PPL Children’s Wishlist
PPL Children’s Toy Treasure Wishlist
You may be wondering, why is the library wishing for toys? Isn’t the library all about books? The library’s mission is about equity, diversity, and providing access for all. Children learn through playing, so we are looking for ways to provide access to quality toys for kids who might not have them, to allow them to see their own culture and other cultures reflected in the toys that we have available, and to connect the characters and scenes that they see in books to their every day lives. Various toys are helpful for different types of learning and sensory regulation, and a broad variety of toys help us make sure that the library is safe, fun, and interesting for all.
Play is vitally important to children. It is, in fact, the primary way that kids learn for many of the first years of their development. Even after they begin to learn through other means, play remains important well into childhood. In order to best support the learning of the young patrons who use our space, we need to have a robust, diverse collection of toys.
We understand that people have different levels of ability to give, so we have created several lists grouped by amount. No matter what you give, even if it’s just to share our lists and this page, we appreciate your support for the kids of Portland Public Library.
Note: the library does not accept used toys. If you have lightly used toys looking for a new home, please consider donating them to a local organization like Maine Needs or Lots for Tots!
More About Toy Treasures
Some of our favorite items off our treasures list, with some explanation for their benefits and how they’ll be used in our space.
Just for Littles
Fruit Shaped Baby Teething Toys, Pack of 5
We all know that babies love to put things in their mouths! A library just doesn’t happen to be the best place for that. Each set of these teethers means that five babies who come to our space will have the ability to take a teether of their very own home with them to help with their development and ease teething aches, as well as have a safe way to play without spreading germs.
Other baby items to consider: Bright Starts Rattle and Shake Toy, Flip Fish Soft Toy, or Sensory Toy Shape Sorter.
Realistic Play
One of the most popular toys in our current play area is a toy vacuum, but we would love to expand our collection. Children love to copy the things the adults in their lives do, including cleaning. Playing with cleaning supplies that really work helps kids practice the skills that they’ll need as adults and feel a sense of accomplishment and fun that will serve them later.
Other realistic toys to consider: Cleaning Toys Set, Farm Animal Play Set, or Counting Canned Food Toy Cans.
This basket of soft, stuffed friends provides many benefits to the kiddos of PPL. Children can model their own experiences with their caregivers and develop tenderness and empathy with feeding, rocking, and holding these babies. Grown-ups can demonstrate ways to be gentle with friends who are smaller (such as siblings, cousins, or friends of the real-life variety!) in a safe way. A diverse group of dolls lets children be able to see themselves represented, as well as seeing a lot of other people represented, too. Materials like this also allow us to do storytimes and other programming where we can use the dolls for an enriching experience for participants.
Other dolls and accessories to consider: “Magic” Doll Baby Bottles, Madeline Doll, or Last Stop on Market Street Doll.
Games and Puzzles
Skillmatics Board Game – Rapid Rumble
Babies and toddlers aren’t the only kids that use our space! Older kids often want games and activities that challenge them to learn and grow. Skillmatics is a company that creates games that are educational, fun, exciting, and have quick and easy rules, meaning kids and families can launch right into playing. Rapid Rumble blends fun letter, reading, and spelling skills into general knowledge and friendly competition.
Other games to consider: Trouble, Pizza Party Dice Game, Guess in 10: World of Sports, or Taco vs. Burrito.
Magnetic Puzzles in Alphabet Matching or Color Sorting
Puzzles of all kinds are great learning tools in so many different ways. Besides just the reasoning skills that go into putting pieces where they go, kids also practice fine motor skills in the way they move pieces and perseverance to accomplish something tricky. Many puzzles for kids also feature subjects that are, of themselves, a learning experience. These magnetic puzzles are especially great for the library because they are self-contained: no pieces can go missing. The alphabet puzzle matches upper case and lower case letters, and the color sorting puzzle has a counting element, too.
Other puzzles to consider: Alphabet puzzles in the Latin (English), Cyrillic, and Arabic alphabets or a puzzle rack to keep them all organized.
Stuffed Friends
Click any of the pictures below to purchase that stuffed friend for our library space.
 Grumpy Monkey |
 Lowly Worm |
 Hobbes |
 Madeline |
 Pete the Kitty |
 Rosie Revere, Engineer |
 Iggy Peck, Architect |
 Pete the Cat |
 Green Crayon |
 Blue Crayon |
 Red Crayon |
 Orange Crayon |
 Last Stop on Market St. |
 Islandborn |
 Dragon (and Taco) |
 Escargot |
These characters are all huge stars in the KidLit world! They can be a companion for reading books, a playmate to eat food and build blocks with, or even a confidant for kids who need someone to listen. Plus, they’re so soft! Stuffed friends from familiar books can get a kiddo excited to be here and feel like they have a friend already.
Big Treasures
With all of our wonderful toys on this list, we’re going to need good places to put them! This shelving unit matches some of our current storage and provides a safe place to store toys, giving access to all patrons who visit.
Other big-ticket items to consider: Rolling Storage Cart, Dollhouse Bookshelf, or Magnatiles Metropolis Set.