But if better deals are out there, you might as well take advantage. Browsing store shelves, buyers can usually snag older titles at mark-down prices. Publishers also get into the act, selling compilations of previous years' favorites, sometimes with a dud thrown in. This week, for your penny-pinching pleasure, are three such collections, known in the biz as bargain bundles.
None has a real clunker, though some titles are more winsome than others.
But the first two are definite standouts, while the third is more of a workhorse. Children can create from scratch or build on suggestions from Bear, Ojo and others. The characters, their house and the pursuits therein are bright and inviting. I Spy Junior provides a delightful intro to those beautiful picture riddles featured in the familiar books and their interactive offshoots for bigger kids. The rhyming riddles and related games enrich children's vocabulary, word-object association and other language skills.