Babyliography XVI

Mark Sperring and Maddie Frost, The Littlest Things Give the Loveliest Hugs

2018 / Library book / 32 pages / UK/USA

*

I normally pick out the library books and only have myself to blame, but this was a rare request when it caught her eye. I got sick of the sickly rhymes and switched to widlife identification as it went along.

Judith Kerr, Mog and Barnaby

1991 / Library book / 24 pages / Germany

***

This bandwagon-jumping latecomer would have been easier to follow a year ago than her vintage storybook, but she always liked the baby one. The flap gimmick's integrated well and means it can avoid the pseudo comic panels of some of the books.

Unknown, Baby Touch and Feel Llama

2021 / Library book / 14 pages / UK

**

I normally try to give her something a bit more advanced or entertaining (the name of this blog series seems inappropriate now), but this was one of the few that was accessible when we crashed a scheduled activity session. It revised her counting and added a more obscure character to the bestiary that she'll probably forget.

Steve Smallman and Bruno Robert, Eat Your Veggies, Goldilocks

2014 / Library book / 24 pages / UK/France

*

Subverting her expectations to preach healthy eating in an unhelpful and unsatisfying way. I don't get it. She always related more to Baby Bear anyway.

Lynley Dodd, Slinky Malinki, Early Bird

2014 / Library book / 30 pages / New Zealand

**

Depressingly relatable.

Alrightgames: Star Realms – Crisis – Events

Star Realms: Crisis – Events

2014 / Deckbuilding card game expansion / 2+ players / USA

***

Completing my overcomplication of Star Realms (cross my heart, hope for authority to be reduced to zero – the boxes are full now, anyway*), these random interruptions are even less popular than Gambits and Missions among serious players. I took that as a recommendation that they'd be fun for our casual games.

A better thematic detour than the Heroes, I like the introduction of space as a chaotic background character that dispenses random rewards and punishments. What I don't like is that they only bothered to come up with eight of them, with repetition.

I wasn't all that excited to buy these, but I did so on the understanding that they'll be the final frill. In an alternate universe (frankly a more credible one), I'm childless with an official Star Realms® Universal Storage Box™ ever expanding into samey frontiers, but I'm happier over here.

* Unless I make room by putting player three and four's superfluous starter cards into storage, but hopefully that won't occur to me.

Alrightgames: Star Realms – United – Missions

Star Realms: United – Missions

2016 / Deckbuilding card game expansion / 2-4 players / USA

***

After snapping out of the nefarious seduction into collecting more variations on the same spaceships forever, there were still a couple of remaining expansions that I craved to customise and enhance the gameplay experience, so I gave myself permission to get those out of the way before deleting the time-wasting bookmarks and saved searches I no longer had a need for, like a reformed alcoholic pouring the muck down the bog, or an irredeemable nerd approaching 40 denying himself more spaceship cards.

These side quests are kind of like the Trading Posts in Cities of Splendor (my board game EXP has levelled up modestly this year) and should provide nice diversions and rewards in every game. They're also a new way to win occasionally and a new source of stress and uncertainty, which is always welcome. It's Star Realms for collectors, not fighters.

It only gets a middling rating because they could've included more than just the 12 inevitable mission briefs (Scenarios had 20 cards) or added value to this flimsy pack in some other way (Gambit had the ships and bosses), but that's what the other three quarters of this particular expansion sequence were for. I've already got two core sets stretching the boxes with ships and outposts in a comprehensive range of colours and values, I don't need any more.

Especially when there's so much Carcassonne to buy!!!!!

Babyliography XV

Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, The Gruffalo Puppet Book

2016 / Library book / 10 pages / UK

**

This was my first run-in with the chap too, so this was a plush gateway for both of us. She was amused by the novelty for a few rounds, but when I suggested trying one of his other books without the interactive gimmick, she wasn't interested.

Yasmeen Ismail and Jenni Desmond, Joy

2019 / Library book / 32 pages / Ireland/UK

**

A bouncy, lively, annoying rhyme with a pause in the middle where the kitty generously gets hurt so you can catch your breath. Cute, but she prefers the Boo Boo Song.

Amy Sky Koster, Olaf's Frozen Adventure

2017 / Library book / 32 pages / USA

*

I related to her excitement at seeing a familiar character bursting out from the library stacks and braced myself for her first lame franchising disappointment. I felt borderline abusive reading the story aloud, but you can't let them squint through bubblewrap forever. It's only in writing this that I learned it wasn't just some stocking-filling fluff, but the storybook of an actual animated film that many parents have to sit through. There but for the grace of God.

Lucy Cousins, Good Morning, Maisy: Jigsaw Puzzle Book

2004 / Jigsaw board book / 16 pages / UK

**

She does all of her jigsaw books twice a day, so this was some cheap, dependable variety. I'll give it the benefit of the doubt that some of the compositions with their identical poses and almost blank pieces are deliberately challenging rather than careless.

Rod Campbell, Little Mouse

2019 / Library book / 16 pages / UK

**

I don't know whether he's really continuing to churn these out or switched to ghostwriter-artists at some point, but we shouldn't keep falling for it either way. Admittedly, we didn't get the full interactive experience, since more heavy-handed readers broke most of the tabs.

Alrightgames: Carcassonne – The River

Carcassonne: The River

2001 / Tile placement board game mini expansion / 2+ players / Germany

***

Expanding Carcassonne by popping out further, slightly differentiated tiles feels even more decadent than buying card game booster packs. This mini starter takes care of itself by being included as standard in the base game nowadays, like a crafty heroin dealer giving you your first fix for free.

It's more variety for the map, and a nice teaser before the main feature, so I'll probably always include it, even if you're basically doing the same thing every time and the need for fussy restrictions to avoid tripping over itself is a foreboding preview of expansions to come.

Alrightgames: Carcassonne

Carcassonne

2000 / Tile placement board game / 2-5 players / Germany

*****

With so many intriguing but intimidating board games competing for my precious time and money since I returned to the physical plane, this esteemed contemporary classic was approachably simple and affordable, and it quickly became pretty much my favourite game, with expansions galore to keep it interesting and cancel out the "affordable" part. Even treating it as a multiple-choice linear jigsaw is diverting enough in itself.

Our kingdom (updated 2026):

• Carcassonne
• The River (III)
• Inns & Cathedrals
• Traders & Builders
• The Princess & the Dragon
• The Tower
• Abbey & Mayor
• Count, King & Robber
• Cult, Siege & Creativity
• Bridges, Castles & Bazaars
• The School
• The Phantom
• The Flier
• The Messages
• Mage & Witch
• Hills & Sheep
• The Wheel of Fortune
• Dutch Monasteries
• The Labyrinth
• Under the Big Top
• DIY expansions
• Fan expansions

Babyliography XIV

Matt Lucas and Scott Coello, Thank You, Baked Potato

2020 / Library book / 32 pages / UK

**

Already a strange artefact that future generations may have trouble distinguishing from parody, I felt bad for rating a helpful instruction manual that presumably raised some much-needed funds based on its actual quality, but it's saved by some stay-at-home activities at the end.

Eoin McLaughlin and Polly Dunbar, The Hug

2019 / Library book / 48 pages / Ireland/UK

***

I hadn't checked the back of the book to discover that it was another upside-down front, so meeting in the middle was a nice surprise that probably impressed me more than it did her. A cute one, but didn't stay in her thoughts like Bobo.

Sam Usher, Rain

2016 / Library book / 40 pages / UK

***

The lovely rain and puddle effects make it worthwhile, but we didn't dwell on those for nearly long enough as I worried about her attention span in public for a deliberately tedious book.

Jez Alborough, My Friend Bear

1998 / Library book / 32 pages / UK

**

Where's My Teddy? is one of the better entries in her bear anthology. This takes advantage of that affection and reconfigures the narrative to reassure lonely children. Outrageous.

Nick Sharratt, Supermarket Zoopermarket

2017 / Library book / 24 pages / UK

*

Dear Zoo was the first book she wanted to read over and over again. We were both bored of this culinary fusion long before the end. They're not even proper puns.

Alrightgames: Peppa Pig Puzzles – 4 in a Box

Peppa Pig Puzzles: 4 in a Box

Jigsaw puzzles / 1 player

***

My awareness of Peppa Pig has exploded infinitely over the past year. Bastard's everywhere. At least she has some decent tat.

The ascending difficulty is a nice touch, but it didn't take her many sessions of doing all of them every day to commit them to memory. I also enjoy the same elephant girl appearing twice in the same image. (Rolls around laughing uncontrollably).

Alrightgames: On Safari – My First Puzzles

On Safari: My First Puzzles

Jigsaw puzzles / 1 player

**

Donated

They weren't even in her first ten puzzles, but my brother thoughtfully went for a range of ages when shopping for his niece's birthday.

She still enjoys them as an unchallenging diversion, but they should do half-birthdays if these things are going to be so specific.

Babyliography XIII

Judith Kerr, The Tiger Who Came to Tea

1968 / Library book / 32 pages / Germany

****

A kidz' klassic that passed me by, this freeloading feline is no Very Hungry Caterpillar, but more inviting to endless rereading than the Peppa Pigs.

Unknown, Bounce! Bounce! Bunny

2020 / Library book / 12 pages / UK

*

I wouldn't have been annoyed by this routine story of discovering your self-worth if it didn't look misleadingly the same as their older books that featured more entertaining flaps or pop-ups. It's basically AI automation at this point.

Yu-hsuan Huang, Sing Along With Me!: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

2020 / Library book / 10 pages / Taiwan

**

She's bored of the levers now, and this one doesn't even bother with them on half the pages. I know it's not in the spirit, but you're better off sticking on a YouTube version and getting a couple of minutes to yourself to do a wee or something.

Neil Gaiman and Adam Rex, Chu's First Day of School

2014 / Library book / 30 pages / UK/USA

**

I was going to get her this one ahead of preschool, but the library gave us an off-season preview. It's disappointingly down to earth after the flight of fancy of his day at the beach, taking the worthy motivational route instead. It might prove useful, but it's not much fun.

Eric Carle, From Head to Toe

1997 / Library book / 32 pages / USA

**

A less raucous 'If You're Happy and You Know It' with borderline creepy animals. She obediently followed the instructions, but didn't ask to read it again. That's a fail.