NOTE TO SELF: SEEMS WE HAVE A LOT TO WORRY ABOUT THIS CHRISTMAS AND HOLIDAY SHOPPING
As soon as she had found the perfect present for her niece and dropped it in her shopping cart, Lovey Lane had a nagging worry.
"It just hit me -- this is made in China," the Dundalk resident said, checking the Disney princess costume box and scrutinizing the beads adorning a tiara as a possible hazard. "I thought I'd better put it back."
But the Pirates of the Caribbean ship for her nephew stayed put in the cart, as Lane reasoned that the plastic toy was not likely tainted by lead.
"Of course, we don't know what paint they're using," said Lane, shopping yesterday morning at Toys "R" Us in the Golden Ring area of Baltimore County.
After months of recalls that have seen millions of toys pulled from store shelves -- including classics such as Thomas the Tank Engine, Dora the Explorer and Big Bird -- anxiety was palpable in the toy aisles on the day after Thanksgiving. Warnings of lead paint and choking hazards, and even chemical coatings that could be transformed into a "date rape" drug if ingested, have gotten shoppers' attention.
Full Story Here:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bal-te.bz.toys24nov24,0,3673506.story
Toy safety tips
• Children under age 3: Avoid toys with small parts, which pose a choking hazard.
• Children under 6: Avoid building sets with small magnets. If they are swallowed, serious injuries or death can occur.
• Children under 8: Avoid toys that have sharp edges and points.
• Riding toys, skateboards and in-line skates can cause fatal falls. Helmets and safety gear should be worn and sized to fit.
• Projectile toys such as air rockets, darts and slingshots, intended for older children, can result in serious eye injuries.
• Chargers and adapters should be supervised by adults to prevent burn hazards.
• Read toy labels for age and safety recommendations.
[Source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission]
Shopping for children's toys has become complicated. Perhaps it's time for consumers to seriously consider buying products and goods made locally.
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By: Gina MarySol Ruiz,
on 4/12/2007
Blog: AmoxCalli (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: linda newbery, WW2, historical novel, england, RAF, magical realism, Add a tag
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By: Eleanor Tylbor,
on 11/26/2007
Blog: NOTE TO MYSELF (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: news, children, life, toys, skateboards, Thomas the Tank Engine, Dora the Explorer, Christmas shopping, Big Bird, toy safety tips, air rockets, lead content, in-line skates, toy safety tips, air rockets, lead content, Dora the Explorer, Christmas shopping, Big Bird, in-line skates, skateboards, Thomas the Tank Engine, Add a tag
Blog: NOTE TO MYSELF (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: news, children, life, toys, skateboards, Thomas the Tank Engine, Dora the Explorer, Christmas shopping, Big Bird, toy safety tips, air rockets, lead content, in-line skates, toy safety tips, air rockets, lead content, Dora the Explorer, Christmas shopping, Big Bird, in-line skates, skateboards, Thomas the Tank Engine, Add a tag
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By: Gina MarySol Ruiz,
on 4/12/2007
Blog: AmoxCalli (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: linda newbery, WW2, historical novel, england, RAF, magical realism, Add a tag
At the Firefly Gate
Author: Linda Newbery
Publisher: David Fickling Books
ISBN-10: 0385751133
ISBN-13: 978-0385751131
At the Firefly Gate is a lovely story of friendship, love, loss and simple courage. Henry and his parents move to a quiet Suffolk village near an old World War II airfield. Henry is upset about the move and misses his friends in the city very much. He has the usual dread of a new school, making new friends, getting made fun of. Henry is a small child and very shy. On his first night in his new home, he looks out the window and sees a man smoking at the gate with sparkling lights around him. This frightens Henry and adds to his feeling that he shouldn’t be living there.
As the days pass, Henry makes friends with the neighbor’s old aunt Dottie. Henry reminds Dottie of her fiancé (also named Henry), an RAF navigator who disappeared in the war. Henry and Dottie seem to have a deep bond while Dottie’s great niece lives to torment him.
Things start to get really interesting when Henry starts hearing the sound of WW2 planes flying overhead at night. Henry gets the feeling of being in someone else’s body and he starts to see visions of another time. He dreams of a life as an RAF navigator and starts to believe there’s a ghost out there that needs him to do something. He sees the guy from his gate as a young air force pilot talking to a girl at a restaurant. Henry begins to investigate the time by asking old-timers.
The book is well-written and tells it’s tale with a quiet and gentle force. The book almost reads as if it were written in the era Henry dreams about which was a pleasant surprise. There’s modern touches well that depict Henry’s present day life like the flight simulation game he plays that shows him more of RAF Henry’s mystery. The descriptions of the Suffolk town where Henry lives in are just wonderful. You feel you're there.
Author: Linda Newbery
Publisher: David Fickling Books
ISBN-10: 0385751133
ISBN-13: 978-0385751131
At the Firefly Gate is a lovely story of friendship, love, loss and simple courage. Henry and his parents move to a quiet Suffolk village near an old World War II airfield. Henry is upset about the move and misses his friends in the city very much. He has the usual dread of a new school, making new friends, getting made fun of. Henry is a small child and very shy. On his first night in his new home, he looks out the window and sees a man smoking at the gate with sparkling lights around him. This frightens Henry and adds to his feeling that he shouldn’t be living there.
As the days pass, Henry makes friends with the neighbor’s old aunt Dottie. Henry reminds Dottie of her fiancé (also named Henry), an RAF navigator who disappeared in the war. Henry and Dottie seem to have a deep bond while Dottie’s great niece lives to torment him.
Things start to get really interesting when Henry starts hearing the sound of WW2 planes flying overhead at night. Henry gets the feeling of being in someone else’s body and he starts to see visions of another time. He dreams of a life as an RAF navigator and starts to believe there’s a ghost out there that needs him to do something. He sees the guy from his gate as a young air force pilot talking to a girl at a restaurant. Henry begins to investigate the time by asking old-timers.
The book is well-written and tells it’s tale with a quiet and gentle force. The book almost reads as if it were written in the era Henry dreams about which was a pleasant surprise. There’s modern touches well that depict Henry’s present day life like the flight simulation game he plays that shows him more of RAF Henry’s mystery. The descriptions of the Suffolk town where Henry lives in are just wonderful. You feel you're there.
I love the courage Henry shows, the friendship and the kindness he shows to an elderly and dying woman. The book is so quietly emotional and real that you will find it moves you profoundly.
1 Comments on At the Firefly Gate, last added: 4/12/2007
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Gina: This is my favorite book of the year so far. I LOVED it. You're right--it's quiet, and small, but so beautiful.