Alrightgames: Wooden Jigsaw Puzzles

Wooden Jigsaw Puzzles

Wooden jigsaw puzzles / China

****

Her friend's birthday cast-offs are proving variably challenging, but she'll have the harder vehicles memorised soon enough so she can maintain her savant image. She did admittedly have to tell me that I'd put a rocket piece in upside down.

You get a nice bag an' all.

Babyliography XXXVIII

Allan Ahlberg and Bruce Ingman, Alison Hubble

2016 / Library book / 32 pages / UK

***

I'm always impressed when writers manage to make maths fun, and the lack of explanation or resolution for this kid's exponential doubling was bold, inviting more astute readers to extrapolate the apocalyptic horror to come.

Jon Stone and Michael J. Smollin, The Monster at the End of This Book

1971 / Ebook / 24 pages / USA

****

She doesn't know who Grover is, but still seemed to enjoy tormenting him. Though being allowed to press an arrow key on Daddy's laptop was unfair extra temptation.

Don Freeman, Corduroy

1968 / Ebook / 32 pages / USA

***

Sixties Toy Story. She immediately set about roleplaying it, which is always a glowing recommendation.

Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

1967 / Library book / 28 pages / USA

**

It teaches colours and animals, but not in ways ground-breaking enough to make sense of its reputation. I forgot we'd even read it before, unless that was one of the sequels/remakes.

Anna Süßbauer, Spin and Spot: Moon and Stars

2021 / Library book / 14 pages / Germany

**

She likes the moon, but the novelisation didn't do much for her. 'Spin' suggests a less stubborn wheel that the target audience might have a chance of turning without assistance.

Alrightgames: Back to the Future – The Card Game

Back to the Future: The Card Game

2010 / Hand management card game / 2-6 players / USA

****

An impressively faithful and functional time travel simulator (based on the unappealingly American-history-themed Chrononauts and a heavy dose of Fluxx) picked up satisfyingly cheap. It requires familiarity with the films to understand what the hell's going on and why you should care, but if you haven't watched those, you've got more serious problems going on.

It's also nice to have a worthwhile interactive side dish once my daughter's initiated into the films. Back in my day, we only had the comparatively basic Smiths Crisps board game. It's still a fond memory.

Babyliography XXXVII

Lemony Snicket and Rilla Alexander, Swarm of Bees

2019 / Library book / 48 pages / USA/Australia

**

Unsatisfyingly random, anticlimactic mess.

Mick Inkpen, Kipper's Little Friends

2015 / Library book / 32 pages / UK

***

Balances the fun of interfering with nature and the intellectual fulfilment of researching etymology.

Marcus Pfister, The Rainbow Fish

1992 / Ebook / 32 pages / Switzerland

*

Lacking the pretty sparkles in ebook form, it's just a horrible fable of conformity for kids making their first fickle friendships. She likes fishies though, so we'll probably have to read it again.

Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd, Goodnight Moon

1947 / Ebook / 32 pages / USA

****

My belated impression of this bedtime classic was admiration of its dreamy twilight atmosphere and slight sinister edge (who is "nobody?"). She didn't really take to it though, which is probably a relief in the long run.

P. D. Eastman, Are You My Mother?

1960 / Ebook / 64 pages / USA

***

This felt more like a first comic than a picture book. While I'm normally in favour of creeping kids out, it's refreshingly free from gritty realism as our plucky newborn topples invincibly from the tree and befriends its natural predators.

Alrightgames: One Deck Dungeon – Bonus Pack

One Deck Dungeon Bonus Content: Phoenix's Den & Caliana

2017 / Dice-rolling dungeon-crawl card game expansion pack / 1-4 players / USA

**

For want of worthwhile physical expansions, there are some legitimate online freebies to print or draw: a midtier dungeon/boss and an ephemeral promo character (I opted out of the optional lore).

The fairy's sudden-death gimmick was worth a play, but not worth all the statistically probable replays it would take to avoid being slain by rolling some 1s against an otherwise pathetic beastie. So no, I didn't make it to the birdie.

Babyliography XXXVI

Unknown, Thomas & Friends: Thomas' Jigsaw Book

2017 / Jigsaw puzzle book / 8 pages / UK

***

She likes doing jigsaws before bed, she likes Thomas at the moment, and this was £1 in a charity shop, so there's nothing to complain about, really. Apart from the lack of visual variety, but I suppose that's a realistic simulacrum of train life.

Marion Billet, Listen to the Music by Mozart

2021 / Library book / 14 pages / UK

*

Expose your baby to the magic mind-expanding programming of Mozart and see how they fare with the occasionally weird questions that are there because there had to be some text. Noisy books are her favourites, but even she didn't see the point of this one.

David Melling, Smile with Splosh!

2019 / Library book / 24 pages / UK

**

A sensitive duck and his colour-coded mates go for an emotional picnic. It probably takes the familiarity of re-reading to empathise.

Anna Milbourne and Simona Dimitri, Peep Inside the Forest

2019 / Library book / 14 pages / UK/Italy

***

Getting a bit more advanced with ecology than what animal's hiding in the tree, but the education bored her. Inception-style layered flaps haven't been a  novelty since Oh Dear!

Unknown, Peppa Pig: Peppa's Zoo Adventure – A push-and-pull adventure

2021 / Library book / 8 pages / UK

*

Barely any thought went into these flaps and levers, which generally just widen the picture or make something move a bit. If you're going to nick a gimmick, at least be interesting.

Alrightgames: One Deck Dungeon

One Deck Dungeon

2016 / Dice-rolling dungeon-crawl card game / 1-4 players / USA

****

Diablo Yahtzee. Not as good as playing a computer game, obviously, but a splendid low-tech, low-budget alternative that doesn't require nominating a narrator. To think I actually bought a set of dice once.

Babyliography XXXV

Debi Gliori and Alison Brown, Little Owl's Bedtime

2020 / Library book / 32 pages / UK

***

This little guy always jumps out at her from the library shelves and she sat through the whole thing, so kudos to the artist. The story itself hit a bit close to home on Mummy's work night.

Maddox Philpot, Alice-May Bermingham, Kylie Hamley, Emily Bornoff and Lindsey Sagar, See, Touch, Feel ABC

2020 / Library book / 26 pages / UK

**

I was curious about the gimmick and we haven't practised for a while. The inconsistent hand and foot art and even less frequent tableware crafts at least gave us something to talk about.

Sharon Miller, Thomas & Friends: Misty Island Rescue

2012 / Library book / 24 pages / UK

*

21st-century Thomas has usurped Peppa as the current breakfast favourite. At least you can't hear him on the page, though I confess I caught myself doing the voice.

Unknown, Peppa Pig: Where's Peppa?

2021 / Library book / 10 pages / UK

***

It's Spot, not Wally, but the elements of misdirection and deduction justify the otherwise uninspired rip-off. Eric Hill should get royalties for all of these.

Sam Taplin and Federica Iossa, Usborne Sound Books: Night Sounds

2017 / Library book / 10 pages / UK/Italy

***

Less educational than the more exclusively nature-themed ones, but it'd still be nice to have the set. The library copy was selectively broken, we provided our own soundtrack.

Peppa Pig Mini Memory Game

Peppa Pig Mini Memory Card Game

2018 / Memory card game / 2-6 players

***

Easier to grasp than Happy Families, she picked it up right away and remembered her age-scaled batch as well as I did. It's the sort of thing you can doubtless get free as an app (or in my own upbringing, as a mini game in Bart vs the World), but she doesn't need to waste her precious screen time on edutainment.

Babyliography XXXIV

Unknown, Peppa Pig: Peppa Goes Boating and Other Stories

Collected 2016 / Hardback / 144 pages / UK

**

Another biennial supplement to relieve some of the tedium of reading the same exciting adventures every day. The total lack of consistency in the shape and size of these collections can only be a deliberate measure to help prevent compulsive tendencies in later life.

Fiona Byrne, Robyn Newton, Kate Ward and Martina Hogan, Follow Me: Finger Mazes

2016 / Board book / 16 pages / UK

****

She doesn't really get the mazes yet, but the wildlife Where's Wally entertains her in the meantime.

Unknown, Thomas & Friends: Noisy Thomas Sound Book

2019 / Library book / 10 pages / UK

*

No effort to incorporate the single sound into the plot. The library copy's dying battery added an eerie v a p o r w a v e atmosphere.

Unknown, Mr Men: Hide-and-Seek in the Garden – A Lift-and-Find Book

2019 / Library book / 20 pages / UK

***

Incorporates detection and counting to make use of the space, which was more than I expected.

Lauren Holowaty, Peppa Pig: I Love You, Daddy Pig

2019 / Library book / 32 pages / UK

**

More fun than the Mummy Pig equivalent. Only a few more years of this, I'll be fine.

Alrightgames: Hanamikoji

Hanamikoji

2013 / Hand management/influence card game / 2 players / Japan

***

Another for the stack of quick games I'm not really interested in, but decided are probably worth having in the arsenal for literally a few pounds. Like Hanabi, Chinese characters make the cheap copy seem more authentic, if you're generous and a bit racist.

I admire its convoluted efficiency and pretty pictures more than I enjoy actually playing it, but maybe it'll grow on me.

Babyliography XXXIII

Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, Tales from Acorn Wood: Postman Bear

2000 / Library book / 20 pages / UK/Germany

***

Healthy competition for Pat that nicely incorporates elements of subtraction and deduction.

Lauren Holowaty, Peppa Pig: I Love You, Mummy Pig

2018 / Library book / 32 pages / UK

**

Secretly communicate your affection for Peppa-reading parents in your life. The library has the Daddy Pig one too, but she always likes to start off her jigsaws with Mummy Pig. That's fine, I'm not bothered.

Quentin Blake, Roald Dahl: The Enormous Crocodile Finger Puppet Book

2020 / Library book / 14 pages / UK

**

The character's a more natural fit for this gimmick than most, though don't expect a comfortable fit yourself without some degree of arachnodactyly. The ending's fun for kids, the rest is just superficial references for impatient fans.

Amanda Li, Pirate Pete and Princess Polly: Please and Thank You

2013 / Library book / 12 pages / UK

**

Inconsistent manners instructional. The button was broken, but we knew the drill.

Fiona Watt and Stella Baggott, Baby's Very First Truck Book

2018 / Library book / 8 pages / UK

*

There's not much to it. Get them a toy with wheels.

Alrightgames: Aurora Borealis Puzzle

Educa Puzzle 1000: Aurora Borealis

2018 / Jigsaw puzzle / Spain

*

The fearful symmetry of the celestial curtains enticed me with their challenge, and like an inedibly hot curry, left me wishing I'd ordered something I could actually enjoy. It's only my third adult jigsaw, I'm not so jaded that I need to go hardcore yet. It's back in the semi-segregated box to stop bogarting the board.

Babyliography XXXII

Rod Campbell, Look After Us

2021 / Library book / 16 pages / UK

*

What might be a belated apology for Dear Zoo's thoughtless animal trafficking fails to pull off the same trick of only changing two words each time without becoming mind-numbingly tedious.

Allan Ahlberg and André Amstutz, Funnybones: The Black Cat

1990 / Library book / 24 pages / UK

**

Fun and dismemberment in the snow. This would have a very different atmosphere if they were realistically drawn.

Axel Scheffler, Katie the Kitten: A Push, Pull, Slide Book

2021 / Library book / 10 pages / Germany

**

These interactive elements rarely add anything when applied retroactively, but I did enjoy the washing machine.

Quentin Blake, Roald Dahl: Lift-the-Flap Hide and Seek

2021 / Library book / 10 pages / UK

*

Nostalgia bait for parents that doesn't meaningfully prepare young readers for the classics. I've never seen shyer flaps, but maybe there was supposed to be an element of challenge there so toddlers would at least get something out of it.

Unknown, Peter Rabbit Loves...

2009 / Library book / 10 pages / UK

*

With all the substance of a greeting card, this pointless Potter paraphernalia is proud of its eco-friendly manufacture, but it would've been more admirable to decide not to produce it in the first place.

On the Omnibuses: March

Robert Sheckley, Dimensions of Sheckley: Selected Novels of Robert Sheckley

Dimension of Miracles (1968) *****

Still the funniest older sci-fi I've come across, it deserves to be praised on its own multi-faceted merits rather than being constantly compared to Douglas Adams, but I can't help being reminded with every bumbling bureaucrat and doddering deity.

Minotaur Maze (1990) ***

Postmodern classical wank, not that there's anything wrong with that. Some funny concepts, but more a warm-up exercise than a novel.

Roald Dahl, The Witches / Esio Trot / The Twits / The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me

The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me (1985) ***

Fun Learesque whimsy. Non-essential, but thoughtful filler for the omnibus.

Esio Trot (1990) ****

This formerly mysterious late 'novel' turned out to be another shortie, a realist senior rom-com more in line with his adult tales where irresponsible deception is rewarded.

Various, The Little Prince and Other Stories

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince (1943) ***

The inquitive sod got on my nerves and the parables were tedious, but I superficially enjoyed the star trek.

Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows (1908) ***

Wodehouse from the riverbank. A bit twee without substantial nostalgic support.

Various, Children's Literature: An Anthology 1801–1902

John Ruskin, From The King of the Golden River or The Black Brothers. A Legend of Stiria (1851) ***

Classic elemental personification, but we only get the teaser.

Catherine Parr [Strickland] Traill, From Canadian Crusoes, A Tale of Rice Lake Plains (1852) *

Unpatronising, unsentimental, unpleasant survivalism.

Mary Louisa Charlesworth, From Ministering Children (1854) **

Saintly swots. Try reading it aloud without sounding like Carrie's mother.

'Oliver Optic' (William Taylor Adams), From The Boat Club, or the Bunkers of Rippleton (1855) *

Proto-Twain scrapes.

William Makepeace Thackeray, The Rose and the Ring, or The History of Prince Giglio and Prince Bulbo, A Fireside Pantomime for Great and Small Children (1855) *

Between the continental fairy tales and Poe's nightmares, England's contributions to the fantastic were just pathetic.

Christopher Pearse Cranch, From The Last of the Huggermuggers: A Giant Story (1855) ***

A fun clip from Jack and the Beanstalk: The Movie, I'd watch more.

Charlotte Mary Yonge, From The Daisy Chain; or, Aspirations. A Family Chronicle (1856) *

Grim soap episode, just missing the support line number and awkwardly silent credits.

A. L. O. E. [A Lady of England] (Charlotte Maria Tucker), From The Rambles of a Rat (1857) *

Why don't you just marry a rat already?

Thomas Hughes, From Tom Brown's Schooldays (1857) *

Give me the idealised naivety of a ripping yarn over this grim documentary.

Frances Browne, The Story of Merrymind (1857) ***

Quaint StoryTeller vibes, just add Muppets.

William Shakespeare, The Illustrated Stratford Shakespeare

The Merchant of Venice (1596–98) **

I quite enjoy these, until I'm reminded that he didn't come up with any of the plots, just fleshed out the characters and made racist caricatures sympathetic. Jim Davidson claims the same about his creations though.

As You Like It (1599) **

Tangled and sappy pastoral symphony, but it's nice to get out.