Customer Reviews

American Folk Toys: Easy-To-Build Toys for Kids of All Ages

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
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Wow! What a terrific book! My daughter came across it when we were Mother's Day shopping. We fell in love with it because of the beautiful pictures and clear illustrations.

The way the book is designed and written makes it very easy-to-use. The writing is so engaging that my daughter asked me to read the Climbing Bear section over and over! The clearly written instructions and sharp illustrations get even me, not a woodworker, ready to go ahead and give it a try.

I especially like the introductory material presented for each toy or game. The author gives interesting anecdotes on the toy's origin, history, and often how he stumbled upon it. The author, in addition to being a careful writer, clearly has first-hand knowledge of how children love and use toys and games. He also has a penchant for beautiful simplicity.

Tired of buying your kid another mindless, souless piece of useless plastic? Then try John Nelson's book about American folk toys. Not only does Nelson delve into the history of toys in America, he also provides blueprints and step-by-step instructions on how to build them. The book should appeal to anyone interested in toys, anyone looking for gift ideas, anyone who is handy with tools, and anyone who wants to learn!

My grandfather finished making the rocking horse from this book last week - he had checked the book out from the library. My 15 month old son loves his white horse! I looked through the book and saw many other toys that I know my son will like, so I'm going to order it and ask my husband to get started!

This book is excellent. In addition to Rodney Frost's books, I'm adding this to my library of books which inspire me to create other projects. There are new (old, really, but new to most readers) twists on familiar toys - as other reviewers have commented, the background stories are really fun, too. Cool book!

If you are a grandpa or ever plan to be one, this is a great book. My grand daughter loves these sort of geegaws, and I love her. It's a win-win for everyone!

Nelson has done a splendid job of integrating the readability of a coffee table book and the ruggedness of a functional shop-guide. His smooth writing style and clever wit led me to read the book cover to cover in the first night it was in my possesion. The illustrations are of the utmost quality. Truly a first rate book. Thank you John, for a book that will hopefully lead to homemade toys for my grandchildren this christmas!