10 Color Book

Several of the other reviewers have mentioned that the tangling of the beribboned buttons irritates them. I say, let the toddler decide what to do with this book. After all, there are numbers, colors, openings to fit buttons into, and the clever rhyming and story elements to this book. As you read the story to your youngster, he or she will place the appropriate button into the button slot, and continue on counting. For any child, counting is developed through repetition. For a special needs child, the repetition is necessary; in this case, this book could be used as a clue to the child to complete the counting task, within the context of a larger task. It could be used as a transitional activity, between two other activities; as the child learns this skill, he or she will become accustomed to completing the button counting as a step to another activity. Adults, stop worrying about the ribbons tangling; watch what your child does with this book. And, keep popping those buttons!

This is a fantastic book, and the buttons are not irrevocably tangled, even as a display model in the toy store I used to work in. It is one of the few toddler-safe toys that engages on so many levels, and doubles as an excellent travel toy as all the parts are together. This is wonderful for puzzle play, color matching, counting and very early reading.

Sure the ribbons tangle on this book. But kids dont mind, and it sort of "adds" another activity for them (untangle the ribbons!). Plus, they untangle quite easily, so I dont see that as a reason to give this book any less than the 5 stars it deserves. This is not really a good "car" book, because it is big and heavy, but my nearly 2 yrs. old son never grows tired of this gem. I plan to get several copies to give as gifts.

I recently had the pleasure of flying with my 17 month old, and all of his toys were old news. We bought this book on the trip, and he was entertained for 3 flights and a 2 hour car trip. His cousins loved it, too. I was amazed that each kid I handed it to immediately started, with no instruction whatsoever, to put the buttons in the holes. I'm sold!!! oh, and yes, the buttons get twisted- big deal!

Much like 10 Button Book, William Accorsi's earlier effort, this book has ribbons that tangle almost instantly, no matter how you try to prevent it. However, my son doesn't care about that, so why should I? He loves to clank the plastic pieces around, and like other 24-month-olds, he's enthralled with the idea of putting things in their correct place. This book is actually better than "10 Button Book" in a couple important ways: First, the different shapes of the flat plastic pieces add much more interest, compared to having 10 identically round buttons. Second, the buttons in "10 Button Book" never quite matched the color on the printed page. This confused my son, and I couldn't decipher where the buttons were supposed to go, either. The shapes eliminate this confusion and make the whole experience much more fun. I can't imagine a single kid in the world who wouldn't be instantly attracted to this simple puzzle book. Highly recommended!