Alrightreads: Tributes

Bali Rai, Doctor Who: Rebellion on Treasure Island

2023 / Library book / 228 pages

**

Patronising edutainment crossover. I was debating whether I needed to struggle through the more squarely kid-oriented ranges to complete this era, but I'll let myself off the book hook.

Rhys Hughes, A New Universal History of Infamy

2000-2004 (collected 2004) / Ebook / 183 pages

***

The painstaking Borgesian facsimile is more admirable than entertaining. Fortunately, things loosen up in the second half with more conventional Hughesian twptra.

Faves: 'The Honest Liar: Denis Zachaire,' 'Streetcorner Mouse,' 'Finding the Book of Sand'

Melanie Miller and Tom Golden, Blackadder 5: The Village Years

2011 / Ebook / 10 pages

**

Not terrible, until it sputters and dies along with the enthusiasm. Could even have made a viable charity special, back when its specific parody was a bit less niche.

Carlton Mellick III, The Kobold Wizard's Dildo of Enlightenment +2: An Adventure for 3-6 Players, Levels 2-5

2010 / Ebook / 215 pages

***

Standard metafiction given a horny juvenile nipple twist.

Peter H. Cannon, Scream for Jeeves: A Parody

1994 / Ebook / 86 pages

***

Not as funny as Alan Moore's weird brew, but it satisfied the craving.

Alrightreads: Onze Zone

Mike Tucker, Doctor Who: The Silurian Gift

2013 / Ebook / 99 pages

***

At the Mountains of Madness meets Jurassic Park from the bloke who built Red Dwarf.

Amelia Williams (James Goss), Doctor Who: Summer Falls

2013 / Ebook / 70 pages

***

Surprisingly good for a novelty product-placement tie-in, and some nice variety if you've been exclusively reading normal Doctor Who books for a while. Illustrations would have been nice though.

Justin Richards, Doctor Who: Plague of the Cybermen

2013 / Audiobook / 256 pages

**

This novel run was gratifyingly free from tedious stock baddies until their triumphant return at the end for the same story again again.

Nicholas Briggs, Doctor Who: The Dalek Generation

2013 / Audiobook / 256 pages

***

Better than expected for another bloody Dalek story in an era not exactly renowned for them, if a bit of a downer.

Jenny Colgan, Doctor Who: Time Trips – Into the Nowhere

2014 / Ebook / 49 pages

**

After her previous solo Doctor outing, this one overcompensates with grating banter talking all over the eerie ambiance.

Alrightgames: Read With Biff, Chip & Kipper – Alphabet and Word Games

Read With Biff, Chip & Kipper Phonics Flashcards: Alphabet and Word Games

2005-06 (collected 2006) / Educational card games / 1-4 players

**

Not an essential early-reader supplement, especially when you've got a similar one already, but good value when miscategorised in used book bundles. The vocabulary's very limited, but there are loopholes.

Alrightgames: Rhino Hero – Super Battle

Rhino Hero: Super Battle

2017 / Card stacking game / 2-4 players

****

The slightly more convoluted sequel was the same price as the basic game, and getting to build bigger made that an easy decision, even if the dice-rolling battle add-on is superfluous to the point of being ignored so far. She prefers improvising a structurally-unsound superhero soap opera.

Alrightgames: Carcassonne – The Princess & the Dragon

Carcassonne: The Princess & the Dragon

2005 / Tile placement board game expansion / 2-6 players

**

Now you're just being silly. But after permanently incorporating the first two consensus favourite expansions and other selective odds and sods into the megagame, the wilder, fantastical third expansion became appealing for some occasional variety (what else am I going to do, try out a whole new game?)

I figured my daughter would enjoy the thematic additions, but the emphasis on meanness (even the princess is a dick) spoiled the mood of what's mainly a cooperative landscaping mosaic. The portals are handy though, and even if we switch the rest off, this is 30 more tiles to stretch an already excessive exercise to new horizons of completist tedium. Which one next?

Our kingdom:

• Carcassonne
• The River
• Inns & Cathedrals
• Traders & Builders
• The Princess & the Dragon
• Cult, Siege & Creativity
• The School
• The Labyrinth
• DIY expansions

Babyliography CLXXV

Mo Willems, Who Is That, Cat the Cat?

2014 / Ebook / 22 pages

**

She spotted the uncomplicated pattern and played along while it briefly lasted. There's no need for it to be quite that short.

Mo Willems, An Elephant & Piggie Biggie!, Volume 1

Collected 2017 / Ebook / 320 pages

****

Early-reading flip book fun.

Katharine Holabird and Helen Craig, Angelina Ballerina / Angelina and Alice

1983/1987 / Library books / 48 pages

**

The vintage (my age) illustrations are quite nice, back before clipart when they had to bother.

Kirsty Applebaum and Sahar Haghgoo, Princess Minna: The Unicorn Mix-Up

2022 / Library book / 96 pages

*

Librarybait, the unicorn's in it for about three pages.

B. J. Novak, The Book with No Pictures

2014 / Ebook / 48 pages

***

Enjoyable, but nothing we don't do already when I pretend to be shocked reading aloud her gibberish stories I transcribe for her.

Babyliography CLXXIV

Sam Samson and Richard Watson, Dog Day

2021 / Preschool book / 32 pages

**

She was adamant that it should've been called Dogs' Day. Look at it, there's clearly more than one from the cover alone.

Daisy Meadows, Unicorn Magic: Spiritmane and the Hidden Magic

2021 / Library book / 112 pages

**

Cracking open another completely different series about girls riding magical talking unicorns at book 12, because she judges them by the cover. There isn't a great deal of continuity baggage to worry about.

Yujin Shin, My First Body Book

2023 / Library book / 12 pages

***

Friendly anatomical primer, if a little misleading in the proportions and all those faces.

Michelle Robinson and Tom Knight, When Jelly Had a Wobble

2021 / Library book / 32 pages

**

Feel-good gelatinous fable.

Steve White-Thomson, Sparklers: Summer

2015 / Library book / 24 pages

**

Selective seasonal summary, more for reading practice than tips.

Babyliography CLXXIII

Russell Ayto, Will You Be My Friend?

2021 / Library book / 32 pages

*

From disconcertingly sad to distastefully cocky.

Abie Longstaff and Lauren Beard, The Fairytale Hairdresser and Cinderella

2012 / Library book / 32 pages

*

In paring down the sexism, very little story remains.

Dana Simpson, Unicorn on a Roll: Another Phoebe and Her Unicorn Adventure

2012-13 (collected 2015) / Paperback / 224 pages

***

More teen angst with a unicorn, already repeating itself.

Karl Newson and Duncan Beedie, I Really, Really Need a Poo

2024 / Library book / 32 pages

*

The eagerly-awaited number two.

Barbara Jean Hicks and Olga T. Mosqueda, Disney Frozen: An Amazing Snowman

2014 / Library book / 40 pages

*

Rushed improv around random pictures of Olaf.