|
“My invention relates generally to bagatelle boards; and consists in several new and useful devices, by which an amusing game of skill is obtained.”
—Montague Redgrave, in his 1871 patent application for “Improvements in Bagatelle,” the French game that became pinball
Build-Your-Own Pinball Machine Kit
This kit provides children with a hands-on opportunity to learn about physics, engineering, and mechanics as they assemble their own pinball machine. Through engaging DIY construction, kids develop problem-solving skills and gain a deeper understanding of how machines work. The kit includes various customizable elements, allowing children to express their unique style and preferences while building their very own game. The kit is made of high-quality, durable materials and will stay sturdy for hours of play. It comes with easy-to-follow instructions and pre-drilled components, making assembly hassle-free and enjoyable for both kids and parents alike.
Build-Your-Own Bird Feeder Kit
This engaging and educational ready-to-build bird feeder kit enables children to create a bird-friendly environment, then observe and learn about the birds who come to visit. After building and decorating, place the craft bird feeder in your garden and watch the birds flock to their new hang out spot. Recommended for ages five and up.
|
Richard Scarry Advent Calendar
This reusable Advent calendar features twenty-five pop-out ornaments inspired by the busy, busy world of Richard Scarry that are perfect for decorating a Christmas tree or crafting an adorable wreath. Celebrate the holidays with Lowly Worm and the residents of Busytown using this adorable Advent calendar.
|
Fairytales and Legends
Color-In Placemat
Let the next fairytale adventure start at home. These placemats are packed with beloved storybook characters—including knights, princesses, dragons, unicorns, mermaids and more, from Rapunzel to Robin Hood, Cinderella to Goldilocks—all ready for your little one to color in with the included ten wash-out fabric pens. When you’ve finished, just machine wash the mat at 86° F (30° C).
|
Lost and Found in Mythology: A Search-and-Find Book
Combining the fun of Where’s Waldo? with the irreverent hilarity of Horrible Histories, this search-and-find book introduces young readers to the otherworldly characters of ancient myths. The tales in this book are sure to delight young history lovers and bedtime story connoisseurs alike. For ages six and older.
|
Pocket Microscope
Young explorers can see every detail of their discoveries with this handy pocket microscope. It’s simple to use, with up to 120x magnification, built-in LED lighting, and adjustable zoom. There’s also a lanyard, so the micoscope won’t slip off the wrist of a busy adventurer on-the-go. All you need is one AA battery (not included).
|
Pocket Telescope
Carry the wonders of the sky right in your pocket with this handy telescope. Study faraway objects up close with 8x magnification. It’s compact, lightweight, and easy to use—simply look into the eyepiece and adjust magnification to focus the image. This toy makes a great stocking stuffer or party favor, and the perfect solution for parents who want kids off screens and enjoying nature.
|
Planetarium Projector
Explore space and the night skies on the ceiling and walls of a room. This projector illuminates a darkened room by casting projections of the stars in the night sky and space-themed images, turning it into a planetarium theater.
|
Richard Scarry’s Cars and Trucks Pajama Set
There’s no better feeling than putting on a cozy pair of pajamas and snuggling up with a great book before bed. Make your little one’s nightly ritual even more memorable by bringing their favorite book to life with this adorable pajama set.
|
Seaworthy Ship Kits
Discover the joy of creating something beautiful with your own two hands and really sailing it in pools, ponds, or puddles. Each model kit is sourced from the finest materials and hand-made and compiled to ensure you have as much fun building your model boat as you do sailing it.
Our Seaworthy Ship Kits are made by a charming toy boat company based in the USA. The owner is a long-time Colorado resident and recently retired educator. Her love of sailing began early, culminating in a year-long adventure sailing across the Pacific Ocean and through the south seas. She is a retired science teacher, an avid woodworker, even building her own kayak, and currently serves on the board of The Rocky Mountain Wooden Boat School.
Seaworthy Ship Kits available: Bermuda, Sea Flea Dinghy, Sea Flea Viking, Sharpie.
Orange Surprise Ball
In days gone by, sometimes toys, candies, and especially fresh fruit were rare. Receiving an orange in the toe of a stocking was an enormous gift. It was a way every child had at least one sweet present to open on Christmas morning. Unwind colorful layers of crepe paper ribbon to reveal many fun treasures inside this festive ball. Each layer has a new surprise, including vintage inspired toys, crystals, temporary tattoos, sweets, crowns, games, and more.
|
Create-Your-Own Fairy Door
Create your own magical miniature fairy door. Perfect for a party favor or stocking stuffer, this simple and eco-friendly kit is made from one piece of recycled cardboard. Pop out the pieces and make your own double-sided fairy door. Create a secret place with a garden and flowers, and add a letter to the tiny mail box. This kit includes one fold-out card with ten pre-cut and scored pieces, so there’s no need for glue or scissors. It is plastic-free and made from FSC®-certified paper/card.
|
Bamboo Alphabet Blocks
This beautiful, ethically-sourced, and sustainable set of bamboo alphabet blocks offers a whole new way to explore the alphabet. Twenty-six sturdy pieces offer a hands-on way for children to learn letters and spelling.
|
Beginner Puzzles
Sure to captivate the littlest puzzlers, these sets include six puzzles in each box. The large sturdy pieces of each two-piece puzzle are designed to help develop motor skills in curious toddlers and kids. The sets are available in two varieties kids will love: dinos and pets.
|
Paddington Bear and Tea Set
This deluxe Paddington Tea Set is decorated with illustrations from the original Paddington books and includes a tea pot with a lid, a serving tray, two cups, two saucers, two plates, two spoons, and two napkins, which all fit nicely in a sturdy suitcase printed with travel stamps of Paddington’s adventures. The set also includes a classic seated Paddington soft toy inspired by Peggy Fortnum’s original Paddington illustrations. This new Paddington is made of luxuriously soft honey-brown plush.
|
Flower Friends Headbands Kit
A perfect activity for a child’s birthday party or a rainy day, this kit allows you to create animal ear headbands, adorned with flowers and plants. The animal ears are made from flexible self-adhesive felt and, once decorated, can be easily stuck on to the ribbon headbands, which fit all head sizes. The kit makes three headbands and comes with step-by-step instructions.
|
Sailing Ship Kite
Set sail and soar on the wind with this classic sailing ship kite that also doubles as home decor. Each handmade kite flies gracefully in the wind and is made from tear resistant nylon and durable bamboo by Balinese artisans. When the kite is not being used, it makes a beautiful decorative object to display.
|
Build-Your-Own Kaleidoscope
This STEM kit is an exciting two-part project for young artists and scientists, ages seven and up. The project helps kids develop motor skills, promotes cognitive development, and exposes a child to basic physics.
|
All the World’s a Stage: Peter Pan
Join Peter, Wendy, Tinker Bell, and Captain Hook in this sound book adventure, and prepare to be swept away with one of the world’s best-loved stories. Press the musical note on every page to hear classical music that will transport you to the world of Neverland. All the World’s a Stage: Peter Pan features a retelling of the classic story for a young audience, based on its original form as a staged performance.
|
Deluxe Travel Scrabble™
This beautiful travel edition of Scrabble™ is compact, elegant, and ready for play wherever you go. The set is housed in a handsome folding wood case that opens to reveal a raised-grid game board designed to keep the wood tiles perfectly in place during play. Slide open the game board panels to access two storage compartments holding all the premium components—including wood tile racks, plus a pad and pencil for keeping score.
|
The Bedtime Music Book
Join the Mouse Family as they get ready for bedtime, set to eight classical musical masterpieces. With eight touch-activated sound chips, this book by Jennifer Eckford, featuring engaging illustrations by Amy Adele, will help little ones relax at bedtime with these beautiful and soothing classical songs.
|
The Birthday Music Book
Get ready to celebrate with this interactive musical storybook, featuring “Happy Birthday” and seven classical masterpieces. Perfect as a birthday present or to make any day more festive, this book by author Jennifer Eckford and illustrator Amy Adele tells the sweet story of the Mouse Family as they come together for a birthday surprise.
|
Ahab and the White Whale
By Manuel Marsol, translated from the Spanish by Chloe Garcia Roberts
In this exquisitely illustrated story inspired by Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, Manuel Marsol turns Captain Ahab into a sympathetic, driven goofball with valuable lessons to impart about life, leviathans, and not letting our goals obscure the world right in front of our eyes.
|
Play with Matisse Activity Kit
Jump into the bold and bright world of Henri Matisse, one of history’s most playful artists, as you make a paper masterpiece inspired by the artist. This is an innovative and original craft kit that will be enjoyed by adults as much as children. Many of the activities take inspiration from Matisse’s life, encouraging collaboration and imagination.
|
Hedgehog Prickly Sticks
This game is a twist on the classic pick-up sticks. A roll of the die determines what color stick must be ever so carefully removed from the bunch. As each stick is removed, the balancing hedgehog will become more and more unsteady, and when it drops, the game is over.
|
Color-Changing Fish Umbrella
This fun and practical children’s umbrella is illustrated with fish whose colors appear on contact with water and disappear once the umbrella is dry. Its transparent design enables the child to see where they are walking, and its manual opening is fitted with a protection system so it can be opened and closed without pinching little fingers.
|
Giant Butterfly and Plane Kites
These giant kites, available as a butterfly or an airplane, are light and simple to handle. They take off easily and make an original and joyful gift for all ages.
Treasure Chest Kit
This DIY kit makes the perfect gift for play explorers and young artists alike. With step-by-step instructions the kit allows them to build and decorate a beautiful and sturdy treasure box with mosaic stickers and gemstones. The box features a clever false bottom design in which to stash secret treasures; key included. Choose pink or blue.
|
Paper Maché Bowls Craft Kit
This kit comes with everything a child needs to make two bowls in different sizes, and the very beautiful results belie the ease of the process. Decorative paper pieces are simply glued on the plastic molds; the molds are transparent, allowing children to see where they’re placing the decorative elements. After the glue dries, the bowls lift off the molds. Choose pink or blue.
|
Focus-Free Binoculars for Kids
These binoculars have a feature that makes them perfect for young children: everything is in focus, automatically. They're a perfect gift for young hikers, campers, and nature lovers. The optical tubes adjust to fit faces of all sizes, so everyone has a comfortable viewing experience. A neck strap is included.
|
Basquiat Colors Board Book
Immerse your little one in the dynamic world of colors through the iconic artwork of Jean-Michel Basquiat in this engaging and educational board book. In this unique board book, young artists learn colors in English, Spanish, and French—three languages spoken by Basquiat, a Brooklyn-born son of Puerto Rican and Haitian parents.
|
Balsa Wood Model Airplane Kits
These airplanes are an old-school, irresistible way to get kids away from their screens and outside. And not only kids: they’re fun for seventeen-year-olds and seventy-year-olds too. They have no batteries, electronics, or plastic, and they’re inexpensive.
|
Huckleberry Pull Helicopter
A beautifully designed toy for some old-school fun, this wooden pull helicopter will get kids off of devices and into the outdoors. Simply wind the launcher clockwise and quickly pull to release the helicopter and watch it go flying.
|
Animal Orchestra Puzzle
This elaborate “look and find” puzzle is as fun as it is beautiful. When it is completed, find the objects from the border in the puzzle’s illustration. The puzzle comes with a poster of the illustration. It helps children develop concentration, memory, fine motor- and problem-solving skills, as well as visual reasoning and the ability to sort colors and shapes.
|
The Dance School: 100-Piece Puzzle
In this 100-piece observation puzzle, children can discover a dance school where young dancers are rehearsing to become future ballet stars. This is both a puzzle and an observation game: the elements depicted in the border can be found inside the main image.
|
Baby’s First Books
These three soft board books with padded covers and rounded corners are ideal for babies and toddlers. The set includes: First 100 Words, First 100 Animals, and Numbers Colors Shapes. Each book is illustrated with engaging photos—not drawings—and lots of color, so they’re fun to look at and easy for baby to hold.
|
BabyLit Collection
Introduce young ones (ages birth and up) to a world of literature with these cheerful, colorful, and humorous board books, bundled together in an I Love Books canvas tote. The ten books include four classics from the wildly popular BabyLit series, two volumes from BabyLit Shakespeare, and four from BabyLit Little Poets.
|
No-Sew Bookbinding Kit
This kit makes it easy to craft a professional-looking book while learning the fundamentals of traditional binding. It includes everything you need to assemble a beautiful hardcover journal using a simplified, beginner-friendly bookbinding method.
|
Mouse On Books Ornament
This ornament will add charm to any Christmas tree or seasonal decoration. The Reader’s Catalog commissioned this ornament from Creative Women, a luxury lifestyle brand driven to empower female artisans and preserve traditional textile heritage.
|
Sunprint Kit
Sunprints are enjoyed by preschoolers through teens and adults—anyone who enjoys creative activities. Originally developed in 1975 as a teaching tool by educators at the Lawrence Hall of Science at UC Berkeley, Sunprints are easy art projects and can also be used for science experiments.
|
Time Spent Reading Is Never Wasted Mug
This heirloom-quality bone china mug is decorated with Quentin Blake’s irresistible illustration of a storytelling dragon reading to four captivated children, with the reminder: “Time spent reading is never wasted.”
|
Young Artist Essentials Gift Set
This art set makes the perfect gift for a budding artist ready to take their creativity to the next level. By providing a variety of mediums, this set encourages children to explore different artistic styles and techniques.
|
Traditional Potholder Loom
Weaving is a quiet activity that encourages concentration and helps children understand spatial relationships and patterning while strengthening fine motor control. The set includes a sturdy 7" x 7" metal loom, weaving and crochet hooks, and enough loops in mixed bright colors to make six traditional-sized potholders.
|
Midsummer Toddler Tee in Hot Pink
“And though she be but little, she is fierce!” is a quote from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The quote is written across the front of these soft toddler tee shirts. “William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is printed beneath the quote.
|
Illustrations by David Levine from the pages of The New York
Review of Books
A print of a favorite writer, artist, historical figure, or personal hero makes a thoughtful gift for anyone on your list—or for your own home or office. We offer framed prints of the hundreds of caricatures by celebrated artist David Levine that enriched the pages of The New York Review of Books for more than four decades. Choose among writers, artists, composers, poets, musicians, politicians, historical figures, pop personalities, and more.
Pictured here: Beatrix Potter
|
