Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: Sticker Activity Book product reviews

Miss Six was overjoyed to be given a sticker book of her very own. Her first reaction was to ask if she could keep it, and could she put the stickers exactly where she chose! It was clear that she was impressed by the way she could make her own decisions as to where to put each sticker, and what the layout should be. At six, she is too young to have seen the movie or had any experience with the associated graphic novels, but the exposure she can get through playing with the stickers and doing the other activities will give her a head start when the conversation with older kids turns to the Guardians!

She loved finding different activities in the book. Some were pitched at just the right level; others posed more of a challenge, but she thought it was cool that she could pick and choose what to do; if something was a bit more difficult she could always save it for later. Some of the activities required an adult to help her by reading the instructions and explaining what was needed, but she was able to work out quite a lot for herself. This is useful for busy parents too as the child can be left to her own devices for some of the time.

From an educational perspective, some of the pages offer extension activities which involve matching shapes, solving mazes, working through word finds, and colouring outline drawings. These are accessible to younger children who can start with the colouring and organisation of the included stickers and then progress to the more challenging puzzles when they are ready. There is even a cut-out mask on the back cover which a child can wear or hang on her wall.

The value of books like this cannot be overestimated. When travelling or waiting for appointments, parents often have to cope with bored and frazzled youngsters who want something to occupy them. Reading is not always an option, especially for younger children, and toys with lots of pieces just waiting to be lost, or even toys that are simply too bulky to transport, are equally unsuitable. An activity book, on the other hand, is portable It will not break the bank to replace it if it should get lost, and the only tools needed to enjoy it are half a dozen coloured pencils and a ballpoint pen or plain lead pencil.