My advice, get the personages The quality of the books and cut outs are wonderful. This is a family project/activity, not a bedtime read. Great for family game night or camp outs. It took multiple attempts in different settings to get the light, distance and height just right to display the shadow, and several sets of hands. The only light that we've found to work is the phone flashlight. We tried flashlights, lamps, camp lanterns. As the website says, a light with one bulb, no reflectors or lens works best. My 5 year old loves the shadows but the personages are her favorite.

Good gift I received the book as a gift for my son's birthday. It wasn't easy to figure it out at the beginning, but my child showed imagination and now every evening we fall asleep with Shadow play. Sometimes we fantasize and invent our own fairy tale with heroes. The child is happy and so am I, now if we are asked: "What do we want as a gift?" I know what my son wants. This will be a new book of Shadow play.

Magic book! I have three children, and everyone likes these Books, my eldest son played with this book with his younger brothers. It's so cozy and magical. I love it.

So much plastic and waste I was so excited about the books but so horrified by the yards of plastic they came wrapped in it ruined the experience. Each book was wrapped in three layers of bubble wrap and a separate plastic wrap sleeve. If you enjoy destroying our planet, this book is for you.

Combination of storytelling and shadows… Combination of storytelling and shadows play! My kids loved it. We were reading and acting the characters, playing with voices, creating our own stories everyone had fun. We picked “The Snow Queen” story that was a great addition to our Elf from the Shelf tradition. There so many activities you can create with this book! Plus, it’s gadget free family bonding time. Good gift for coming holidays!