We are huge Melissa and Doug fans. I love the fact that the toys are made of wood rather than plastic. That said, oh how I wish I could bend the ear of the Melissa and Doug folks. Some things they do really well, like puzzles, and others they do so very poorly!

This toy is a twist on the classic "stacking" toy. Instead of one pole with graduated circles, this toy has three poles. One pole has the classic “circle” configuration with seven brightly colored circled topped by a red ball. The second pole has six octagons. The third pole has 10 interlocking pieces that create squares topped by a red cube. In total there are 25 pieces to the toy, which means the potential for losing one is pretty big. The most frequently lost in our house is the red ball that tops the circles as it rolls quite well. It is also fairly big at 11 inches long, over 8 inches tall and 3.5 inches wide. It is recommended for chidlren 2 and older but I think it would be perfectly safe for younger children.

This toy is a lot of fun to play with and it will definitely help your child to develop coordination (threading the pieces over the poles), teach them shapes (the three different poles), and teach them size (the gradation). It may also drive them crazy! My four year old is very upset that the largest piece in each shape is not the same size. To his mind, each level of gradation should be coordinated across all three poles. That is true of the smallest piece, which is red in all three cases, but not in the other sizes. The “varied” colors are more aesthetically pleasing, but it doesn’t make any logical sense.

Still the toy is fun. The shapes can be used for lots of purposes, like stringing on a lace, or stacking like blocks.