Happy Spring Break!

I am delighted to be hosting a special Spring Break Fun giveaway, courtesy of the lovely and generous folks at Raincoast Books!

Open to Canadian residents, ages 18 and up, one lucky person will have the chance to win one of the amazing #PlayTestShare items below! I had the pleasure of playing with and testing out an interactive board book called ABC Word Play and a Flora and Friends Matching Game, and I get to share my impressions- and some pictures- with you! Read on even more information about all the #PlayTestShare items on offer and how to enter the giveaway.

 

ABC Word Play (Chronicle Books)
A hands-on alphabet extravaganza! The letters of the alphabet come to life in this bright, graphic, and delightfully interactive ABC novelty board book that pairs early learning with captivating play. Just punch out the oversize neon letters and assemble the simple words featured on each spread, or spell new words. It’s the perfect way to play, spell, and learn, from A to Z!

I had such a fun time trying out this bright and beautiful book! When my eighteen month old saw it she said (and I quote): WOWWWW! She proceeded to help me punch out all of the letters in the book and uttered another WOW at the end. Not only easy on hands and fingers (both big and little), but also meticulously and artfully crafted, this game was a real treat to test out. As you can see in a picture below, the pages with punch out letters, face a page full of suggested words to spell out.  Sturdy, engaging, vivid as well as educational and fun- a big thumbs up to the ABC Word Play game!

 

Flora and Friends Matching Game (Chronicle Books)
From the Caldecott Honor Book Flora and the Flamingo, and the two follow-up books, Flora and the Penguin and Flora and the Peacocks, this classic memory game stars Flora and her feathered friends! Delightful storytelling and artwork from Molly Idle celebrate the joy of friendship, all while building memory, concentration, and matching skills.

Bookish confession time here: I am a huge fan of Molly Idle’s picture books and thus a huge fan of her artwork. When I saw that there was a matching game for kids with Flora illustrations…Well, to borrow from Friends funnyman Chandler Bing, could things BE any better? Let me tell you, this matching game lived up to my expectations. With larger-size playing cards than I have seen in the majority of matching games, Idle’s magnificent artwork of Flora and her animal friends just glows. My daughter toddled over to take a look and was immediately fixated on the drawings. Another WOOWWWW was uttered! A special treat for lovers of Idle’s books and art, and a treat for anyone looking for a stand-out and stylish matching game, the Flora and Friends Matching Game is aces.

 

Read on for more #PlayTestShare and how to enter the giveaway…

The rest of the great #PlayTestShare items:

Make and Move Animals
12 amazing moving animals to press out, slot together and play! From flapping penguins to swimming turtles, and everything in between, create fantastic moving animal ‘parionettes’ to play with. Each parionette comes with easy-to-follow assembly instructions, and no scissors or glue required!

 

To the Moon
Climb up to the moon with this amazing fold-out colouring book, the longest in the world! Colour an amazing tower, all the way from your house down on the ground, past dragons, witches, space ports, and flying elephants, to reach the moon at the very top!

 

 

642 Things to Draw: Young Artist’s Edition
The perfect addition to the 642 series, this collection of hilarious, wacky, and imaginative drawing prompts provides endless quirky inspiration for young artists of all experience levels. Whether pondering how to sketch a zombie unicorn or filling the page with a magical field of cupcakes, budding artists will relish the chance to jump-start their artistic engines as they draw, sketch, imagine, and create!

 

Paper Sumo
Japan’s centuries-old national sport is the main attraction in this paper-based smackdown where creativity and competition collide. The result? Laughs guaranteed! There is an impressive assortment of 39 characters-from traditional sumo wrestlers to animals to monsters and other eye-catching creatures from Japanese lore.

 

Dog Domino
This game is for two to four players and contains 28 cute and colorful dog dominoes. Have fun matching seven delightful pooches: Chihuahua, Dachshund, Dalmation, Labrador, Poodle, Pug, and Alsatian. Get your last domino down first to win the game and become top dog!

 

Story Box: Create Your Own Fairy Tales
This wonderful game will allow your family to create its own fairy tales. Highly original and with a contemporary twist, this box contains 20 cards, printed on both sides, which can be interchanged, allowing for all kinds of plots. With three alternative endings!

 

Let’s Play
A brilliant new companion book from the creator of PRESS HERE and MIX IT UP!  It’s only a yellow dot… but what a dot it is! Connecting not only to the mind but also to the heart, this dot expresses an extraordinary sense of humor, fear, joy, and more as it pushes, lurches, wiggles, and slides its way through-and even off!-the pages of this glorious companion to Press Here and Mix It Up!

 

Press Here Game
Hervé Tullet has reimagined his groundbreaking book in an entirely new dimension. With two levels of play to choose from-so that it’s easy enough for a toddler to grasp, but also complex enough to challenge older siblings and adults-this engaging game delivers hours of entertainment for the whole family.

 

Recess
Recess is the ultimate illustrated guide to the best games of the playground, for inside and outside. This fun and interactive guide includes the rules to over 150 games and variations, including over two dozen international games from schoolyards around the world, plus various tips and strategies not just to play, but also to win!

 

Giveaway Info:
The contest is open to Canadian residents only, and entrants must be aged 18 and up. The contest will run from March 10, 2016 until March 17, 2016. One winner will be randomly selected at the end of giveaway via Rafflecopter. The winner will have 48 hours to respond by emailing me at fabbookreviews[at]gmail[dot]com, confirming their name, their mailing address, and their giveaway prize pick.

Enter by clicking on the following link to Rafflecopter and follow the instructions to enter:

Click here to enter the giveaway via Rafflecopter

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED!Thank you to everyone who entered and participated in the giveaway!

The winning entry drawn via Rafflecopter is:

SUNSHINE H.!

 

I received copies of ABC Word Play and Flora and Friends Matching Game from Raincoast Books in exchange for an honest review and for the purposes of this giveaway. Thank you! Opinions and comments regarding the titles are my own. Prizes provided by Raincoast Books.