These mixed media books published by Scholastic Inc. imprint Hardie Grant Children’s Publishers are a bit of a curiosity; at first glance, they are very small paperbacks that contain seven crosswords, mazes, sudoku games, memory riddles – as well as the cover-mounted minifigure in a clamshell – and don’t seem to have much to offer.
Are they stocking fillers, something to stick in party bags or good road trip distractions? The first two options are a possibility, but both of these books wouldn’t last until the end of the block so (unless you’re driving to your neighbor’s house) using them to delay the inevitable cries of “are we there yet?” isn’t advisable.
It turns out these 16-page books are actually learning tools, and are designed to help children connect concepts and skills like math, hand/eye co-ordination and problem-solving with the real world and allow them to connect their emerging sense of knowledge with real-world implications.
You’ll be excused if you – or your kids – are only interested in the cover-mounted minifigures though because these are a very cheap way to add some Imperial troops or replace a missing Resistance hero minifigure.
Neither is exclusive to these books, however – the Poe Dameron minifigure is the same as the one that came with 75273 Poe Dameron’s X-wing Fighter (2020) but has a black small blaster instead of a flat silver one, and the Death Star Gunner, while a bit rarer, was included in both 75034 Death Star Troopers in 2014 and 75159 Death Star (2016).
Both of these books are exclusive to Australia and can be purchased through Amazon.com.au, Target, Dymocks, Booktopia, QBD Books and Angus & Robertson for $6.99.
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