Carl Sagan's Cosmos: A Transcendental Rhapsody

I don't tend to idolise people, but the late Carl Sagan was an inspirational yuman. He can hardly take credit for the wonders of the cosmos he so artfully detailed in speech and print, but in communicating them with essential simplicity, poetic elegance and relatable urgency, delivered in an enjoyably imitable style, the messages even got through to a trivial imbecile like me.

It's a shame his landmark TV series Cosmos (1980) wasn't part of my childhood, but I got to it in time to avoid having to settle for Brian Cox or Neil deGrasse Tyson's Sainsbury's Basics equivalents. Rest assured it's going to be at the core of my daughter's extracurricular curriculum until she's similarly devoted or sick of the guy in the turtleneck with the weird voice.

Timeless in many ways, as a time capsule viewed at increasing distance from contemporary understanding and experience it's inevitably dated in others, but this has the positive side effect of ever-expanding retro charm, especially in the sound and vision departments. It literally has everything.

Ranking the Pantera albums

Appreciating a nice melody and atmosphere over an aural assault, I was always a bit of a wussy metal fan. But if I did feel like kicking a cat, choice songs from a very specific period of Pantera's infamously selective career used to hit the perfect spot between nu metal aggro and death metal armageddon.

Let's see. Here are my "Top 9" Pantera Albums, of which I should at least like a couple.

Alrightgames: Jonathan Creek - The Riddle at Castle Cain

David Renwick and Steve Clark, Jonathan Creek: The Riddle at Castle Cain

1999 / Mystery gamebook / 15 pages / UK

***

This brief and surprisingly dark armchair mystery added value to an already decent companion book. It's possible that the solution comes easier to retro readers in today's less innocent society than it would in the utopian '90s, but we don't get any prizes.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Sonic the Hedgehog 2

1992 / Sega Mega Drive emulator game

*****

I think this was always my least favourite, between the iconic original and expansive threequel, which might partly have been down to me ruining it with cheat codes quite early on. But speeding safely through zones with unearned Super Sonic has become a popular way to kill a few precious minutes between breakfast and preschool.

Not content with destroying her attention span, she also likes the gambling level best.

Alrightgames: Sonic 3 & Knuckles

Sonic 3 & Knuckles

1994 / Sega Mega Drive emulator game

*****

I was excited to introduce her to these nostalgic favourites, but Yoshi proved more alluring than Tails, despite a good effort, and this had to wait until Mario World got too hard even for Dad.

It's still one of my all-time favourite games/things, but I was a little surprised by quite how much the gameplay really is just holding right and jumping randomly, with entire semi-automated parts where it's best not to do anything. But it did allow a three-year-old first-timer to get through Angel Island Zone Act 1 with assistance only in jumping over a couple of rocks she found annoying. I was proud when she beat the shit out of Knuckles too.

Alrightgames: Super Mario World

Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2

2001 / Game Boy Advance emulator game

*****

For want of more pony-based beginner games worth playing, Super Mario World quickly established itself as her preferred hard game to mainly watch Daddy play, taking over any time things briefly looked non-lethal.

I never thought during that solo SNES summer of '96 that my efforts would one day help me to look misleadingly competent to my daughter. I could do without the new-fangled voices, but she thinks they're funny.

Alrightgames: Screwball Scramble

Screwball Scramble

1979 / Marble obstacle course / 2 players

***

A charity shop artefact from my own childhood repurchased and inflicted on the next generation partly as a pisstake, but also with the nagging suspicion that it might be the ultimate test devised by man.

Alrightgames: Jungle Dominoes

Jungle Dominoes

2020 / Dominoes game / 2 players / UK

***

A fourth set in a fourth distinct size, settling on a satisfying middle ground. This time around, they thought to add some domino spots on the reverse. They don't correlate to the animals, though I suppose you could still learn the order if you're insane.

Alrightgames: Crazy Unicorn

Crazy Unicorn

2020 / Bucking game / 2 players / UK

*

I remember having a childhood Buckaroo that I played about once before it broke. I failed to learn the lesson and history repeated, though this time it was more down to a child's curiosity about how it was put together. Not that the cheap and nasty knock-off seemed to work properly even before that.

Alrightgames: Hungry Hungry Hippos

Hungry Hungry Hippos

1978 / Twat-it game / 2-4 players / USA

**

I forgot we had this, it's that kind of game.

Babyliography CXXI

Rhiannon Fielding and Chris Chatterton, Ten Minutes to Bed: Little Dinosaur

2018 / Library book / 28 pages / UK

**

A bit weird to include dinosaurs in an otherwise mythical menagerie, but it's all stuff you can't see at the zoo, I guess.

Various, My Little Pony Storybook Collection

2005 / Hardback / 186 pages / USA

**

She likes how the 'Minty ponies' look more like her knock-off toys, and their simple escapades make for more suitable bedtime stories than the brony stuff.

Anne Civardi and Stephen Cartwright, Usborne First Experiences: Going to the Dentist

1987 / Library book / 16 pages / UK

*

We try to find a new book on the subject every time her appointment comes up, even though they're always the same.

Unknown, Pokémon Classic Collector's Handbook

2016 update / Paperback / 128 pages / USA

****

Reprinting the original '90s guide (that my brothers had) may be an admission that things have got out of hand since. You don't need more than these. Not until you can name them all in order, anyway.

Tom Percival, Ruby's Worry

2018 / Library book / 32 pages / UK

***

She got the emotion personification, but refused to see the monobrow as anything but an upside-down mouth.

Babyliography CXX

Russell Punter and Siân Roberts, Usborne Bug Tales: The Bug Who Wanted a Hug

 

2022 / Library book / 48 pages / UK

**

Replaces the customary activities with more story, as if the activities aren't the main attraction.

Heather Amery and Stephen Cartwright, Usborne First Reading: Farmyard Tales series

2019 / Library books / 32 pages / UK

***

Boring, characterless old stories made enticing by reprinting them with loads of activities.

Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, Tales from Acorn Wood: Mole's Spectacles

2022 / Library book / 12 pages / UK/Germany

**

Shamelessly Fox's Socks again, but I guess these aren't popular for their quality plots.

Martin Waddell and Sarah Fox-Davies, Snow Bears

2002 / Preschool book / 32 pages / UK

**

Owl Babies if you prefer grizzlies.

Beatrix Potter, The Complete Tales

Collected 1997 / Hardback / 384 pages / UK

***

• The Tale of Peter Rabbit
• The Tale of Benjamin Bunny
• The Tale of Two Bad Mice
• The Story of a Fierce Bad Rabbit
• The Story of Miss Moppet

Babyliography CXIX

Rose Robbins, Talking Is Not My Thing

2020 / Library book / 32 pages / UK

**

A nice introduction to speech difficulties that she could relate to her own nurserymates, so it's a shame I primarily rate these on entertainment value.

Various, Usborne Illustrated Stories for Children

2009 / Paperback / 512 pages / UK

****

I couldn't resist the budget quantity. We've found at least a few worth reading.

David McKee, Elmer

1968 (revised 1989) / Preschool book / 32 pages / UK

***

An iconic standalone story of individuality and diversity, inevitably stretched to diminishing returns. 

Becky Davies and Jennica Lounsbury, Balloon to the Moon

2022 / Library book / 32 pages / UK/Canada

**

This pretty picture book spectacularly failed as a soothing bedtime story as she talked over the top to make it less boring.

Jane McGuinness, Say Hi to Hedgehogs!

2018 / Preschool book / 32 pages / UK

***

Genuinely informative, I don't know whether it's a coincidence that she just started playing Sonic games.

Babyliography CXVIII

Harry Horse, A Friend for Little Bear

1996 / Library book / 32 pages / UK

**

The materialism message is fine, but it's weird that the more imminent survival crisis is left unresolved.

Kimberley and James Dean, Pete the Cat and the Perfect Pizza Party

2019 / Library book / 34 pages / USA

***

Michelangelo vibes.

Inga Moore, Moose's Book Bus

2021 / Library book / 48 pages / UK

***

Reading is fun! It's nice that some people are still drawing properly.

Judith Kerr, Mog and Bunny

1988 / Library book / 32 pages / UK

**

Running out of ideas by this point, but at least she handles her own lazy sequels.

Dawn Sirett and Charlotte Milner, Follow the Trail: Minibeasts

2017 / Board book / 12 pages

**

She always passed on this in the library, but as a prescribed World Book Day freebie, it's infesting her bookshelf regardless. She somehow finds finger trails less appealing when they're left by creepy-crawlies, weird kid.