A challenging 35 piece puzzle that will require adult assistance. The picture of three cows in their tutus is very bright and appealing. We really liked the heft and feel of the oversized pieces that make up this 20" x 30" jumbo puzzle. 3 & up.

Age: Preschool, Early School Years. Award Year: 2011. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

A puzzleboard with the multi-cultural faces of children from all over the world. The country they come from is printed beneath their image. Lift the puzzle piece out and find the way that child will say hello in his or her native language.

Age: Preschool, Early School Years. Award Year: 2010. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

An alphabet puzzle with matching clues under each of the letter/picture pieces. The objects chosen are fairly familiar and good language expanders. The idea of making simple words from the letters takes the puzzle to another level that most threes are not really ready for. That said, it is still an attractive and inexpensive way to introduce the letter names and the illustrations to introduce the concept of the sounds the letters say.

Age: Preschool, Early School Years. Award Year: 2010. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

A twelve piece puzzle board with bold realistic illustrations of familiar fruits and veggies. The name of the food is printed under the puzzle piece and the puzzle pieces have distinctive shapes. This is a good choice for developing dexterity and strategy for turning puzzle pieces to fit.  It's also a terrific toy for developing language.

SNAP: Use this for developing language as well as dexterity. These familiar foods are fun to use in riddles, as well. "I spy something red that rhymes with berries or ferries." Or "I spy something orange that is crunchy." Use the pieces for finding all the red foods. "Let's think of other things we eat that are red....how about green foods?"

Age: Preschool. Award Year: 2010. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

Twenty two-piece puzzles of mother and baby animals that fit together side by side. This is a good toy for developing dexterity as well as language. Children often know the names of the adult animal, but learning the baby names for them is another level of knowing. There are color cues on the two pieces that help beginners get it together. These are sturdy puzzle pieces with charming art done by well known illustrator, Saxton Freymann.

SNAP: A good choice for building language. When you play with these you can also use them with riddles...I see an animal that has a trunk...or I see an animal that hops. There are other games suggested on the box. These are sturdy puzzle pieces with charming art done by well known illustrator, Saxton Freymann.

Age: Preschool, Early School Years. Award Year: 2010. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

There are ten three piece puzzles that are handsomely designed in this set. The background colors provide the cues kids need to fit the pieces together. Each puzzle is marked with the numeral and the number word that tells how many animals are pictured. The words are just an extra feature that older kids will enjoy. The pieces are large and thick and the storybook illustrations are by illustrator Kevin Hawkes. Also see the Animal Spelling Puzzles by the same artist. These puzzles are marked for 3 & up, but they are really a better choice for somewhat older children. Also special, with the same art but a simpler format, a Counting Animals Learning Puzzle ($ 8 ) A 10-piece puzzle board with disks that you pop out and match up by the color-coded rim. 3 & up.

The company has signed a verification form complying with our safety requirements. We did not independently test this toy in a lab.

Age: Preschool, Early School Years. Award Year: 2010. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

There are ten three piece puzzles that are handsomely designed in this set. The background colors give kids the cues they need to fit the front, middle and back of the animals together. You do not need to know your letters or how to spell to play with these. The name of the animal is just an extra feature that older kids will enjoy. The pieces are large and thick and the storybook illustrations are by illustrator Kevin Hawkes. Also, see the Counting Animal Puzzles, by the same artist. These puzzles are marked for 3 & up, but they are really a better choice for somewhat older children. 3 & up.

The company has signed a verification form complying with our safety requirements. We did not independently test this toy in a lab.

Age: Preschool, Early School Years. Award Year: 2010. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

For girls who love the storybook character, Madeline, there is an abundance of good news this season. Four different 63 piece puzzles with scenes from the books that are sure to please her fans. There's Madeline and the Tiger with all the other girls clinging to Miss Clavel in fear, while Madeline stand alone smirking at the tiger in the cage. Or consider puzzles with images of Pepito and the Bad Hat, A Walk in London, or The Cats of Rome. Also sure to please, Madeline arriving at Le Pont D' Avignon. This one comes in a box with a carry handle and includes 4 crayons and four pictures to color. All of these 63 piece puzzles are pretty challenging. Marked 4 & up, we'd say these will be a challenge for most 5-6's. So, unless you have a puzzle master in your house, you might want to build confidence before you bring home a puzzle that is too frustrating. These make good birthday party gifts for under $10.

Age: Preschool, Early School Years. Award Year: 2010. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

The way the pieces are cut make these 24 piece puzzles relatively easy to put together. It's not hard to see how to fit the engines together and to add the other parts of the puzzle around their favorite character, Thomas the Tank Engine. The pieces are smaller than those in the giant floor puzzle, but big enough for little hands to get hold of and rotate until they fit together. Marked 4 & up. If your child is not entirely new to puzzles, this will provide some challenge without utter frustration. A good choice for kids who are big Thomas fans and have mastered 15 piece puzzles and are ready for the next step up. Also, consider the Thomas & Friends Jumbo Floor puzzles from the same maker.

Age: Preschool, Early School Years. Award Year: 2010. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

There are four different puzzles inside each of these sets. All are based on I Spy riddles from the books of the same name. Using the artwork from the books, these are graduated in difficulty. Each set includes a 6-piece, 8-piece, 12-piece and 14-piece puzzle. First things first, turn them all over and have your little puzzler sort them by the color on back. Now you are ready to begin. Put all the others away and start with the 6-piece puzzle. Once the puzzle is together, you will probably need to read the riddle for your child and maybe give some hints so he can find the images that answer the riddle. These are a good parent/child toy that involves problem solving as well as language and visual discrimination.   The box says 3 & up. We'd say more like older fours and fives and sixes.

The company has signed a verification form complying with our safety requirements. We did not independently test this toy in a lab.

Age: Preschool, Early School Years. Award Year: 2010. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.