www.mythsandtales.com • Tipingee, Brer Rabbit and the Mouse that Barked: Tales of Love and Laughter, LuAnn Adams, 2007; $15; www.luannadamsstoryteller.com For Tweens & Teens • Trouble ( Audiobook), written by Gary D. Schmidt and read by Jason Culp; Scholastic Media, 2008; $34.95 (nine CDs) ; www.scholastic.com • Women of Vision, Susan Danoff, 2008; $15; www.susandanoff.com Books Having a supply of inviting books and magazines around the home can pique children’s curiosity and ensure their future love of reading. Here are the best among this year’s strong collection of NAPPA entries. For Infants & Toddlers • Because You Are My Baby , by Sherry North, illustrated by Marcellus Hall; Abrams Books, 2008; $15.95; www.hnabooks.com • Eebee’s Laundry Time Adventures , Every Baby Co., 2008; $14.95; www.eebee.com • Say Daddy! , by Michael Shoulders, illustrated by Teri Weidner; Sleeping Bear, 2008; $15.95; www.sleepingbearpress.com • Ten Tiny Babies , by Karen Katz; Simon & Schuster, 2008; $14.99; www.simonsays.com • Welcome Song for Baby: A Lullaby for Newborns , by Richard Van Camp; Orca Book Publishers, 2007; $9.95; www.orcabook.com For Preschoolers & Up • Alphabet Animals: A Slide-and-Peek Adventure , by Suse MacDonald; Simon & Schuster, 2008; $12.99; www.simonsays.com • Crocs! ,by David T. Greenberg, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger; Little, Brown, 2008; $15.99; www.lb-kids.com • Dr. Ted ,by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by Pascal Lemaitre; Simon & Schuster, 2008; $14.99; www.simonsays.com • A Kitten Tale , by Eric Rohmann; Random House/Knopf, 2008; $15.99; www.randomhouse.com/kids • Monkey with a Tool Belt , by Chris Monroe; Carolrhoda, 2008; $16.95; www.lernerbooks.com • Trucktown: Smash! Crash! , by Jon Scieszka, illustrated by David Gordon, Loren Long and David Shannon; Simon & Schuster, 2008; $16.99; www.simonsays.com For Ages 6 & Up • Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School and Other Scary Things ,by Lenore Look, illustrated by LeUyen Pham; Schwartz & Wade/Random House, 2008; $15.99; www.randomhouse.com/kids • Arthur of Albion , by John Matthews, illustrated by Pavel Tatarnikov; Barefoot Books, 2008; $24.99; www.barefoot-books.com • As Luck Would Have It , by Robert D. San Souci, illustrated by Daniel San Souci; August House, 2008; $16.95; www.augusthouse.com • Maybe a Bear Ate It! , by Robie H. Harris, illustrated by Michael Emberley; Orchard/Scholastic, 2008; $15.99; www.scholastic.com • Wabi Sabi , by Mark Reibstein, illustrated by Ed Young; Little, Brown, 2008; $16.99; www.lb-kids.com For Ages 9 & Up • Cicada Summer , by Andrea Beaty; Amulet/Abrams, 2008; $15.95; www.hnabooks.com • Defiance , by Valerie Hobbs; Frances Foster/Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005; $16; www.fsgkidsbooks.com • Every Soul a Star , by Wendy Mass; Little, Brown, 2008; $15.99; www.lb-kids.com • 52 Days by Camel: My Sahara Adventure , by Lawrie Raskin and Debora Pearson, photographs by Lawrie Raskin; Annick Press, 2008; $26.95/$14.95 (paperback); www.annickpress.com • George Washington Carver , by Tonya Bolden; Abrams Books, 2008; $18.95; www.hnabooks.com • How We Know What We Know About Our Changing Climate: Scientists and Kids Explore Global Warming , by Lynne Cherry and photojournalist Gary Braasch ; Dawn Publications, 2008; $17.95; www.dawnpub.com • Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Writing Thank-You Notes ,by Peggy Gifford, illustrated by Valorie Fisher ; Schwartz & Wade/Random House, 2008; $15.99; www.randomhouse.com/kids • Science on the Loose: Amazing Activities and Science Facts You’ll Never Believe , by Helaine Becker, illustrated by Claudia Dávila; Maple Tree Press , 2008; $22.95/$10.95 (paperback); www.mapletreepress.com For Ages 12 & Up • A Thousand Never Evers , by Shana Burg; Delacorte/Random House, 2008; $15.99; www.randomhouse.com/kids • Generation Green: The Ultimate Teen Guide to Living an Eco-Friendly Life , by Linda Silvertsen and Tosh Silvertsen; Simon & Schuster, 2008; $10.99; www.simonsays.com • g hostgirl ,by Tonya Hurley ; Little, Brown, 2008; $17.99; www.lb-kids.com • My One Hundred Adventures , by Polly Horvath; Schwartz & Wade/Random House, 2008; $16.99; www.randomhouse.com/kids • Susanna Hits Hollywood , by Mary Hogan; Delacorte/Random House, 2008; $8.99; www.randomhouse.com/kids • The Postcard , by Tony Abbott ; Little, Brown, 2008; $15.99; www.lb-kids.com Pop-Ups & Kits • Alphabet , by Matthew Van Fleet; Simon & Schuster, 2008; $19.99; www.simonsays.com • Create Your Own Books ,Creativity for Kids, 2005; $17.99; www.creativityforkids.com • Dress Up Your Own Paper Pups ,Chicken Socks/Klutz,2008; $12.95; www.scholastic.com • Everybody Eats Lunch ,by Cricket Azima, illustrated by Titus V. Thomas; The Creative Kitchen/Glitterati, 2008; $16; www.thecreativekitchen.com • Hip Hop Speaks to Children: A Celebration of Poetry with a Beat , edited by Nikki Giovanni; Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, 2008; $19.99; www.sourcebooks.com • In Your Face 3-D: The Best 3-D Book Ever! ,by David E. Klutho; Sports Illustrated Books, 2008; $19.95; www.sikids.com • Kit’s World: A Girl’s-Eye View of the Great Depression , American Girl Publishing, 2008; $24.95; www.americangirl.com Magazines • Highlights High Five ,Highlights for Children; $26/year; www.Highlights.com • KidSpirit ; KidSpirit Magazine; $25/year; www.kidspiritmagazine.com • Kiki ,B-books; $7.95/issue, $26/year; www.kikimag.com Music Wow, what a playlist of terrific winners we have from this year’s highly competitive music competition! All of these share a common bond: a love and compassion for children and for the world in which we live. Enjoy! Lullabies • Down at the Sea Hotel , various artists,The Secret Mountain, 2007; $12.98 CD, $16.95 Book/CD; www.thesecretmountain.com • Putumayo Kids African Dreamland , various artists, Putumayo Kids, 2008; $14.98; www.putumayo.com • Stardust ,Cher & Gene Klosner, Audible Chocolate Productions, 2007; $24.95 double CD; www.stardustlullaby.com For Toddlers & Up • Best Pals – Kathy & Janet Lennon Sing Their Favorite Childhood Songs ,Kathy & Janet Lennon, KatJan, 2006; $17; www.bestpals.net • It’s A Gymboree Party! , Parachute Express, Trio Lane Records, 2007; $15; www.parachuteexpress.com • Tall as a Tree ,Hullabaloo, Hullabaloo Music, 2008; $12; www.hullabalooband.com For Preschoolers & Up • Family Tree , Frances England, Paper Bird Records, 2008; $14; www.francesengland.com • Here Comes Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could , Brady Rymer, Bumblin’ Bee Records, 2008; $15.99; www.bradyrymer.com • I’m Growing ,Gunnar Madsen; Gee, Spot! Records, 2008; $14.98; www.gunnarmadsen.com • Pop Fly ,Justin Roberts, Carpet Square Records, 2008;$15; www.justinrobertsmusic.com; ages 3 to 8 • Snacktime! , Barenaked Ladies,Desperation Records/ Nettwerk, 2008; $13.99; www.barenakedladies.com • Very Derryberry , Debi Derryberry, Very Derryberry Productions, 2007; $12.99; www.debiderryberry.com For Ages 4 & Up • Big Round World ,Trout Fishing in America, Trout Records, 2008; $14.98; www.troutmusic.com • Experience … 101 , Sweet Honey in the Rock, Appleseed Recordings, 2007; $15; www.sweethoney.com • Yes to Running ,Bill Harley,Round River Records,2008; $17.99 double CD; www.billharley.com Software, Video Games and Web Sites This year, the NAPPA judges and kid testers noted an increase in the number and quality of online offerings, enhanced features that personalize play, and a raising of the bar in software that enables kids to explore their creativity and practice musical performance skills. These were the best of the best: For Preschoolers & Up • Bob the Builder Can-Do Zoo , Brighter Minds Media, 2008; $19.95; www.brightermindsmedia.com. Requires: Windows 2000, XP or Vista, or Macintosh OS X 10.3.9 or newer • Tag Reading System and the Little Engine That Could , LeapFrog Enterprises, 2008; $49.99 (Tag Reading System) and $13.99 (Tag-enabled book); www.leapfrog.com For Early Elementary Students • Club Penguin , Disney Internet Group, 2005; $5.95/month; www.clubpenguin.com. Requires: Web browser and Flash • KidJamz Studio , VTech Electronics, 2008; $59.99; www.vtechkids.com • Word Girl PBS Web Site , Scholastic Media, 2007; free; www.pbskids.org/wordgirl. Requires: Web browser with Flash. For Tweens & Up • Animationish , Fablevision, 2008; $59.95; www.animationish.com. Requires: Web browser. • Boom Blox , Electronic Arts, 2008; $49.99; www.info.ea.com. Requires: Wii console. • Deca Sports , Hudson Entertainment, 2008; $29.99; www.hudsonent.com. Requires: Wii console. • The Greens , WBGH Interactive Kids Group, 2007; free; http://meetthegreens.pbskids.org. Requires: Web browser with Flash. • Whyville , Numedeon, 1999; free; www.whyville.com. Requires: Web browser with Flash. Family Resources • KidZui: The Internet for Kids , Clifford Boro, 2008; free; www.kidzui.com; for ages 3 to 12. Requires: High-speed Internet connection and Adobe Flash Player 9+. • Parents Activity Center , Scholastic, 2008; free; www.scholastic.com/parents/play; for parents and kids ages 5 to 12. Requires: Web browser with Flash.
|
|