Alrightreads: Book I

L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

1900 / Audiobook / 260 pages / USA

****

The film is still definitive, but there's more of it in the book than I would have credited, which is a more violent and twisted take in general. Probably not one for bedtime stories.

Alan Moore, Chris Sprouse, Art Adams, Jerry Ordway, Dave Gibbons and Gary Frank, Tom Strong: Collected Edition, Book 1

1999-2000 (collected 2000) / Ecomics / 160 pages / UK

***

Moore's pulp parodies are some of the funniest things I've ever read, so it's a shame when he calibrates to affectionate pastiche.

Tony Hawks, Round Ireland with a Fridge

1998 / Ebook / 256 pages / UK

****

A slow start led to me abandoning this as a teenager, which was hardly in the spirit. Once it finally got underway, I was along for the stupid ride, having listened to enough Unbelievable Truth to hear the audiobook in my head.

John Bellairs, The House with a Clock in Its Walls

1973 / Audiobook / 179 pages / USA

***

Better than Harry Potter, at least.

Alex Raymond, Flash Gordon, Volume One: "Mongo, the Planet of Doom"

1934-35 (collected 1990) / Ebook / 110 pages / USA

****

Reading this serialised stream-of-consciousness out of context and seeing our tireless hero vanquish monsters, racist stereotypes and other relentless perils in his pants was hilarious, then eventually tedious.

Alrightgames: Marble Run

Marble Run

2019 / Marble run construction kit / UK

***

The kind of lo-effort plastic kit I wanted all along when settling for cardboard complexity. It tempts to ever more impractical excess, even if it does only work on their own mini marbles.

Alrightgames: Unicorn Puzzles 4 in 1

Trefl Puzzle 4 in 1 [Unicorns]

Jigsaw puzzles

***

Unbranded unicorn jigsaws to grow into. She quickly set about filling in the lore of the imaginary TV series and its movie tie-in.

Freelance Flaneur Jr.

Alrightgames: 100 Piece Mini Gradient Puzzle

100 Piece Mini Gradient Puzzle

Jigsaw puzzle / USA

*

Donated

I'd learned that I don't have the time, patience or skill for challenging jigsaws, but at just 100 pieces (including obvious edge appetisers), this seemed like it was more on my level. But then all the pieces turned out to be the same shape, so the horizontals fit together any old bloody way. Even by jigsaw standards, what's the point?

Alrightgames: More Peppa, Frozen & Pooh puzzles

More Peppa Pig, Frozen & Winnie-the-Pooh jigsaw puzzles

***

Upping the ante from her customary 24 pieces to a slightly more challenging 35 and frankly insane 49. He quips sarcastically, as if the Frozen backgrounds didn't briefly perplex parent and grandparent alike.

Alrightgames: I Spy Challenger!

I Spy Challenger!

2002 / Game Boy Advance emulator game

**

Not the most engaging early game, she appreciated that it was "for my age" and did well before never wanting to play it again.

Alrightgames: My Little Pony – Crystal Princess – The Runaway Rainbow

My Little Pony: Crystal Princess – The Runaway Rainbow

2006 / Game Boy Advance emulator game

**

Pokémon Yellow was the first proper video game we played together, until we got bored, but this was the first one that was really for her and that she mostly got through all by herself, with some help from Dad on the faux-SNES D-pad in the fiddlier mini-games.

Completely pony, but its boring plot and repetitive chores are better suited to her age and inexperience than the classic platformers just yet.

Babyliography CXVII

Unknown, Disney Sticker Play: Magical Activities

2021 / Sticker activity book / 16 pages / UK

**

Distinctly non-Princess variants of exactly the same things, with plenty of extra stickers to further overcomplicate her desk. Magically missing from the activity book drawer at present, have you seen it?

Martha Mumford and Laura Hughes, We're Going on a Treasure Hunt: A Lift-the-Flap Adventure

2020 / Library book / 24 pages / UK

***

Good flap book, we added interactivity with wooden draughts.

Jean and Gareth Adamson, Topsy and Tim series

1969-? / Library books / 32 pages / UK

**

It's nice to have something grounded to offset all the unicorns, and reprinting 60+ years of titles adds period charm/stupidity. They could come up with more than the one activity at the end.

Laura Dockrill and Maria Karipidou, The Lipstick

2020 / Library book / 40 pages / UK/Germany

**

Just try it and see if I'm as lenient.

Eric Hill, Spot Bakes a Cake

1994 / Library book / 20 pages / UK

***

Library storytime perked up when flaps got involved.

Babyliography CXVI

Mark Sperring and Tim Budgen, 20 Unicorns/Bunnies at Bedtime

2022/23 / Library books / 64 pages / UK

***

An inevitable hit, just as inevitably spun off to cover all the cryptozoological bases.

Peter Bently and Sernur Isik, Potion Commotion

2016 / Library book / 32 pages / UK/Switzerland

**

A sub-Dahl magical caper, but it entertained her enough for several repeats. It bothered me that they didn't bother naming the cat.

David McKee, Elmer and the Bedtime Story

2022 / Library book / 32 pages / UK

*

One of the worst excuses for a book I've ever read. This was the first posthumous release in the series, but it's not like these long-drawn-out series aren't ghostwritten even when humous.

Peter Bently and Sebastien Chebret, Whizzy Wheels Academy: Daisy the Digger

2019 / Library book / 20 pages / UK/France

**

These own-brand Thomas books helped her take notice of construction vehicles out in the wild.

Unknown, Wind and Go! Magical Unicorns

2022 / Instruction/activity booklet / 16 pages / UK

**

A free puzzle pamphlet adding much-needed value to a crap wind-up race track.

Babyliography CXV

Unknown, A Peter Rabbit Tale: Starting School

2021 / Library book / 16 pages / UK

*

What's the obsession with appropriating this guy and draining his personality while you're at it? It's like the generic Bart Simpson stories I wrote at six.

Debi Gliori and Alison Brown, Little Owl's First Day

2018 / Library book / 32 pages / UK

**

A distinctly owl-themed take on the starting school theme, except obviously not at all.

Stephanie Clarkson and Gwen Millward, Super Millie and the Super School Day

2021 / Library book / 32 pages / UK

*

She was using me as a climbing frame by this point in library storytime, we didn't get much out of this one.

Fiona Watt and Rachel Wells, Usborne Touchy-Feely Books: That's Not My Duck...

2013 / Library book / 10 pages / UK

**

She sat through storytime, so she wound down with some dynamic braille.

Various, The Hutchinson Treasury of Stories to Read Aloud

Further favourites:

• Madeline
• Good Night, Gorilla
• The Tub People
• Bedtime for Frances
• Stellaluna

Babyliography CXIV

Lou Carter and Nikki Dyson, Oscar the Hungry Unicorn and the New Babycorn

2022 / Library book / 32 pages / UK

**

I can't tell whether she genuinely likes these or finds them as vaguely unnerving as I do and is just fooling herself.

Tracey Corderoy and Kate Leake, The Very Messy Mermaid

2013 / Library book / 32 pages / UK

**

Rehabilitation after Mr Messy.

Ringo Starr and Ben Cort, Octopus's Garden

2013 / Library book & song / 32 pages / UK

**

Thanks to the guest reader, I just had to turn the pages on time.

Abie Longstaff and Lauren Beard, The Fairytale Hairdresser and The Little Mermaid / Red Riding Hood

2015/21 / Library books / 64 pages / UK

**

They're not going to stop until they've done them all.

Viviane Cohen and Colette David, Little Miss Tidy

1990 / Library book / 32 pages / France

*

More repetitive and pointless even than usual.

Babyliography CXIII

David McKee, Elmer and the Race

2016 / Library book / 32 pages / UK

**

She read some Elmer at nursery, so that's more endless churn to work through.

Adam Hargreaves, Little Miss Shy and the Fairy Godmother

2009 / Library book / 32 pages / UK

*

A less sexist but still worse Cinderella.

Unknown, Baby Touch: Pets

2021 / Library book / 10 pages / UK

*

An unauthorised time filler while I was browsing for big girl books.

Amelia Hepworth and Cani Chen, Hello Farm!: A High Contrast Book for Babies

2022 / Library book / 10 pages / UK

*

She's taking the piss now. Day-glo orange does my head in.

Unknown, The Christmas Story: With 4 magical sounds!

2012 / Library book / 10 pages / UK

*

That came around again bloody quickly.

Babyliography CXII

Julia Donaldson and Anna Currey, Rosie's Hat

2005 / Preschool book / 32 pages / UK

***

Sweet story, nice drawings. The growing-up montage didn't make me tear up without jaunty music.

Unknown, Peppa Pig: Goodnight Peppa

2017 / Library book / 30 pages / UK

**

Just another episode in print, but a convenient theme.

Amanda Brandon and Mike Byrne, Unicorn Training: A Story About Patience and the Love for a Pet

2019 / Library book / 24 pages / UK

**

'Lisa's Pony' via 'Bart's Dog Gets an F.'

Jeanne Willis and Ross Collins, Alice Through the Looking-Glass

2022 / Library book / 40 pages / UK

***

Their first rhyming retelling was one of the first longer books she sat through when barely two, so the sequel was a long time coming in toddler years.

Adam Hargreaves, Mr. Men on Holiday

2015 / Library book / 40 pages / UK

*

Some very similar Mr. Men (and Little Miss, sexist) go on holiday together, maximising the laziness of the crossover spin-off.

Babyliography: CXI

Michael Vogel and Amy Mebberson, My Little Pony: Goodnight, Baby Flurry Heart

2016 / Paperback / 32 pages / USA

***

An original 'Pony book, this works much better than condensed TV episodes, and it's been a big hit. It'd work as a bedtime story even if you weren't familiar with the toys characters, but know what you're getting into.

Sorrel Pitts, Ladybird Readers: My Little Pony – The Camping Holiday / The Pony School News

2018-21 / Library books / 128 pages / UK

**

Changing established names in pursuit of readability is just weird. The quizzes add value, but they're always the same.

Nadia Shireen, Barbara Throws a Wobbler

2021 / Library book / 32 pages / UK

***

She's choosing her own behavioural conditioning now. An extra point for the expanded universe twist ending.

Roger Hargreaves, Little Miss Late

1981 / Library book / 32 pages / UK

**

Chosen based on the generic cover without knowing the gimmick, that's just how she rolls.

Jean and Gareth Adamson, Topsy and Tim: Our Day

2016 / Library book / 12 pages / UK

**

These clock books are more relatable now she has an enforced routine, but 7 o'clock bedtime is still a bit out there.

Babyliography CX

Diane Jackson Hill and Giuseppe Poli, Baby Band

2017 / Preschool book / 28 pages / Australia

*

I don't know what her reasoning was for choosing this one at preschool, but she realised she'd made an error in judgement even before I finally convinced her to get it over with.

Anne Booth and Åsa Gilland, I Send You a Hug

2023 / Library book / 32 pages / UK/Sweden

*

Vomitisation.

Jo Lodge, Hide-and-Seek Stories: Out in Space

2023 / Library book / 12 pages / UK

***

Alien hide and seek gave this more plot and purpose than these things usually have.

Eric Carle, The Tiny Seed

1970 / Preschool book / 40 pages / USA

***

Following the speck kept her more engaged than I expected in a book that's distinctly more education than entertainment. I like the infinity loop, but unlikely we'd actually read it again.

Unknown, Paw Patrol: Pups Save Ryder's Robot

2016 / Paperback / 24 pages / USA

*

She didn't even ask for it, I made the honourable sacrifice myself. The thinnest pages of any book she owns, tight bastards. The title reads like a bad translation.