It’s back to school time!

I am delighted to be hosting a special Back to School 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 TWO of the amazing #PlayTestShare items below! I had the pleasure of testing out and playing with To the Ocean Deep colouring book and Alain Grée Animal 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. You can also check out this fun post on the Raincoast Books blog to take a look at some more of the items!

Alain Grée Animals Matching Game
It’s an animal menagerie! Kids will delight in this classic matching game, featuring the timeless art of beloved French picture book illustrator Alain Grée. It’s the perfect opportunity to identify favorite animals, and to discover new ones. Large, sturdy cards are ideal for small hands, and the game play of discovering 18 different animals builds memory, concentration, and matching skills.

I don’t know what it is (perhaps the reassuring orderliness?), but since I was little, I have adored matching games. My little one (now a toddler) must clearly follow my lead as she was delighted by the beautiful artwork on the pieces of this matching game- “Oooh, what’s that?!”. Grée’s illustrations remind me a little bit of Richard Scarry’s work- there’s just something about that nostalgic coziness! This matching games is an absolute keeper. Sure to charm both adults and children, this is a straightforward game- easy to set up, easy to play- that makes learning about different kinds of animals so much fun. I just love this one and had a great time playing and looking at all of the various animals in the set!

 

To the Ocean Deep, illustrated by Sarah Yoon
Climb down to the depths of the ocean in this amazing fold-out coloring book, the longest in the world! Color an amazing tower, all the way from a boat bobbing in the waves, past sea dragons, mermaids, aqua robots, and sharks, to reach the deep ocean floor. Hours of fun for coloring enthusiasts of all ages.

Colouring book fans, this really is an epically-sized delight for you. Colouring books seem to have seriously infiltrated the market the last few years- even popular series like Sherlock and Doctor Who have their own series of colouring books! I have a few colouring books of my own, and as the ones I have personally chosen tend towards the slightly unusual or funny, I absolutely adore To The Ocean Deep. It is indeed fifteen feet in length when folded out, and the pages are fabulously detailed, filled with intricate designs. You could spend hours upon hours crafting and colouring (or spend hours just looking at the incredible details) to make something truly spectacular out of this colouring book. Very cool and unique!

 

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

The rest of the great #PlayTestShare items!

 

642 Big Things to Write About: Young Writer’s Edition

This new oversized journal is packed with peculiar and provocative prompts that encourage young writers to think BIG. Whether imagining big objects or pondering big ideas, budding writers will find this HUGELY entertaining book of prompts the perfect tool for kick-starting their ENORMOUS creative potential-and perhaps their next EPIC masterpiece.

 

Cat Bingo
A beautifully illustrated bingo game featuring 64 breeds of cat from around the world. Spot all kinds of cats—from Tonkinese to Siamese, and from Bengals to Birmans—mark them off on your card and BINGO!

 

Herve Tullet’s Zazazoom!: A Game of Imagination

One part matching game, one part dominoes, plus loads and loads of fun, this game is both a clever challenge to hone memory skills and a make-your-own visual adventure of colorful play pieces. With the tour-de-force inventiveness—which fuels his already-classics Press Here, Mix It Up!, and Let’s Play!—Herve Tullet’s open-ended game stimulates creative thinking and fosters imagination.

 

Punch Out & Play Game Book

One book, so many ways to play! Acclaimed artist and designer Laura Ljungkvist invites children to punch out 10 different puzzles and 13 classic games, such as Memory, Go Fish, and Dominoes. Packed with fun, graphic artwork, a variety of games, and plenty of colorful envelopes for easy storage, this book provides hours of play for kids of all ages-all in an attractively priced package.

 

Missing Socks Go Fish Card Game

Experience the classic Go Fish card game in a sock-inspired way! The perennial post-laundry problem of the search for the missing sock becomes a playful quest to collect the most pairs of sock-shaped cards. Forty cards feature an array of bright colors and patterns that will encourage young players to learn new words and hone concentration skills while they play.

 

 

Fantastic Collections
In this newest coloring book by the author of the internationally bestselling Fantastic Cities, artist Steve McDonald uses his unique photo-based approach to create beautiful and intimately detailed line drawings of amazing collections of objects. Finding inspiration in the unusual (museum collections, antiques, and quirky toys) and the everyday (leaves, butterflies, vintage cameras), McDonald creates playful and immersive illustrations that are as lovely as they are fun to color.

Listography: The Game

A new twist on the bestselling Listography journal series (almost 900,000 titles sold), this game invites players to create and share lists based on fun and thought-provoking topics-from geography and pop culture to toothpaste and constellations! With the goal of being the first around the game board, players score points according to the number of similar or unique answers. Every round in the game results in creative thinking, surprise outcomes, and lots of laughs.

 

Giveaway Info:

The contest is now closed and the winner has been contacted!

Thank you all so much for your comments, stopping by and supporting this wonderful giveaway courtesy of Raincoast!

The contest is open to Canadian residents only, and entrants must be aged 18 and up. The contest will run from September 12, 2016 until September 20, 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!

 

I received copies of To the Ocean Deep and Alain Gree 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 and fulfillment provided by Raincoast Books.