The Best Advice on Children's Products

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What People Are Saying About Smart Play

Smart Play Smart Toys has become a valued business resource as I develop quality games and toys for children. The book is a well-organized guide, an insightful tool, and an important reminder that my business must have a higher purpose – to create toys that inspire the whole child, not just entertain. Dr Toy speaks to the essence of good play and quality toys in a way that is approachable by parents, teachers, toy makers, toy buyers, and anyone thinking about raising healthy, compassionate, curious children. I recommend this book highly!

Donna Jaffe, President
Peaceable Kingdom, Inc.
www.peaceablekingdom.com


 Smart Play/Smart Toys is a delight on every page! This is a masterfully written book and definitely a “must read” for anyone involved in the children’s toy and educational media industry. Thanks, Dr Toy, for authoring such a great guide!

Ruth Ann Abrahamson
Business & Development, Beantown Toys Company
www.beantowntoys.com



Dr. Toy’s Smart Play/Smart Toys is a great guide for anyone searching for the right toy for creative play, building developmental skills or for just plain fun. It’s easy to use and well organized. Invaluable!
Alice Bergman
West Side Kids (ASTRA member), New York, NY


I am not only a game designer whose company’s focus is on sharing games but also a father of a two year old princess. I keep a copy of Dr. Toy’s Smart Play/Smart Toys on my most used resource shelf and reach for her book often for advice. It is a very enjoyable read and an informative resource that every parent should have on hand.

John A. Birmily, President
JABCO Inc.& Good Neighbors Channel


Smart Play/Smart Toys is a virtual treasure chest of great ideas to stimulate children’s development and learning through play. A great resource for any parent, teacher, or caregiver.

Paula Jorde Bloom, Ph.D.
Michael W. Louis Endowed Chair, McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership
National-Louis University, Wheeling, Illinois


For most parents, a trip to the toy store can be an overwhelming experience. But armed with a copy of Dr. Toy’s Smart Play/Smart Toys, parents will have the knowledge they need to quickly and easily zoom in on the best, safest, age appropriate and most fun toys.

Armin Brott,
Author of The New Father: A Dad’s Guide to the First Year, and Fathering Your Toddler: A Dad’s Guide to The Second and Third Years
First Time Dads, www.mrdad.com


Dr Toy’s long and thoughtful immersion in the world of play and toys has established her as the premier authority for this often difficult combination. She “gets it” that the best use of toys is for them to serve as an extension of a child’s own imaginative play drive. She also understands children’s developmental stages so her book, Smart Play/Smart Toys is of inestimable help to parents and grandparents as they struggle to make good choices from among the often dazzling and confusing array offered by the toy industry.

Stuart L. Brown, MD
Founder and President, The National Institute for Play and Author of Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul


“Play Quotient” is the answer to making the difference when connecting to people and life experiences in a safe-world-of-play through Smart Play/Smart Toys. The lists make it easy to select in many categories for all members of the educational village from which we are all players. The joy Dr. Toy has for kids and the importance for play is contagious.

Donna-Lee Burke, Teacher 4th grade
Mariposa, CA


Thank you for Smart/Play Smart Toys. I’m very picky when it comes to purchasing toys for my kids and this book is very helpful!
Sunny Choi, Educational Insights


As a Toy Industry veteran with more than 30 years of experience in Sales, Marketing, and Product Development I enjoyed reading Smart Play/Smart Toys very much. I particularly appreciate the vast array of knowledge, information, and love for toys that Dr. Toy shares with her readers. This book is a great guide for parents to use when considering purchasing toys for their children, and best of all it reminds us that we’re all kids at heart that never really outgrow the joy of playing with toys. It’s a great read for anyone that remembers how much they enjoyed playing with their own toys while they were growing up, or anyone that is about to buy toys for the children they love in their life. Thank you, Dr. Toy!!!

Ron Cantor
President, Comfy, Inc.


Smart Play/Smart Toys is a valuable guide for parents and grandparents to better understand what types of toys provide developmentally appropriate play at each stage from baby to older children with plenty of specific examples of suggested interaction. Just what busy families need these days is to slow down and discover the value of more play time together to benefit the health of all ages.

Hyla Cass, MD
Author, 8 Weeks to Vibrant Health
www.drcass.com


Smart Play/Smart Toys is the road map needed by parents, teachers and anyone who interacts with children and play time. Play development is critical to all children’s overall growth. Dr. Auerbach has brilliantly captured how anyone can help children have more joy with smarter playtime.

Tom Ciesielka, President, TC Public Relations


Dr. Toy’s Smart Play/Smart Toys is a very comprehensive book, easy to read for parents and very useful for professionals. Beyond the use of toys and play I would celebrate the attention Dr. Toy gives to family relationships of children’s quality of life turning parents into “Play Tutors”-the play guardians of their children.

Nilda G. Cosco, Director, Lekotek
Buenos Aires, Argentina


When I was introduced to Dr. Toy’s book Dr. Toy’s Smart Play/Smart Toys I was amazed at the breadth of her knowledge and the wonderful way in which she writes her good and useful advice.

Tony Cross, President
Mic-O-Mic Americas Inc., Savannah, GA


In Smart Play, Smart Toys Stevanne Auerbach uses scholarly research and parenting insights to develop a strategic way of analyzing and developing a child’s PQ (Play Quotient) – showing an innovative spirit and outside-the-box thinking that highlights the importance of growth through play. The practical advice and useful suggestions offered by Dr. Auerbach create the ideal environment for children to get the most out of their playtime, while developing socially and improving analytical thinking. This book is a must-read for old and new parents with efficiently organized, age-appropriate tips to making play time a fun and nurturing experience for kids. Her suggestions for simple, everyday playthings show that parents need not blow their entire budget on one toy – when a simple object found in the home can be even more developmentally helpful for their child.

Stacy DeBroff
CEO and founder, Mom Central


I have often used DrToy.com as a guide for buying gifts for children. When I learned that Dr. Toy launched Smart Play, Smart Toys I purchased copies for myself and to give as gifts to friends with small kids. I love the book, appreciate how it’s organized to make it easy to find the right age group and toy guidance. You easily can find the most pertinent stuff you need to know. I like the milestones by age, suggestion of toys by age, and all the tips included. I recommend this book for anyone with small children. It stimulates new ideas for educating and entertaining children. You will use this guide for many years.

Sara Danzelaud, President & Founder
Tot Talk, Inc. www.tottalk.com