Brilliant Sky Toys & Books Announces The Top 12 Toys on Their 2013 Brilliance List

Thank you to Brilliant Sky Toys & Books for providing complimentary products samples for us to base this review upon.  All opinions expressed are my own.

The specialty toy retailer Brilliant Sky Toys & Books currently has 15 store locations within the U.S. and I have my fingers crossed that someday they will come to Massachusetts or perhaps open their business to the world of online retail.  Not only does this retailer offer top quality toys that promote childhood develop, the stores are designed to give both parents and children a very special experience.

For children, Brilliant Sky Toys & Books offers warm inviting tones, child-height displays and fixtures, and so many fun toys and books to explore hands-on.  The parents receive outstanding concierge-style customer service, along with assistance while selecting the perfect toy plus free gift wrapping.  What a time-saver this would be around the Holidays!

The 12 Brilliance Award Winners for 2013 are as follows . . . 

1. Adventure Treehouse by International Playthings
2. Deluxe Magic Set by Melissa & Doug 
3. Doinkit Darts by Marky Sparky
4. Easel by Melissa & Doug 
5. Gobblet Gobblers by Blue Orange
6. How Big Is The Lion? My First Book Of Measuring by Workman
7. Lego® City Brickmaster by Penguin 
8. Little Chubbies by International Playthings
9. Skwish Classic by Manhattan Toy
10. Snap Circuit Sound by Elenco Electronics 
11. Switch & Spin Magnetic Gear Board by Melissa & Doug 
12. World Map Puzzle by Janod

We actually already own the Melissa & Doug Easel and the Deluxe Magic Set.  Both items are deserving of their place on this list.  We were also able to experience the How Big Is The Lion? My First Book Of Measuring by Workman and the Lego® City Brickmaster by Penguin.  I chose these items because our nearly 7 year old son learns a little differently.  He performs much better when he is engaged, which often does not mean traditional teaching methods.  

He did very well with the How Big Is The Lion? My First Book Of Measuring.  He was a little reluctant at first because he reacts that way to most books, but when he saw there was a wooden ruler attached to the book with a red satin ribbon, he became more curious and quickly became a willing participant in this learning activity.

The Lego® City Brickmaster is also a book, but this one comes with all the Lego bricks and specialty pieces a child would need to build everything described in the book.  It also came with two Lego Minifigures, which our son loves to collect.  Although he needed some assistance here and there reading the diagrams, our son did very well with building several of the models.  He thoroughly enjoyed himself and was also very proud that he was able to follow the instructions.  Little did he know that he was also developing his sorting and problem solving skills, as well as his fine motor skills.

To learn more about Brilliant Sky Toys & Books, visit BrilliantSkyToys.com.  Be sure to use their Store Locator to check for a store location near you.

The LEGO Build-It Book, Vol. 1: Amazing Vehicles

Thank you to No Starch Press for providing a complimentary copy of this book to base this review upon. All opinions expressed are my own.

Lego’s have been part of my life since before I was the age my kids are now (6, 6, and 9). I am sure many of you are in the same situation and understand my thrill to see my kids enjoying a toy that was also such a huge part of my own childhood.

Whenever I get a chance to check out a LEGO product I jump at it. Recently we received the LEGO Build-It Book (Volume 1):  Amazing Vehicles and I was excited. Not only did I get to play with LEGOs, I had a grown up excuse to do it!

The Amazing Vehicles Book includes 10 sets of instructions for some very cool vehicles ranging from race cars to a baby stroller (that's right, a baby stroller!). As I expected, the instructions were colorful and precise. The book spends a few pages making sure readers understand some of the building concepts using a comic like style and layout. Although the book is slightly geared towards adolescent readers, it's definitely not too young for adult LEGO enthusiasts.

I started by heading out to my local LEGO store to buy all the parts I needed using the provided parts list. I estimated the parts would cost me less than $15. We own thousands of LEGOs already, but I thought it would be a nice touch to use the exact parts and colors used in the book.

Although I was able to get a few of the parts required at the store, they didn't have what I needed and the trip was mostly in vain (can a trip to a LEGO store ever truly be in vain?). I went home deciding I was going to use what I had and make the best of it. But isn't that part of the charm of playing with LEGO ? For the record, LEGO's Pick A Brick is an excellent online service where I could have ordered every single part I needed, but I felt like a kid again and wanted to play right away!

I’m going to cut to the chase and state I was not able to finish any of the projects in the book. The book's instructions were superb and easy to follow and 95% of the parts required are mostly common, but in the end I didn't have enough to finish anything. At first I was feeling like I failed in some way, but then I realized something:  I just played with LEGOs for a few hours and had a blast. And I am 43 years old!

After my attempts at making some cool vehicles, my kids weren't impressed and had me step aside, it was pro time. My 6 year old son Luke made his own interpretations of some of the book's designs.

Whether I finished any of the projects in the book is secondary to the fact that I had a blast trying. I felt like a 7 year old again pushing through my kids' mountains of LEGOs looking for that perfect piece or color. This LEGO Build-It Book book is an excellent guide and reference for any level of builder and I heartily recommend it. What an excellent companion to a LEGO kit for a gift. If you want a gift that's truly unique, order all the parts at Pick A Brick to go along with the book for a flawless LEGO experience!

You can learn more about LEGO Build-It Book (Volume 1):  Amazing Vehicles at Shop.Oreilly.com.  This paperback book retails for $19.95 and just $21.95 for both the paperback and the ebook.