Gary Carnivele
It’s the time of year when children are mailing their lists to Santa’s North Pole headquarters or dropping not-so-subtle hints to anyone with significant purchasing power. Only a few weeks remain before Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa, so if you’re in charge of gift buying, you had better get moving.
“The Toy Shop is filled with a wide array of wonderful toys for children of all ages and we offer free gift-wrapping,” said Carla Haskell, proprietor of The Toy Shop in Sonoma. “It’s best if the shopper comes in with a wish list from the child or at least knows the aptitude, interests and preferences of those on their list.”
For the very youngest ones in your life, The Toy Shop sells Giggles Computer Funtime for Baby ($19.99). Tykes 6-24 months can learn from programs such as “ABCs and 123s,” “My Animal Friends” and “Shapes” while sitting with mom or dad and touching the keys on a computer keyboard.
Toddlers can learn shapes, sizes, colors and how items fit together with Wedgits, a popular line of stackable and colorful building toys. The 15-piece Starter Kit ($24.99) is designed for children ages 2 and older and Widgets on Wheels ($80) is for kids 6 and older, who may one day design vehicles for the Big Three in Detroit (if there is a Big Three when they grow up).
Playmobile’s new circus series offers children ages 4 and up a chance to create their own Big Top experience with a wide range of collections. There’s a clown with a big squirting sunflower ($5.49); a complete dog show, with a busy trainer, many breeds of dogs and all the accessories they might need ($14.99); and a horse show with four horses, three riders and a ringmaster ($33.99).
For kids 8 and older who dream of becoming architects or contractors, Rokenbok System building systems is a gift that will keep them engaged in thoughtful design and construction for many hours. Included in the interesting collections are the Dozer and Recycling Center ($49.99); Fire and Rescue, which includes a station and a fire truck, ($64); and the giant Innovator’s Tool Box, which includes 618 pieces ($119.99).
McCaulou’s Kids stocks some of the cutest and cuddliest toy animals imaginable for newborns. Gund has created a new group of darling little animals made of the softest corduroy and patchwork designs. The floppy-eared dog comes in powder blue and the horse in pink ($11.95 for small; $15.95 for large). My First Teddy ($24.99) is safe for all ages and is also available in pink and light blue.
The Sleep Sheep ($25) is a plush sound machine that helps children fall asleep with four different sounds, including mom’s heartbeat. The Twilight Turtle ($32) transforms a child’s bedroom into a starry night sky to help ease them into bedtime. The shell glows in four different soothing colors while it projects constellations onto the ceiling. A fully illustrated star guide is included.
Girls who love to play dress-up will delight in the ballerina and fairy collections by Posh. Ensembles are built upon flirty skirts and tutus, which come in various pastel colors and are adorned with rose buds, flower petals, ribbons and bows (from $12.95). The skirts can be accessorized with colorful dance tops (from $5.95), rhinestone- and feather-adorned tiaras ($3.95) and playful wands ($4.50).
Sonoma Bookends Book Store has a wide array of books for every age group. Preschoolers will be amazed by Scanimation Picture Books like “What’s the Commotion? Kids in Motion,” which shows kids playing sports in the screens on the pages of the book ($12.95) and “Gallop: A Scanimation Picture Book of Animals in Motion” (12.95). Rufus Butler Seder wrote both books.
“Children ages 6 to 8 are ready for small chapter books and many love the ‘Magic Treehouse’ series, the ‘Perry Jackson and the Olympians’ series and the ‘Junie B. Jones, First Grader’ series, with it’s latest installment ‘Dumb Bunny,’” said Sonoma Bookends owner Jennifer Simmons. “We are more than happy to order any book we don’t have in stock and can usually get it into the store overnight.”
Simmons stocks a lot of books that are all the rage with teenagers. It’s difficult to ignore media reports surrounding Stephanie Meyer’s “Twilight” series, which features a high school vampire and the young woman who loves him. The latest installment in the series is “Breaking Dawn.” Christopher Paolini’s “Inheritance” series offers teen readers all the dragon-laden fantasy they could possibly hope for. “Brisingr” is his most recent offering.
Gifts from Fine Line Art Supply in Sonoma are certain to encourage the young artists in your life. Kids from age 4 can decorate their own ornaments with the Ceramic Holiday Ornament Kit ($19.99) and the Holiday Memories Ornament Frames Kit ($16.99).
The creative kids on your list will get on the fast track to the Louvre with Art Alternatives Young Artist Easel, which is 44” high and includes a chalkboard, a white board and a roll of paper ($58.99); the Art Alternatives Junior Brush and Smock Set ($8.99); or the Young Artist Discovery Wood Box Set, with 68 professional supplies ($29.99).
Wood box sets by Winsor and Newton ($45.99 each) provide aspiring pint-size Picassos with all the tools they’ll need to create great art. The Cotman Watercolor Set, which includes 12 watercolor tubes and paintbrushes; the Galleria Acrylic Colour Set, which includes six paint tubes and paintbrushes; and the Winton Oil Colour Set, with eight tubes of oil paint, are all available at Fine Line.
Other downtown stores to scout for youth-oriented gifts include Pharmaca, which carries a limited number of lead-free toys, and Half-Pint, with its delightful array of clothing and accessories.
Fine Line Art Supply & Custom Framing, 500 W. Napa St., Sonoma; 707.935.3199. Open Sunday 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Half Pint, 450 First St. E.; 707.938.1722. Open Sunday 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
McCaulou’s Kids, 201 W. Napa St., Sonoma; 707.996.4686. Open Sunday 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday-Monday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Pharmaca, 303 W. Napa St., Sonoma; 707.938.1144. Open Sunday 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-7 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Sonoma Bookends Book Store, 201 W. Napa St., Sonoma; 707.938.5926. Open Sunday 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Monday-Saturday 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m.
The Toy Shop, 201 W. Napa St., Sonoma; 707.938.1197. Open Sunday 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturday-Monday 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
All stores will extend regular hours as the holidays near.
