Parents' Guide to Too Many Toys

Too Many Toys Poster Image

Common Sense Media Review

By Dawn Friedman , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 4+

Perfect read before the holiday shopping season.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 4+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

age 6+

Based on 1 parent review

What's the Story?

Spencer has more toys than he knows what to do with! They're filling up his sandbox, spilling out of his bathtub, and making his room a mess. He has all kinds of toys, too -- quiet and loud, baby and big kid. And the toys just keep on coming! Spencer's parents have had it and so they announce that Spencer will need to go through his toys and winnow out his favorites. But every toy is special and every single one is so much fun -- will Spencer be able to do it?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say ( 1 ):
Kids say : Not yet rated

Parents will recognize their own lives and laugh (along with their kids) at the comical illustrations of Spencer's parents stepping on jacks and tripping over train tracks. What parent doesn't know the challenge of walking through the toy obstacle course in their kids' bedrooms to get to the other side? Hey -- we've all been there! And that's what makes this book so good.

Spencer acts like a real kid (and reacts like a real kid when he hears his mom wants him to give away his toys!) and his parents act like real parents. It's a funny story that will help families put their own toy trials on the table and open the discussion up to solutions. What do the kids think Spencer should do? And could they maybe apply their brainstorming to their own overflowing toy boxes?

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about their own kids' toy collections. Is it possible to have too many toys? Is it easy to forget toys that are tucked away? Does it help to keep everything where you can find it or is it too hard to organize them?

Book Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by

Too Many Toys Poster Image

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate