From Publishers Weekly
Many parents don’t take a close look at their children’s toys until they hear about a recall of a particular item on the news. Szymanski, founder and president of the research group Toy Tips, presents an unbiased guide to help parents sort out the morass of toys on the market before they even purchase them. She advises readers to approach magazine articles and news stories with a judicious eye, and suggests they become experts themselves (by reading her book, naturally), because many award stickers on toys are “nothing more than thinly disguised public relations campaigns designed to herd parents toward particular products.” Szymanski (along with coauthor Neuborne, a business journalist) covers the various types of toys available (activity toys, board games, puzzles, etc.) and evaluates their suitability for infants through preteens. The breadth of information she offers is overwhelming, but conscientious parents won’t find a more comprehensive and impartial approach to intelligently purchasing toys for their children.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review
“Invaluable and specific guidance about how the right toys can help your kids learn, develop, build skills, and have some fun.”
–Michele Borba, consultant, educator, and author, Parents Do Make a Difference, Building Moral Intelligence and No More Misbehavin’

“No one is better equipped than Marianne Szymanski to help you make smart choices when purchasing toys for your kids or for the kids in your life.”
–Spencer Christian, former host of Szymanski’s guest segments on ABC’s Good Morning America, and author, Is There a Dinosaur in Your Backyard? and many other children’s books

“Szymanski’s years of experience and passion for serving children make her a leading voice in the developmental benefits of toys and play.”
–From the Foreward by Marvin W. Berkowitz

From the Inside Flap
“Invaluable and specific guidance about how the right toys can help your kids learn, develop, build skills, and have some fun.”–Michele Borba, consultant, educator, and author, Parents Do Make a Difference and Building Moral Intelligence

“No one is better equipped than Marianne Szymanski to help you make smart choices when purchasing toys for your kids or for the kids in your life.”–Spencer Christian, former host of Szymanski’s guest segments on ABC’s Good Morning America, and author, Is There a Dinosaur in Your Backyard? and many other children’s books

“Szymanski’s years of experience and passion for serving children make her a leading voice in the developmental benefits of toys and play.”–From the Foreward by Marvin W. Berkowitz

Customer Reviews

Enter the Toy Aisle with Confidence
No need to be overwhelmed or intimidated by the huge selection of plastic and plush crowding the shelves in the toy sections of your favorite stores. After reading Toy Tips (an easy, delightful and entertaining read) you’ll be able to sort through the stacks of children’s products and make smart choices about what to buy for the kids in your life.

Unlike many toy-focused books, Toy Tips does a great job in reminding readers that toys can be both educational and fun. It seems obvious, but sometimes we get caught up in the educational aspects of a toy and forget that a child can learn through play even if letters and numbers aren’t prominent on a product. Toy Tips does a marvelous job of dissecting the advantages of particular types of toys and pointing out the less-obvious skill sets that are achieved through their use. A toy that engages a child’s imagination encourages creativity, and exercising creativity is important. So a role play or plush toy can in fact be educational. Toy Tips charts out which kinds of products are safest and best suited for kids of different ages and developmental stages.

Toy Tips uses a very calculated product rating system that doesn’t dictate what I put in my shopping cart but instead arms me with the knowledge I need to make my own informed choices. Plus, it’s full of fun tales from the Toy Tips lab that, even if you don’t have any shopping ahead, are enjoyable to read.

BEST CHOICE FOR PLAY RESEARCH
As the mom of Lili and Eva, I am most interested in developmental research on toys and the value of play. I bought this book as a “bundle” with another similar title and I have to say that I could hardly put it down.
My favorite chapter is about Smart Shopping and it made shopping on the internet for toys much more understandable. I would suggest this book for any parent who wants to learn about the values that toys play in a child’s life. Also, the font of the book is easy to read and the toy quiz is fun to take.

A Good Guide
This is a valuable guide for anyone trying to wade through the confusion of the toy market. The format is very user friendly and the mini worksheets help to take the guesswork out of your toy purchases. The information is practical without being overwhelming.