Let’s Play Games!
by Herve Tullet
OWTK introduced you to Herve Tullet a couple weeks ago, when I reviewed his inventive new picture book Press Here. I’m not sure that there is an iron or if it’s hot, but Tullet is back quickly with a set of six wildly creative board books titled Let’s Play Games! from Phaidon Press. The London-based publisher is new to the children’s books space but this series for preschoolers is a brilliant way to start.
All six are wonderful, but here’s a closer look at the three that got the biggest raves from the jump and continue to be enjoyed by both the Bear and the Mouse:
The Game of Finger Worms
You don’t normally expect a hole smack dab in the middle of what you’re about to read, but that’s what you get with this unique, giggle-worthy book. Each page is a delight for young children as they’ll see your (or their own) fingers in unusual and hilarious situations (underwater, in a piece of cake, roaming with dinosaurs). The Game of Finger Worms, like the rest of the Let’s Play Games! books, isn’t a game in the traditional sense – there’s no winning or losing. Instead, this sturdy board book is a comical diversion during road trips, plane rides or just snuggling up in bed.
The Game of Patterns
One of the most enjoyable moments of a young child’s life to witness is when they start to put things together in their own mind, really working through situations. Pattern identification and spotting differences were two of my favorite activities to challenge my girls as toddlers and that’s exactly what the vibrantly illustrated Game of Patterns does. And because not everything on the pages is perfectly linear, it’ll keep kids intrigued and on their toes!
The Game of Let’s Go
A book meant to be read with eyes closed (yep), The Game of Let’s Go is the Let’s Play Games! book most able to be appreciated and enjoyed by children long out of diapers. Your finger follows, or attempts to follow, a raised felt green line from page to page while you craft a story about where you’re traveling. It’s a sensory gimmick that forces readers, er players, to focus intently – to become one with the green line. Yeah, it’s kind of a zen thing. It’s also an absolute blast for others to watch you feebly maneuver through loop-d-loops, around round-a-bouts, over “cobblestone” paths, all while trying to avoid “ditches”. The Game of Let’s Go could easily double as an adult dinner party game, assuming your 4-year old will let you borrow it.
*OWTK received all six books in the Let’s Play Games! series for review consideration. The opinions expressed above are honest and unbiased. No arm-twisting took place in the review process.
