Books in My First Puzzles series

Young puzzle lovers will enjoy the challenge of solving these word games—especially since they’ll also be spending time working with a beloved adult. Plus, they’ll get to build their letter recognition and reading skills! In “Threesies,” they’ll cross off every letter that appears in the grid three times, and then write the leftover ones on blanks to find the answer to a riddle. “It Starts with D” is a D-lightful word search. And there’s an “Anna Gram,” “Fun Run” maze, hidden names to find in a box, and a picture crossword—all brightly illustrated throughout.

It’s never too early for kids to start solving puzzles! Not only is it fun, but it’s just the type of brain workout and skill-building young minds need. Every one of these enjoyable games fosters letter recognition—which is great preparation for reading. Here’s what children can do: At a “Tee Party,” circle the two tee-shirts that say the same words—and the one that’s different. Join the “B Club” by picking out the pictures of objects that start with this letter. Compare a three-letter word with a four-letter one, and write down the extra letter that distinguishes them. Cheerful illustrations throughout make this extra-appealing!

Three and four year olds will love the challenge of Easy First Puzzles, which tests their familiarity with everyday words and concepts. By completing a maze, they'll help Bo Peep find her sheep. "Picture Crossword" fun begins with an image, such as a bird, house, and school desk; the object, then, is to write its name in the grid. Other activities include an "Up in the Air" connect the dots featuring things you'll see in the sky and "Shoe In," where kids match up shoes (such as ballerina slippers) with their likely owners.

Perfect for five- and six-year-olds, this appealing collection is full of fun, with riddles to solve, grids to fill in, and word games to play. In “Book Reviews,” children have to match up author names with book titles: they’re punning pairs, with BILL E. GOAT as the writer of LIFE ON A FARM, for example. “A Symbol Puzzle” provides a simple introduction to cryptology. And can young solvers find the state names (Alaska, Indiana, Ohio) hidden in some silly sentences? What a great way to build language skills!