What are best activity and puzzle books for children?
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Version 0 of 1. We are off on a six hour train journey this summer and are looking for some really brilliant activity books to keep us all entertained! Can you recommend the best ones? There are a huge number of quiz and puzzle books on the market – hours of mazes, crosswords, word searches and sudoku. I'd steer clear of those pitched as for "girls" or "boys" since passing time with a book doesn't need to be so gender specific but otherwise, any joining dots, unscrambling letters, looking for differences in pictures is fun and makes inactivity more bearable for children. Much more imaginative fun can be had from books where the activity or puzzle is an integral part of the book. Martin Handford's Where's Wally? is the best known example. Searching for the real Wally – a geeky looking guy in black framed glasses and a stripy bobble hat – is addictive in itself, And there is no "answer page" at the back! But even more fun is telling the stories of all the little scenarios that are going on between the other characters in this wordless but story-rich picture book which is suitable for all ages. Where's Wally? appeal is world wide and there are many different Wally titles to move on to. Just out for this summer is a fun and handy Where's Wally travel-sized edition, which includes Where's Wally postcards to send to your pals! Kit Williams's Masquerade, a stunning picture book featuring an elegant and captivating golden hare formed the basis of a real life treasure hunt when it was first published. Readers following the clues could find the real locations of the story. And if you don't look up the answers, you still can. There's more obvious interactivity in Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Do it Yourself book which gives readers lots of prompts to create their own Wimpy Kid style book – with exhortations that it should not be just a diary. Heavily illustrated it also includes titles of things that might be recorded such as lists of favourite and un-favourite things to do and a tick box for embarrassing things done when younger and now regretted. Helpful speech bubbles already drawn on the pages will spur readers on to writing their own comments. And after it's filled in you can keep it for a nostalgic read in years to come. Usborne publish a host of fantastic action packed activity books, see Rebecca Gilpin's Travel Activity Book which is packed full of puzzles to solve, doodles to draw, games to play plus stickers, and Kirsteen Robson's Holiday Colouring and Activity Book for starters. And check our their niche activity books for the zombie or pony lover in your traveling party. The Rosie Flo colouring books by Roz Streeten are a joy to behold and take colouring in to a totally new creative level – all the bodies lack heads and arms and drawing them provides hours of gorgeous and even hilarious entertainment for everyone, boys will love these books too despite the dresses theme. Titles include the Rosie Flo Holiday Colouring book and Rosie Flo's Garden Colouring book. For younger children picture books where things are subtly hidden provide another kind of absorbing activity. Anthony Browne's illustrations for titles such as Bear Hunt, Gorilla and A Walk in the Park are full of surprises which can be spotted as they threaded through the surreal illustrations. In David Lucas's Halibut Jackson, the eponymous hero is so shy that he always wears clothes that mean he blends into whatever background he is set against. Spotting his shape against a chair, the outdoors and anywhere else is entertaining. John Burningham's picture book Would You Rather? provides an endless amount of discussion activity around the title theme. Would you rather drink snail squash or eat mashed worms? Would you rather sleep with chickens in a coop, a dog in a kennel or in your own bed? From the tempting to the revolting everyone can enjoy imagining what they would rather do! Read a good book lately? Join the Guardian children's books site and send us your reviews to childrens.books@theguardian.com! Enjoying books with your babies and younger children? Why not think about becoming one of our family reviewers and sharing the books you love? We are now doing this as a monthly Witness project feeding into our family review galleries – check out July's family reading project. Do you have a question for the Book Doctor? Email childrens.books@theguardian.com or pose your question on Twitter @GdnchildrensBks using #BookDoctor. |