Grandma just got the kid this little Noah's ark set from a company called Pockets of Learning. It's not flooding the world with excruciating hand-made craftsmanship--most of the designs are printed onto the polyester fabric pieces, which are then machine sewn--but the thing's cute and the kid loves toting it around. What's really stand-out about Pockets of Learning, though, is their lifetime replacement policy. You can lose and replace up to three pieces from any of their toys for free; after three, there's a "small charge."
So no animals will need to grapple with the fate of looming extinction if they have to board the ark alone, which is nice. And if you're not the religious type, no sweat; they call their toy the S.S. Noah. You can explain that one to the kid according to the dictates of your own conscience.
S.S. Noah from Pockets of Learning, $29.95 [pocketsoflearning.com]
We plan to teach our daughter about Noah's Ark using old Bill Cosby records...