Stevanne Auerbach (1999)
I love toys, so you can be sure that I was pleased to find this book at a book sale. It only cost me a buck or so, and it is well worth it. Some people stop playing with toys as they grow up and I think that is unfortunate. Toys can be part of a lifelong pursuit of happiness. I still enjoy going to the store and looking at all of the new toys on the shelves. To some extent the old adage rings true, "They don't make 'em like they used to." I miss all the old toys of my childhood: GI Joes, He-man, M.A.S.K., Smurfs, Transformers, etc. True, there has been a recent resurgence in putting out new versions of 80s toys, but they don't seem to be made as well anymore. Perhaps it is just the lack of wide-eyed excitement that used to coincide with opening a new toy, but looking at the quality of toys nowadays just doesn't inspire me in the same way. However, that is not true for all the new toys out there. There are still plenty I see on the shelf that I really wish I could buy. LEGO and Playmobil keep coming out with new themes and features. I know that I would have begged my parents to buy some for me. Now I have to weigh their cost with how much I really need one. Bah! Being an adult is lame sometimes.
Anyway, about the book. I highly recommend it for anyone who is interested in toys. You can usually find it online for relatively low prices (less than $5.00.) It is a nice, full-color, hardback book with information about 100+ toys. Each chapter focuses on a different type of toy: Starting Out -Toys for the first years of life; Building Blocks - Stepping stones to creativity; Arts & Crafts - Terrific tools for the artist-to-be; Dolls, Stuffed Animals, and Action Figures - Companions to discovery and friends for life; Games - Challenge and competition for all ages; Transportation Toys - Planes, trains, and automobiles; Silly Fun - Educated nonsense; Outdoor Toys - Pathways to athletic adventure; and Future Toys - Trends toward tech. Each chapter features several toys with pictures and brief histories. You can discover why LEGO got its name, and hundreds of other trivia tidbits. All in all a fun read that might teach you something new. Plus, it will probably remind you of some toys you had forgotten you missed. Oh Colorforms and Spirograph, where have you gone?
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