cover image Making Action Toys in Wood

Making Action Toys in Wood

Anthony Peduzzi. Sterling Publishing (NY), $0 (120pp) ISBN 978-0-8069-1224-0

In a charming and sophisticated manual, the Peduzzis have combined fascinating folklore and practical woodworking instruction. With chatty, anecdotal text and meticulous diagrams and line drawings, the authors present as toy-making projects a variety of playthings whose colors and movement have fascinated children for centuries. There is a balancing parrot, a rope climber and a ""ziggy-zaggy,'' to name a few. Merry-go-rounds, we learn, were used originally to train would-be knights in the use of the lance. These toys don't look easyprecision is absolutely vitalbut the appeal of the final results should make the effort worthwhile. (February)