Brace yourselves, parents. The Christmas catalogs are starting to appear, and before long you'll be noticing all those dog-eared pages that signify where you can find the toys on your kid's wish list.

But smart moms and dads know that it pays to shop around. It could be that one or two of your child's picks can be found in -- a dollar store?

While browsing through Family Dollar's Christmas Toy Book, I was impressed by the brand names I saw there and even more impressed by the prices. Most of the toys in this online catalog were reasonably priced at $10 or $15, with some even less, some a little more and one item in the electronics section that was $30. Here's just a sampling of what I found:

Disney Princess Dolls by Mattel for $10 each

Playmates My Birthday Cinderella for $15

A Disney 30-piece tea set for $10

My Very Own Kitchen or My Very Own Vanity for $20 each

Sing and Hum Elmo for $15

Playskool Barrel of Monkeys, Form Fitters or Poundin' Nails for babies, $5 each

Soft baby dolls, $3 each

DVD books for ages 1-5, Winnie-The-Pooh or Thomas The Tank Engine, $8 each

Little Tikes cell phone for $5

Little Tikes CD Player or Jam 'N Play MP3 Player, $8

Hasbro Transformer Universe action figures for $5 each

Mattel Hot Wheels 5-pack, $5

Hot Wheels Full Function radio control car, $15

Hot Wheels Radical Roadway play set, $8

Kawasaki Electronic keyboard, guitar or drum, $20 each

GPX 1 GB MP3/Digital Audio Player, $20

And, for all of those battery-operated gizmos, Family Dollar has Eveready Gold batteries, an 8-pack of AA or AAA's for only $3.75 each.

For the full selection of kid-friendly goodies, check out Family Dollar's online flyer.

Marlene Alexander is a freelance writer and dollar store diva. She writes tips and ideas for decorating using only items from the dollar store.