Students will savor these informative and fast-paced titles on the fascinating, sometimes quirky histories behind the visionary inventors of popular toys. Brief chapters keep reading pace brisk. “Fun Facts” sidebars offer entertaining, educational bits of trivia and striking covers, colored banners, and numerous high-quality black-and-white and color photos of the products appropriately enliven the playful appearance. These slim volumes should prove as popular as their namesakes in public and school libraries. Use in units on business/economics, inventors, and popular culture.

If anyone deserves a book in the Toy Trailblazers series, it’s Ruth Handler, who brought the world Barbie. This well-written title introduces Handler, a Jewish immigrant and youngest of 10 children. Handler faced much skepticism about whether an adult doll would sell. Handler, an excellent marketer, not only sold Barbie, but clothes, accessories, and friends. Her goal, to make Barbie a positive role model, came with the doll’s ability to change careers as well as clothes. Part biography, part pop-culture review, this has many color photos that add info and enjoyment.