Flip Dolls & Other Toys That Zip, Stack, Hide, Grab & Go by Laura Wilson is published by Lark Crafts and retails for $19.95 in the US and $21.95 in Canada. Amazon has it on sale ranging from $14 to $8 dollars US. It is a 144 page soft cover book that includes color photos of finished projects as well as how to flip some of the finished projects; drawn illustrations for stitching and constructing the projects; templates to create patterns for each project; and of course, step by step text as well.

I counted a total of 27 projects in this fun and whimsical book. The first chapter is called “Getting Started” and covers the materials you need as well as lots of information about techniques necessary for making the various projects. This section is 16 pages, so it covers a fairly large amount of information necessary to understand how some of the projects will work. For example, the author explains the basics of how to make a doll that flips inside out to produce a different doll.

Each project is rated on a difficulty level from easy to moderate to advanced, with most rated at moderate. For anyone who has some basic sewing skills, though, I think he/she could complete the moderate level of these projects with little difficulty. And, they are so cute! Seriously, toy lovers beware. You will want this book. It’s just fun and funny. Who can resist a super hero flip doll that is a mild mannered reporter but then flipped inside out turns into a super hero? Another project is the Cat-Fish Turnover Doll, rated easy, where one side is a cat and the other side is a goldfish. Or make a toy computer where you can slip a pad of paper in the center to function as the screen.

I love the fact that these are interactive toys with a sense of humor that children could actually play with, and they are hand-made, not some dang video game where children play with and become zombies as they stare at the screen.