What is it about this time of year that makes me crave sweets so much? I’ve just come off the Halloween sugar high, and now the Pumpkin Pie has found its place on the kitchen counter. Thank goodness for my daughter’s new love of cupcakes! These sweet morsels of goodness pack a punch of sweet and savory flavors. It’s not like eating a piece of fruit for a snack, but it keeps me from sticking my fork into another piece of pie.

The word on the street is that the best cupcakes in town are found at Sprinkles Cupcakes in Scottsdale. They’re a bit expensive, but they work as a great reward for finishing reading time. While you’re at it, make one of those books Pinkalicious, in which the main character eats so many cupcakes that her skin starts to turn colors!

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Toys coming to life is the premise of many of our favorite books (The Indian in the Cupboard), stories (Pinocchio), and movies (Toy Story). Children and adults alike are obsessed with imagining that there is something more to the wood, plastic, and fabric that makes up our toys than meets the eye. How do toys interact when we’re not around? What do they say? What do they like to do? What does it take for a toy to become real?

The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams was perhaps the first well-received book to explore the subject. Written in America in 1922, the book has stood the test of time as a children’s favorite for several generations of make believers. We think your kids will love it. Paired with the activity from last week’s Chapter Book Blast – the TOYS exhibit at the Arizona Museum for Youth – this book will help you and your kids fall in love with some of your old toys all over again.

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Toys. That stuff’s for kids, right? Oh – who are we kidding? Everyone loves toys!!! Even though most of our toys tend to get bigger and more expensive as we grow older, we’ll admit that around here we still have a chest full of toys that are off limits to little hands because we just can’t let go. Children of all ages get emotionally attached to their playthings and they are often the best conversation starters for both young and old.

That’s why we think it’s pretty cool that the Arizona Museum for Youth is currently showcasing an exhibit dedicated to toys. Paintings, sculptures, and other artwork combine with hands-on fun to create an environment in which parents can reminisce and children can explore toys from a new point of view. To get your kids thinking about the magic of toys, encourage them to read on old classic. Whether the toy is made of plastic, wood, paper, or metal, their magic lies in the way they facilitate play and make believe. One of the best books to push your kids’ imagination as they read about toys coming to life – literally – is The Indian in the Cupboard. One of the ten best-selling children’s books of all time, this fantasy-based chapter book has been entertaining kids for nearly 30 years. We think your kids will fall in love with this book as quickly as we did years ago. Just be prepared to find toys in your cupboards for the next few weeks.

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