Game

Item #: UE8742
Price: $8.21
It's amazing how much fun there is to be had with just a strip of asphalt and some chalk. Decorated with adorable vintage-style illustrations, this roughly 5"-square keepsake box contains four thick pieces of colored chalk, a booklet with instructions for classic sidewalk games (including hopscotch, London calling, and skelly), and a metal coin (for use in several of the games). What a great way to encourage kids to get outside and play!

Item #: UE5112
Price: $11.99
A card game for word sharks, Royalty Word Game includes two decks of fifty-two cards, each with a letter and a point value, plus a wild "knave" card. Two or more players are each dealt seven cards, and during their turns they play "tricks" of words by laying the cards face-up on the table. However, if Player Two can form a new word from Player One's play by adding at least one letter and rearranging, Player Two may capture the word--and the points--from Player One! The action is quick and competition is fierce, so pay attention: Be sure to challenge words that don't look quite right! Instructions are also included for a solitaire version of the game. For two or more players ages 8 and up.

Item #: UE8652
Price: $20.00
If you passed many happy childhood afternoons playing pickup sticks, jacks, or marbles, you'll want to get this handsome set of classic toys for a modern youngster you know. A wooden storage box contains neat compartments filled with a deck of cards, a set of dominos, a wooden yo-yo, some metal jacks, a set of wooden pickup sticks, two rubber bouncy balls, and some pretty glass marbles. (Instructions are included for playing different games, too.) The Classic Games Compendium provides hours of simple, portable, and timelessly fun entertainment for the whole family--no electricity required! For ages 4 and up.

Item #: UD6412
Price: $9.90
This lavishly illustrated children's book features a colorful reproduction of an ancient hieroglyph and a playful rhyme for each letter of the English alphabet. Curious little readers will also find the hieroglyphic version of each letter, as well as a word spelled in the pictorial language. Interesting tidbits about ancient Egyptian history and culture are sprinkled throughout the pages, and there are even stencils of the hieroglyphic alphabet included, so youngsters can spell out their names and other words in the ancient script. The book is for ages 4 to 8. The coordinating Memory Game offers fifty-two 2½"-square cards (twenty-six pairs)--each featuring an English-alphabet letter and a full-color hieroglyph--as well as an informational booklet. What a fun way for players of all ages to test their memory skills and learn about one of the oldest writing systems in the world.

Item #: UE6562
Price: $18.00
John Updike on Ted Williams's last game, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., on the phenomenon of Michael Jordan, Lillian Ross on bullfighting, Haruki Murakami on running, Martin Amis on tennis, Don DeLillo on football, and, of course, Roger Angell on baseball…this is sportswriting at its literary best! Culled from the archives of the New Yorker (the oldest piece dates from the 1930s), these thirty-two evocative pieces include incisive profiles of athletes, thrilling depictions of specific matches and games, luminous ruminations on various sports, often hilarious personal tales of competition, and more. The Only Game in Town is a guaranteed win for the well-read sports fan in your life.

Item #: UE2782
Price: $14.99
The pretty princess in your life is sure to twirl in joyful pirouettes when she sees this splendidly fancy memory game! The thirtysix regally illustrated pairs of 2¼"-square cards feature prancing princesses (all named after flowers) in colorful gowns, beautiful bouquets in glorious bloom, royal pets and family members, and more. Just take turns flipping over a facedown card and try to find a matching set. What fabulously frilly fun--and a wonderful way to build memory and concentration skills! For ages 3 and up.

Item #: UE4432
Price: $13.95
This may be the most handsome-- and the most challenging-- memory game we've ever come across! Each of the seventy-two 2½"-square cards features an intricate and colorful design by Frank Lloyd Wright®--for art-glass windows, carpets, skylights, and more. (There are thirty-six pairs of unique designs.) An included booklet explains the origin of each featured work and suggests what forms may be found within the shapes. All packaged neatly in a cool little box, the Frank Lloyd Wright® Designs Memory Game makes a cool gift for gamers aged 3 and (way!) up.

Item #: UE6092
Price: $22.49
Your vocabulary is about to get a little wackier! This very clever game includes twenty-one cubes--each with a word, or piece of a word, on each of its six sides. For each round a "wordmeister" (everyone takes turns playing the role) reads the funny made-up definition on a FauxCabulary card. The other players each get three cubes and must create a word (using one, two, or all three cubes) to match the definition, and the wordmeister chooses the winner. Would you call "a strong aversion to mayonnaise" "ookiecream- itis"? Does "zoo-doo-fuzz" sound like "the brain's temporarily limited capacity after eating a large meal"? Is "Grub-ster" likely to be "the eighth dwarf who was kicked out of the group by the other seven"? FauxCabulary is a linguistic laughfest! For three to seven players, ages 13 and up.

Item #: HG3312
Price: $42.50
This is officially Bas Bleu's favorite board game ever! The concept is simple: Your opponent reads you the first sentence(s) from a work of great literature--categories include children's books, mysteries, nonfiction, novels, poetry, Shakespeare's plays, and short stories--and you name the title and/or author. Correct answers earn a cute little book token…collect eight and you win. The production value of "It Was a Dark and Stormy Night" is top tier, from the wooden pawns and tokens to the "library card catalog" of clue cards. The difficulty of identifying the opening lines varies greatly; we think giving clues makes the game more fun. For adults, two to four players or teams.

Item #: UE7622
Price: $15.00
The first edition of this tremendously valuable book was published shortly after the tragic events of 9/11. Amidst such grave circumstances, an upbeat book about good manners could have been considered frivolous. But, instead, it was well received--possibly because (as the author believes) "the one part of life we could control was our behavior at home. We could create sanctuaries of courtesy and kindness." 365 Manners Kids Should Know offers warm, wise, and extremely thorough etiquette advice--on everything from basic grooming to being a good friend to social media navigation--for parents to discuss with kids. It's all broken down into palatable little daily tidbits and all presented with comforting humor and common sense.