Cygnus Storytelling/National Institute on Media and the Family, 2008; $15; www.mediawise.org. This is a real smorgasbord of tales: a fable from Aesop, a classic fairy tale, a rapping riff on another tale and a true personal story. All provide lots of reasons for sitting down and sharing a story with the kids.

Parent’s comment: “I appreciated the turn-off-the-TV message.” – Mom of five, Calif.
 

Pirate Ship & UFO and Uberstix Scavenger Series Landshark & Dragster, Uberstix, $14.99 each; www.uberstix.com; for ages 7 and up.

These ingeniously designed sets of building pieces require children to incorporate recyclable household products – such as plastic water bottles, Popsicle sticks, straws and paper clips – into their structures to build a pirate ship or UFO. The Uberstix work well not only with many recyclables, but with other major building systems, such as LEGO, K’NEX and Zoobs. Children get to unleash their imaginations, see beyond the instructions, experiment and explore ways to play with more than one toy or brand at a time. 

The Jim Henson Co., 2008; 80 min.; $19.97; www.unstablefables.com; for ages 8 to 12. This animated feature is a fun twist on the Three Little Pigs that older kids will appreciate. The pigs are targeted by a team of wolves planning on infiltrating their house of bricks when they find a wolf cub on their doorstep. “Lucky” grows up with the pigs, not knowing his history or the choice he will have to make about the pigs that raised him. The animation is bright, the story is clever and there is lots of action. Note: This could be too scary for kids under age 7. 

U Turn Digital Camera, Digital Blue, $49.99; www.digiblue.com; ages 6 and up.

 

One of the first things kids do when they get their hands on a camera is to turn it around to snap a self portrait. Well, this camera has got that covered: it swivels 180° so children can see the large LCD screen and view their expressions and positions before taking the picture. Very cool.

 

And, what would photos of friends be without morphing effects? This camera has 12 preset effects that stretch, swirl and swell your images to create the ultimate blackmail image! The camera holds up to 80 photos that can be viewed on the camera or a TV, or downloaded to a computer. It is also equipped with a flash. 

 

Understanding Death and Illness and What They Teach About Life: An Interactive Guide for Individuals with Autism or Asperger’s and their Loved Ones, by Catherine Faherty; Future Horizons, 2008; $24.95; www.FHautism.com.

Death and illness are difficult topics for everyone, but they are especially confusing and worrisome for children with Autism or Asperger’s. Catherine Faherty developed this book for families dealing with everything from illness and injury, to death of a pet or a loved one.

 

Faherty breaks things down into simple, concrete steps and carefully explains how to communicate difficult information, and how to listen to children who might not be able to put their feelings into words. Our testers felt her advice was helpful for not just for children with special needs, but something from which every family in this situation could benefit.

“This is truly written by an expert on both illness/death and working with people with Asperger’s/Autism; therefore it is an essential resource to prepare for those moments of need. I am so glad to see a resource for people with autism who think differently and for the people around them. I see this as being a way for an adult to process loss with a person with autism, which would allow both to face it and heal together. Very unifying.”
– Special Needs Judge