Summary: Need help with PR? If you are looking for a great PR firm, you've found one. Walker Sands is a leading Chicago PR firm with a strong track record that makes it one of top national PR agencies..

Every year Family Almanac hears from frantic last-minute shoppers who don't know which toys, books and videos to buy for their children, but their letters usually arrive too late to be answered before Christmas.

This, then, is an eclectic wrap-up of some great choices -- and some you should definitely avoid:

Preschoolers don't need those "plug and play" toys. These are the years for dolls, wood blocks, Nerf balls and tricycles, and for simple board games such as the Letter Factory Game (Leapfrog, $25), which teaches colors and letters in a jazzy way. And if your child's granny has a fat wallet, it's also the time for the Deluxe Tumble Treehouse (Maxim, $90), which is a splendid multilevel sort of dollhouse that even a boy can enjoy.

By 5, a smart child may be ready for the terrific Cranium Balloon Lagoon (Cranium, $20), which is set up like a county fair, and soon she can master that dandy Mattel toy Break the Safe ($21), which may be the only cooperative toy that's really any fun. And please stuff a deck of cards into your child's stocking, because nothing teaches mental math better, or keeps children more entertained, than a card game. Depending on the ages and the number of children, they can play war, spit, hearts, gin rummy or even poker -- the new hot favorite -- at a moment's notice.

And finally, bring Christmas Gamesake (Gamesake, $30) to the grandparents, ordering it through www.gamesake.com. It's a sweet way to collect generational memories every year, although it may appeal more to adults than to children.

While you're pushing board games, your children may be begging for video games, but beware. They have gotten a terrible reputation that is often deserved. Games such as Grand Theft Auto, Hitman, Halo 2 and scores of others have great graphics, but they are dreadful for children and they have the M (for mature) rating to prove it. These ratings, determined by the Electronic Software Rating Board, tell buyers that M games are meant for players 17 or older.

It's essential that parents allow their children to play only the games labeled E (for everyone) or T (if they have teenagers). Some of your friends may let their children play any old video game because "they would play them somewhere else anyway," but if that's true, it may be time for your child to make new friends.

And if an unenlightened uncle gives one of these M-rated games to your child, simply take it back to the store, just as you would if he gave your child a pair of jeans that were too big.

It's much better to give an elementary school child Robosapien Robot (WowWee, $99), which he can program himself, and to give the super-popular Dance Dance Revolution (Konami, $40) to young teenagers because it's a bit like Twister put to music, or Karaoke Revolution, Volume 3, (Konami, $40), which is a hoot. Or give your youngster one of the many splendid interactive sports video games. For football, there's Madden NFL 2005 (Electronic Arts, $30) or ESPN NFL 2K5 (Sega, $20). For baseball lovers, there's MLB 2005 or MVP Baseball 2004 (Electronic Arts, $20). For other recommendations, turn to the "Oppenheim Toy Portfolio" by toy gurus Joanne, Stephanie and James Oppenheim and Joan Auclair ($12).

A book should also be given to a child on any special occasion, and the zanier or funnier the better. A 2-year-old will be fascinated by "My Granny's Purse" by Paul Hanson (Workman, $15.95), made up of the oddments she may find in her own granny's purse. And preschoolers should love "Why Epossumondas Has No Hair on His Tail" by famed storyteller Coleen Salley (Harcourt, $16) and "Carnival of the Animals" by John Lithgow (Simon and Schuster, $17.95), mostly because the illustrations are so marvelous. Then there's "The Oxford Book of Children's Stories" (Oxford, $19), selected by Jan Mark from 250 years of children's literature, as well as "The Emperor's Winding Sheet" by Jill Paton Walsh (Front Street, $8.95). Finally, consider the romantic "Tales of Don Quixote" by Miguel de Cervantes, here retold for adults and children by Barbara Nichol (Tundra, $15.95).

If none of those suits you, find other ideas in "100 Best Books for Children" by Anita Silvey (Houghton Mifflin, $20), the longtime editor of the Horn Book on children's literature.

If you're still stumped, give yourself the forthcoming book "365 Unplugged Family Fun Activities" by Steve and Ruth Bennett (Da Capo, $10.95), because your child really wants to spend time with you, much more than a toy, a video game or a book.

Copyright © 2004. The Washington Post.