THE BALL GAME

The novelty-book answer to the basketball net on the wastepaper basket.

On the paperboard overwrap that holds this accordion-fold board book together, players are invited to “screw a piece of paper into a ball” and flick it, throw it or shoot it with a rubber band through holes in the book. One side of the book contains various cartoon scenes of sporting events involving balls: basketball, soccer, rugby, tennis and golf. The colorful verso lists numeric point values. A few of the targets will be manageable for young players, but the others (the smallest hole is less than one-half inch in diameter) will prove frustratingly impossible. The companion title, The Game of Mirrors, is also wordless and uses shiny silver pages, a variety of geometric forms and several die-cut holes punched through the center to create a mesmerizing visual experience. Both titles contain the choking-hazard label that has beset many of the other books in the series. While a detachable piece from The Ball Game is likely to blame for this warning, it is quite baffling what the small parts are on The Game of Mirrors, as there are none to be found. While The Ball Game really is most appropriate for children above 3 years since significant coordination is needed, it is too bad Tullet’s American publishers could not find a way to make The Game of Mirrors safe for core board-book readers; babies would have been the perfect audience for this playful exploration.

This ballgame is a board-book miss.