Books Can Please All Ages — And All Budgets, Too The perfect Christmas gift is one which provides lasting enjoyment, pleases individual tastes and fits any budget. Books, perhaps more than any other gift on Santa’s list, meet all those requirements. A favorite gift for every age group, books bring to children and adults alike the lasting enjoyment of reading. And browsing through local book stores or book depart- ments will reveal a unique fea- ture. Books provide enduring pleasure in a price range that perhaps no other lasting gift can equal — from as little as 29 cents, for many of the in- formative and entertaining children’s books, to many dol- lars for books that are works of art as well as reading ma- terial. This Christmas, start a child on the way to reading enjoy- ment, with a library of his own, Everything from favor- ite old tales to new education- al books is available in inex- pensively priced editions. Please teens and collegians with school aids such as dic- tionaries and encyclopedias. Housewives, career women and busy business men will appreciate the latest best sell- ers, new editions of the clas- sics, books by their favorite author or books on their spe- cial interests and hobbies. There’s a “shreddi-mix” that’s designed to make in- stant paper mache for the young hobbyist. New in career toys is a con- veyorized lollipop factory. The Whiz Fizz soda fountain can turn out 50 individual sodas in three flavors. There’s a pretzel bakery machine and a cookie “factory.” A new power shop provides a lathe, jigsaw drill press and sander, all designed for work- ing with wood. WHEELING IN Gifts on wheels include side- walk bikes equipped with mo- tor roar and other devices to reproduce traffic sounds. A new concept of train tracks is provided by a tile as- sembly approach with train tracks embedded and all tiles pre-landscaped. Enthusiasm for miniatur- ized auto racing has inspired a variety of new twists adding to the daredevil action. New is an engine scream device and a controller activated “blow- out” set. ® Hints to Puzzled Santas Toys Should Be Safe, “Christmas is for children”, and bulging toy departments, inviting toy catalogues, and make-it-your- self-toy directions in home maga- zines, support the idea. But before you get carried away or overwhelmed by the available supply, bullied by the advertisers, or confused by the “easy, step-by- step directions’, consider two basic qualifications of any toy you purchase or make: safety and suit- ability. Stuffed animals, ideal toys for the baby, need to be well made to withstand squeezing, chewing and general rough wear. Be sure the eyes are firmly sewn on, or better yet, embroidered, so baby can’t pull them off and swallow them. Watch out for sharp corners and rough edges on wooden or metal toys, and avoid easily broken ma- terials for young children. Non- toxic paints are vital, as is the Underwriters’ Laboratories’ tag on electric cords and toys. NARREET New in divertissements for the juvenile scientist is a hobbyscope, designed for scru- tiny of fossils and leaves. The young geologist will have spe- cial equipment for measuring specific gravity. A new kit of plastic links is planned to help junior form molecular patterns. Space oriented toys are still in orbit, but the playroom ap- plications do not evidence any notable new techniques for adapting outer space explora- tion to home fun. IT’S A MYSTERY Newest twist to jigsaw puzzle fun this Christmas is a Mys- tery Puzzle assortment. Each 600-piece puzzle contains a mystery story which points to a clue to be found in the com- pleted puzzle. TUNED TO YULE Variety spices Toyland’s musical sector. For instance, there’s a band of eight instru- ments for one to play, a choice of guitars with professional features and, for the three-to- six set, a graduated wooden xylophone. Kemember that simple, durable toys give the child’s imagination a broader base of activity than com- plicated, too-realistic copies of things from the adult world, or limited-activity gadgets which are just wound up and watched. In- cidentally, keys of wind-up toys can be dangerous. Naturally, you wouldn't give a chemistry set to a two-year-old. Be sure parents understand the limita- tions, possibilities and necessary safety rules when giving one to an older child. Toys are “tools of play’ so, as with any tool, be sure it can do what it’s supposed to do, and is durable enough for the type of use for which it is designed. Speak- ing of tools, don’t frustrate and en- danger a child with dull saws or hammers whose heads fly off. Children should havetoys which, within age and ability limits, give opportunity for a wide range of play experiences. Four basic types of play have been defined, and SHOE BUTTON eyes, heart that says “I Love You,” — thanks to a music box — appear in this year’s version of the famous Rag- gedy Ann. FOR THE CRIB SET New for the crib set this Christmas are squeaky boxing gloves designed to be grabbed and chewed. A novelty in mo- biles to hang above baby’s crib is a bunny whose ears spin, whiskers twitch and feet swing at the slightest breeze. Such unglamorous articles as macaroni and noodles and discarded jars around the home will be transformed into lovely metallic decorations when junior artists get down to creative enterprises with the newest Yule paints. Easy to use fermulations of metallic toned paints give new dimensions of fun to the young artist’s work with poster paints, BL Ir Suitable should be considered when new toys are bought or made. Active, physical play: anything, from a ball to expensive gym equip- ment, which requires physical exer- tion in its useand so helps muscular development and coordination. Creative, constructive, manipula- tive or scientific play: simple build- ing blocks, microscopes, puzzles, art materials, things which help a child observe the world around him, use his initiative, or develop and express his own ideas. Imitative, imaginativeand dram- atic play: dolls, trucks, costumes, stuffed animals, tools, toys which help a child find and express his relation to the world he lives in and grow into his place in the adult world ahead. Shared or social play: games and sports equipment, which help child- ren work with others, develop a sense of fair play and enjoy healthy competition. New approaches to sound and motion kindle notable ex- citement through the length and breadth of Toyland this Yule season. Santa’s bumper crop of playthings recreates in full realism the most advanced manifestations of the afflu- enced way of life, keeps pace with the breathless advances of science and also satisfies the nostalgic shopper’s eye with a wide range of updated traditional toys. FROM THE DISCOTHEQUE Predictably, all the commo- tion over the discotheque has Toyland impact. A “Disk-o- tek” combination features a four-speed phonograph and amplifier. PLAYING MONSTERS New novelty card games take inspiration from the monster cult. There’s Monster Old Maid, for example. The Ad- dams Family and the Munsters are basis for still others, BE Pet Gifts This Yuletide many kinds of pets, from ponies to ant colo- nies, will be ribboned, bowed and otherwise readied to make the Christmas gift scene, The most asked for and the most given pets are dogs and cats. Whether a pure-bred, pedi- greed animal or a healthy, happy animal-shelter variety, dogs and cats represent a long- term gift of love and compan- ionship for the entire family. Most important, therefore, be- fore choosing a new pet, is to make certain it will be a wel- come addition to the family, sure to receive the care and af- fection it needs to thrive. If the new puppy or kitten is to be a gift for a child, be certain the parents approve. Begin early and look care- fully over a number of litters. Ask the help of a pet dealer in choosing the breed of cat or dog best suited to the prospec- tive master. And make sure the animal has all its shots. Healthy, sturdy puppies are lively and alert, like to be held and petted. Be wary of that wistful little fellow cringing in the corner. He may be sick or temperamentally unsound, Check the puppy thoroughly before buying. Eyes and ears should be clean and clear; the stomach, well-rounded and the coat, even textured. Note the puppy’s reaction to people. Healthy puppies won’t snap, growl or cringe, even at sudden noises. They are ready to become pets at eight weeks or older. Cats, especially kittens, should be lively and playful, clear-eyed and with no ten- dency toward sneezing or coughing. Kittens are generally ready for a new home at six weeks. A food supply, dishes, groom- ing aids and toys are “extras” that might well be provided to insure a new pet’s comforts in his new home. For the well-established pet, Christmas is the time to reap the rewards of a trusting com- panionship. A new traveling case, identification tags, toys, a fancy coat or collar are all gift possibilities. SOUND IDEAS Toys with sound effects are ready to please the very young, this Christmas. Among them is a cow that moos as it is moved. And a new version of the counting clock, when wound, chimes out the hours.
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