Usually the only things I review here on my blog are
craft books, but today I'm reviewing something a bit different:
Bug Bingo!
I was offered a review copy because of the name of my blog - Bugs and Fishes. My blog's name doesn't actually come from a great love of bugs (or fishes), it's just something we used to sign our emails with instead of "hugs and kisses" when I was a teen... but as it happens I do really rather like bugs. As long as they're not crawling on me, that is!!
Bug Bingo is, as you might have guessed, a bingo game featuring lots of bugs. There's 64 different kinds of insect featured, all wonderfully illustrated by
Christine Berrie whose work I've been a fan of since discovering it on Etsy many years ago.
The whole game is great quality and really rather gorgeous. Inside the sturdy box there's a bag of illustrated bug tiles, a large fold-out board for the caller to place the cards onto, 12 bingo cards (so lots of people can play at once!), green counters for marking the bugs that have been called and a leaflet with the game rules and some fun facts about all the insects featured.
Christine's illustrations have done great justice to the weird and
wonderful, detailed and colourful, endlessly interesting forms of the
insect kingdom - they are a delight to look at and there are lots of bugs included that I'd never heard of before. Oh, and the focus is firmly on insects: no spiders in sight (hurrah!)
I love that the back of the tiles, the board and the cards are all printed with the same bug silhouette design that's been used for the bag.
I always used to enjoy playing bingo when I was a kid and remember it being a great game for kids of different ages or for kids and adults to play together, as younger kids were never at a disadvantage in the way they can be with board games involving strategy or factual knowledge.
I think this would be an excellent gift for a nature-loving child or family,
or for anyone who loves board games and wants a stylish bingo game with a
twist. There's an educational element to it with the booklet of facts and lots of interesting insect names to learn but I think this will be a great game to get out and play long after you've learnt about all the insects.
And if you're not a huge bug fan Christine Berrie's beautiful illustrations also
appear on a matching (and quite lovely looking)
Bird Bingo game!
Bug Bingo is published by Laurence King. RRP £19.95. It's available from Amazon UK, Amazon USA and many other shops.
Please note: I was sent a free review copy of this
game. The Amazon &
Book Depository links in this post are affiliate links.
