Those Terrible Toy-Breakers

If you find this book or most others published by now-defunct Parents' Magazine Press, you have a treasure. I enjoyed this book as a child and purchased one for my own children. The book from my childhood survives (it has a durable hard cover, no dust jacket), but with several siblings with fond memories of this book, I bought my own copy to avoid a family feud ;-). The text is in large print, in readable lines, but not babyish in style--great for early readers. The text is a great length for bedtime stories, or reading along together with beginners. The large full color pictures are excellent and enhance the story. The story revolves around a boy, his toys, his friend, and the mysterious toy breakers. The boy thought he lived in a jungle, since his house was surrounded by trees. When toys he accidentally left out at night get broken, his friend tells him that they need to trap the wild animals that are breaking them. They dig a giant pit and make a trap--using the boy's teddy bear as bait(the boy reluctantly agrees to this after a convincing argument from his friend). That night a lion, a tiger, and an elephant come out of the trees and fall into the trap. When they can't get out, the boys have the upper hand and make the animals promise to fix their toys and never break them again. The boys help them out of the pit. The animals keep their promise, and say they weren't trying to break them--they were just trying to play. The boy then makes friends with the animals, gives them some toys, and finds a way to thank his friend for his help. This book is not at all preachy or moralizing,it is just a great story. However, children may glean ideas about how to face fears, friendship, carrying out a plan, taking care of belongings, keeping promises, and dealing with misunderstandings with other children.

This is a book I read over and over and over to my three kids...now two are in college and one has already graduated and they all three remember this book and still recognize quotes from it...they have even suggested I write in my will who gets possession of it... I got ours from the "easy read" book club, sold by a college student...something I normally would never do...but I did.