Everything about Lulu is amazingly realistic. Her soft white fur and adorable sounds make it hard not to pet her--especially when she rolls over for a tummy rub or cleans her face with her paw. Lulu has five convenient touch sensors located on her head, back and stomach. It seems that Lulu may also be able to detect motion or sound--when you walk by without touching her she will purr and meow "hello" at you. (To keep this from happening you can easily turn her off.)

Adorable and Hard Not to Love
Though Lulu is designed for children, we can see how she would appeal to all age groups including adults--who wouldn't love having a fuzzy realistic toy kitty to cuddle with? Lulu's interactivity makes her a great addition to the family or as a first pet for your preschooler to care for. She even includes a brush for grooming and an adoption certificate that proclaims your child as her rightful owner. Once Lulu sits on your lap and purrs, you and your child will not be able to help falling for her.

As a small warning, since Lulu is electronic, she should only be used indoors and away from water or hot temperatures that could damage her mechanics.

What's in the Box
Cat figure, a plastic comb, an adoption certificate, and four "C" batteries.

Slice and Bake Cookie Set Ages:3+

What We Think Fun factor: Durability: Educational factor: Novelty factor: The Good: Sturdy, high-quality wooden toy is built to last, offers plenty of opportunity for both independent and interactive pretend play The Challenging: It's a toy with a lot of individual pieces, but it includes handy, clever storage solutions In a Nutshell: Wooden cookie set comes with toy kitchen utensils, providing fun tools to foster imaginary play in preschool-age children

Kids love using the wooden spatula to remove their cookie creations from the tray. View larger.

"Slice" cookies from the tube of "dough" with the wooden toy knife. View larger.

Bake Up Something Good
The Slice and Bake Cookie Set features a dozen cookies that are packaged in a cardboard tube that looks just like a tube of cookie dough from the grocery store. Because they're held together with Velcro, the cookies slide out in one piece. Use the wooden toy knife to "slice" the cookies apart -- the Velcro makes a satisfying slicing sound when it separates.

The child can then place the cookies on the cookie sheet and pretend the cookies are baking, making sure to hold the "hot" cookie sheet with the oven mitt once they're done. (Note that the toy kitchen utensils are not meant for use with real food or with real kitchen appliances.)

Once the cookies are done baking, it's decorating time! The 12 "vanilla" and "chocolate" frosting pieces attach to the cookies with Velcro. They are painted with different, yummy looking sprinkles, candy pieces, and icing patterns, so your child can create a variety of different looking cookies. After the decorating is done, your child can serve them up with the included wooden toy spatula.

Perfect for preschool-age children, this toy not only offers plenty of opportunity for imaginary play, it also helps small kids exercise their motor skills. Our preschool-age tester found it challenging, yet fun, to slice the cookies apart. And while our toy tester enjoyed playing with it independently, this toy makes a great parent-and-child activity, too.

Adults can place custom orders for cookies, play counting and matching games, and more. If you're at a loss for ideas, Melissa&Doug includes interactive play ideas on the back of the cookie sheet that help you encourage your child to learn while she plays.

Sturdy, High-Quality Construction
The Slice and Bake Cookie Set definitely has plenty of pieces, so we were glad to find that the cardboard tube is big enough to contain both the cookies and the toppings, making cleanup and organization much easier. We also love the toy's sturdy wooden construction that's built for plenty of rough play. And as with all of their products, Melissa&Doug states that this toy is made with non-toxic coatings and meets or exceeds US toy testing standards.

About Melissa&Doug
Started in the garage at Doug's parents' house in 1988, Melissa&Doug has grown to become one of the most popular toy makers in the world. Their toys have garnered dozens of parenting and "best toy" awards over the years, and have been featured widely in national print media and on television.

One of the company's points of pride is that their toys are thoroughly tested for safety, and meet all US consumer product safety regulations. The toys are tested at the factory of origin during various phases of the production process to ensure that every toy meets the company's stringent safety requirements every step along the way. In particular, the paints and coatings on Melissa&Doug toys are tested frequently to be sure they meet or exceed government recommendations limiting heavy metals and lead in children's items.

Since day one, Melissa&Doug has been in compliance with every US consumer product safety regulation and will continue to stay compliant as the laws continue to evolve, assuring parents that their children can have a safe childhood while playing with Melissa&Doug toys.

What's in the Box
12 wood cookies, 12 decorative toppings, toy cookie dough tube, wooden cookie tray, wooden spatula, wooden toy knife and oven mitt.

Connect 4 x 4 Ages:8+ Required:4 players

What We Think Fun factor: Durability: Ease of assembly: Educational factor: The Good: Up to four people can play Connect 4 x 4; features new colors and helpful blockers. The Challenging: Younger children may need pointers on the double-sided grid when first playing. In a Nutshell: Fun remake of a favorite game with added challenge and complexity.

Double-sided Grid, More Colors, New Pieces
Connect 4 x 4 is the only checkers four-in-a-row, four-player game--making it perfect for family game nights. With the new double-sided grid, you can score on both the front and back side of the game.

Game play is simple--pick a line, drop a checker in on each turn, and hope that your opponents don't foil your strategy before you get four checkers in a row! The game has also added "blockers," which can be used to block your opponents on both sides of the grid in one turn. However, make sure to save your blockers for when you really need them--you only get two and they are valuable!

When you're finished playing Connect 4 x 4, a convenient locking top slide keeps the pieces on the grid so you never have to worry about lost checkers.

Challenging Remake of a Timeless Favorite
If you grew up playing Connect 4, you'll quickly realize that Connect 4 x 4 is like having both an old favorite and a new game all in one. You can still play the game with two players, but now also have the option of playing with four. The double-sided grid adds a welcome challenge and complexity for long-time Connect 4 players. A word of warning for younger players: the added complexity may be a bit challenging to understand at first, but once they do, they'll definitely be hooked.

What's in the Box
Double-sided grid, 68 checkers (17 of each color), and eight blockers (two of each color).