Description

Every once in a while, Disney pairs a score-heavy soundtrack to a major film with something a little lighter. Cars doesn't fit the bill--its soundtrack is star-studded (John Mayer, Sheryl Crow, James Taylor) and its score, by Randy Newman, is about as accessible as they come. So chalk up Fast Tracks--Lightning McQueen's lighthearted and wholly likable companion piece to Cars: The Soundtrack--to the outsized persona with which his creators gifted him. McQueen, a pedal-to-the-metal kind of character, has tunes coming out his mighty tailpipe: between Gunnar Nelson's "Rocking Little Roadster," Joy Lynn White's "You Can't Catch Me," and Kevin Montgomery's earnest, dust-coated cover of Willie Nelson's "On the Road Again," he takes classic rock, rockabilly, and straight-up country for a spin; elsewhere, pop, folk, and blues fasten their seatbelts. It's a slightly twang-heavy melange, but McQueen rotates his sounds as reliably as his tires--credit him (or, more accurately, the corporate folks who keep his engines running) with concocting a roll-down-the-windows-and-shout worthy soundtrack of his own. --Tammy La Gorce

Rev up with Disney's Cars! Lightening McQueen's Fast Tracks, My Wonderful Car, Black and White Thunderbird, Road Trip, You Can't Catch Me, Rocking Little Roadster, On the Road Again.

Description

Blokus develops logic and spatial perception while kids learn to be tactical. Players take turns placing pieces on their board, each starting from their corner. Each new piece must touch at least one other piece of the same color, but only at the corners. The goal is to get rid of all your pieces. The game ends when all players are blocked from laying down any more of their pieces. Includes one game board with 400 squares, 84 game pieces in four bright translucent colors, and an instruction guide.

.caption { font-family: Verdana, Helvetica neue, Arial, serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; } .headline { font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; } ul.indent { list-style: inside disc; text-indent: 20px; } #review { width: 100%; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica neue, Arial, serif; font-size: 12px; } .caption { font-family: Verdana, Helvetica neue, Arial, serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; } Fun for both kids and adults, Blokus is a strategy board game that challenges spatial thinking. Bright colors and simple rules make it ideal for ages five and up, but adults will certainly be engrossed by this unique and challenging game. Not Your Average Board Game Blokus encourages creative thinking and has received a Mensa award for promoting healthy brain activity. The goal of this game is for players to fit all of their pieces onto the board. When placing a piece it may not lie adjacent to the player's other pieces, but must be placed touching at least one corner of their pieces already on the board. The player who gets rid of all of their tiles first is the winner and strategic thinking helps as you block moves from your opponent. Blokus sometimes comes to an end because there are no more possible moves. Four players make this abstract game especially fast and exciting; however, it can be just as fun for two or three players. Blokus has come up with a number of different ways to play the game to make it more thrilling when playing with less than four players. Draft Blokus allows a player to use more than one color and Reverse Blokus reverses the entire game so that the person who places the least amount of tiles on the board is the winner. It can even be played in a solitaire version when one player attempts to place all of their pieces in a single sitting. A game of Blokus typically lasts a 30 minutes. As a practical feature, raised edges on the board help keep the tiles in place and allow convenient clean-up. This game includes 84 pieces in four vibrant colors, an instruction guide, and one gameboard with 400 squares. Blokus is simple to understand, but the game's complexity is revealed shortly after everyone begins to play. It can be addictive, even for those not normally into abstract games. Blokus is a catalyst for spatial thinking, as players form images in their mind before placing the pieces on the board. Children and adults can play together for hours of competitive family fun. As Europe's 2003 Game of the Year, Blokus is adored by many and even played in professional tournaments. What's in the Box 84 pieces in four colors, gameboard with 400 squares, and an instruction guide. Once a piece has been placed on the board it can't be moved, so plan your moves carefully. Adding to the game's challenges, each new piece must touch at least one other piece of the same color, but only at the corners.

Features

• Blokus great strategy game for the whole family!
• Promotes healthy brain activity
• Includes 400 - piece game board with raised edges
• Winner of over 20 prestigious awards
• The most awarded game of the 21st century

Description

LeapFrog's My First LeapPad Pre-Reading Series introduces over 25 essential Pre-K reading skills. In "Pooh's Honey Tree", help your child read a fun story of Pooh's hunt for honey, then flip it over for learning games on the way to Tigger's birthday party. For use with My First LeapPad only (sold separately). Cover artwork may vary.

Made just for toddlers, My First LeapPad Book takes care to encourage prereading skills while giving tots a simple, interesting story that makes learning to read a fun first experience. Just stick the included book chip into your child's LeapPad, put the book in place, and the LeapPad takes care of the rest.Pooh is the main character in this story, adding even more appeal as he seeks out his prized honey tree and, unbeknownst to him, the bees that go with it. As Pooh goes on his quest, kids learn to comprehend the story's overall meaning, understand events, and practice their listening skills. Flip the book over and there are 30 Pooh-themed activities and 5 songs featured, which teach colors, shapes, and object matching. It even sneaks in a bit of deductive logic and emotional exploration. Note: The book works only with the My First LeapPad Learning System, not more advanced LeapPad systems. --Diane Beall

Features

• Reading, Teaches: Story Comrehension, Deductive reasoning, Vocabulary, Matching & shapes