Hi there, Learning Expressions Readers!
If you’ve kept up with the blog over the past few weeks, you may have noticed that we are promoting our Top Toys of 2012. While some of these toys are new to the blog, several of them have been favorites of ours for quite a while. This week’s Top Toys, Perplexus and Unlikely Friendships, have been featured on the blog in the past and are both huge hits with our customers. If you’re not familiar with these fantastically fun toys, read on to find out more!
Perplexus
This addicting little orb has recently become a guilty pleasure of mine, and has taken up quite a few hours of my spare time. The only thing separating these mazes from an actual labyrinth is a centaur. Luckily, it doesn’t take long to learn the path you must take; each obstacle is numbered in order to help you find your way. Check out this video to see the Perplexus in action:
I’m not quite sure what it is, but something keeps me coming back to this toy over and over again. As I try my hardest to write this blog entry, I keep taking quick breaks to give the Perplexus Original one more try. Perhaps not today, but someday soon I hope I’ll get to the final obstacle without cheating.
I love that the Perplexus is a real challenge at any age. One wrong rotation or one quick wrist movement, and you’ll have to start again. Fortunately, there are multiple start points that allow you to pick up close to where you left off. And trust me on this—if you do manage to complete a Perplexus maze in one try (or at all) you will truly feel like a champion.
Unlikely Friendships and Unlikely Friendships for Kids
This book is everything that a good book should be; it’s
like a warm embrace from your grandmother or
a mug of hot cocoa on a cold day.
Whether you’ve had a bad day or you are just looking for pictures of cute
animals, this book has it all. For those of you not familiar with the premise,
the book provides a unique look at some of nature’s most unique and compelling
friendships. I guarantee you won’t be able to read this book without ooing or
ahhing or cooing—it’s just that adorable.
Through her collection of 47 stories, Holland explores a wide range of friendships. We learn about the macaque who befriended a kitten in Indonesia and a rhino who befriended a warthog in Zimbabwe. She even tells the tale of photographer Paul Nicklen, who made friends with a 12 foot leopard seal in Antarctica.
If the original Unlikely Friendships book is a little too advanced for your children, the kid’s versions are sure to do the trick. Unlike the original book, these stories are written more like bedtime stories. The animals are still just as cute but the endings have a slightly lighter tone.
Unlikely Friendships for Kids are
the perfect gift option for any young animal lover. The large text and bright
images are great for keeping young readers from getting overwhelmed with
complex paragraphs, and the chapter length is just right for reading a bit
before bed. Jennifer Holland is a true animal lover, and her books are sure to
promote a sense of responsibility and environmental consciousness in readers of
all ages.
Thanks for reading, everyone. Stay tuned for next week's blog post, where we'll be introducting you to our Favorite New Finds of the season!
