We're continuing our week-long delve into the mysteries of Minecraft with a closer look at one of the most magical parts of the game. Redstone. What on earth is it? What does it do? Why is it so exciting?

The deeper you delve into Minecraft (literally) the more likely you are to discover Redstone. Leafing through the menus and ingredients lists for weird and wonderful things we'd never actually encountered in the game, Charlotte and I didn't discover Redstone for ages but after a particularly perilous episode while playing, we discovered strange rocks embedded with the magical stuff deep down in the darkness.

In "Minecraft: The Official Redstone Handbook" from Egmont, you'll get to try out some intriguing Redstone recipes ranging from the very simplest ways of controlling lights and doors, to some of the most complex Minecraft creations that Minecraft engineers have come up with. For instance, you can construct a fully working elevator system for a high-rise towerblock. You can even create a working stopwatch!

(Be warned though, it could take you a considerable amount of time, some Minecraft creations can literally take years!)

Redstone allows you to create circuitry and logic, and it's the magical stuff that can power your railways saving you all the legwork of pushing carts around yourself. It may be tricky to find but once you start creating your own Redstone goodies, you'll be hooked!

A Redstone Engine made with Redstone powder and a lever! Funky!

Charlotte's Redstone Story

I built a minecart railway around my new house which Daddy helped me make into a loop. I used Redstone Rails to power the cart so it would work on its own. While I was looking for other things in another part of the map I could see the train whizzing around on its own and couldn't understand why. When I got closer I saw that a sheep had got into the cart and was whizzing endlessly around my house in a dizzying loop! Eventually the poor thing disappeared in a puff of magic!

Daddy's Redstone Story
I grew up making circuits and logic stuff back when you had to make circuits out of copper-backed plastic and an etching pen. Redstone works in a very similar way, you lay out paths of redstone powder to make your circuits and then you can put all sorts of things into the circuit to get it to do interesting things (like lights, or Redstone repeaters to speed up or delay certain interactions). It's also very handy for keeping monsters at bay, because a redstone-powered dispenser packed with arrows can be a lethal autogun, keeping the zombies away from your door!

Charlotte's best bit: Finding out how to make redstone-powered piston creations

Daddy's Favourite bit: Seeing some of the really complicated Redstone creations people have made. Loved the fruit machine!

(Kindly sent to us for review by Egmont Books)

Let's take a look at the first of our booky explorations of all things Minecraft for our official Minecraft week on the Blog. Starting off with a book that is absolutely essential for anyone new to Minecraft, this book can (quite literally) save your life in the game, and help you get off to a flying start if you're completely mystified and baffled by Minecraft's complexity.

In essence, "The Official Beginner's Handbook" is like a survival guide! Imagine the scene: You're alone, you're standing in the middle of a vast landscape. Around you there are lush green trees, mounds of grass and perhaps a lake or some water.

Sometimes you may spot an animal or two, other times you may spawn in fields of flowers. But this landscape contains hidden dangers because once it gets dark, things take an entirely sinister turn!

The Beginner's Guide can ensure that by following a few simple instructions you can survive that first harrowing night, tucked up safely in your own shelter while the shambling monsters and roaming nasties mooch around outside.

Charlotte's first night in Minecraft

When daddy first let me play Minecraft, I played in "Build" mode so I could make anything I liked with lots of different blocks. When I first played "Survival" mode I was quite scared because I wanted to build a house with a door and windows but couldn't get enough blocks!

Daddy's first night in Minecraft

I played Minecraft back when it was fairly basic, and hadn't heard anything about it from my friends other than they were spending huge amounts of time playing it (so I really wanted to find out what the fuss was about). I played it safe, with a mode where you're given a chest with a few basic goodies in it but still spent too much of my first day exploring. On my first night, the world around me turned pitch black and I had no tools so I struggled to make a shelter quickly enough!

I thought I had safely made a dirt house but completely forgot that in early versions, Monsters could actually still kill you even through one block width of wall so died horribly at the hands of a nefarious zombie!

If we'd had the Beginner's Handbook we'd have known that the quickest way to build an effective shelter is to find a hillside or cliff edge and dig into that to make a shelter really speedily. We'd have also learned that we could leave a one-block 'window' to spot when daylight came again, seeing off the monsters!

Packed with fantastic advice and some early 'recipes' for some of the Minecraft essentials (like how to make glass for 'safer' windows, how to make a bed to make those long Minecraft nights pass quickly - and just how dangerous all the roaming monsters in Minecraft actually are (and how to avoid them, yay!)

Egmont publish four utterly essential official Minecraft books and this is the best one to start with for new players. Chock full of great advice, some fantastic anecdotes from players (including Minecraft hero, Captain Sparklez) and a potted history of how Notch and Jeb put together one of the world's most popular games.

Charlotte's best bit: She hasn't met one yet but Charlotte was tickled to death by the idea of the Skeleton Riders (who ride around on the back of spiders, for a double-dose of lethality!)

Daddy's Favourite bit: Even for experienced Minecraft players, there are some excellent little secrets tucked away in this Beginners Guide. For new players it's an utterly essential head start to a game that can be baffling, bewildering and overwhelming at first but soon develops into an obsession!

(Kindly sent to us for review by Egmont Books)

It's been really great to experience all the Tintin books again through Charlotte's eyes. Deep discussions at ReadItDaddy Towers extol the merits of Tintin as a comic book hero, over some of his compatriots (Charlotte pins her colours to Tintin rather than Asterix, despite actually loving both).

Here in "Tintin in America" by Herge, I had to reacquaint myself with the story. I had the dimmest of dim memories of it being a bit violent and close to the knuckle compared to other Tintin books and indeed it really feels like a complete departure from the sort of adventures you'd expect from everyone's favourite cow-licked hero. But it's fairly lightweight, certainly far less of a mindless experience than something like Ben 10 so we dived in.

Tintin is visiting the land of the free having carved out a successful career as a journalist and all-round mystery solver. Along with Snowy the dog, Tintin finds himself a stranger in a strange land - and in danger in a dangerous city. The mighty Al Capone has heard of Tintin's exploits and worries that he's coming over to act as a one-man gangbuster.

Criminals from all over the country converge to do Capone's bidding - rub out Tintin once and for all, so the mob underworld can rest easy in their beds.

A huge caper, ranging from the urban sprawl of New York to the unspoiled plains of the wild wild west, this is a rootin' tootin' Tintin adventure that is probably more suitable for children older than Charlotte (after all, trying to explain the whole 1920s and 30s gangster scene to a 6 year old without it all sounding a bit horrifying is no mean feat) but it's definitely one of Tintin's greatest adventures to date.


Charlotte's best bit: Charlotte was completely and utterly engrossed in this from page one. The only sound, the odd little giggle here and there every time Snowy barns "ooyahh ooyahh!"

Daddy's Favourite bit: Despite the setting, it's a completely timeless classic that features Tintin in peril at every turn. Utterly sublime!

When Charlotte is left to her own devices in the library, she always makes a bee line for the comics and graphic novels section - and in particular Abingdon Library's fantastic stock of Tintin books.

I can't help feel a bit of fatherly pride at the fact she loves the Tintin books so much. I loved them to bits as a kid, way before Indiana Jones and Tomb Raider came along, here was Tintin getting into all sorts of near-death situations, calamitous scrapes and amazing adventures - with trusted companion Snowy at his side.

In "Cigars of the Pharaohs" something stinks down in the sand - quite literally - as Tintin is drawn into an international web of intrigue involving lost dignitaries, scientists and celebrities. Someone is kidnapping these folk and plans dastardly deeds!

Dogged by The Thompson Twins at every step, it's a race against time to solve the riddle of the weird pharaoh-stamped cigars, before Tintin and Snowy end up wrapped up in the mystery in more ways than one.

Tintin books always seem to unfold at breakneck pace, and a lot of the attraction for Charlotte is just riding that wave. The books are satisfyingly deep and wordy, crammed to the gills with detail, and the English translations (by Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper) are pretty much spot on.

Great to see Charlotte loving these so much, and I can't wait to share the rest of the extensive Tintin back catalogue with her.

Charlotte's best bit: When Tintin finally finds the mysterious pyramid and realises that a certain boy journalist and his dog have a space reserved! Eek!

Daddy's Favourite bit: Sprawling, hugely detailed, cinematic action, all the hallmarks of a truly great Tintin adventure. Love these books so much!

After reviewing "Sir Charlie Stinky Socks and the Tale of Two Treasures" we vowed to track down the rest of Sir Charlie's gallant adventures, so when we spotted "The Really Frightful Night" in the local library we grabbed it with both hands.

Once again Sir Charlie embarks on a perilous quest, with his gallant steed and Envelope, his faithful (if slightly scaredy) cat in tow.

There are strange goings on in the castle. The princess has lost her teddy and can't sleep, weird noises echo through the stone corridors, bizarre ghosts meander to and fro and - worst of all - there's a really disgusting pong which for once isn't emanating from Sir Charlie's rotten pongy feet!

All signs point to the cellar, the dark dank and horrible cellar. Can Sir Charlie bravely face the Cellar Dweller and retrieve the princess's lost ted?

As we said in our review of "Two Treasures" we love Sir Charlie, and we definitely loved this knightly romp which - once again - is fun and entertaining with lots of intricate little details for Charlotte to investigate as we read. Looking at the range, we think we're still about 5 books behind so we'll continue our own knightly quest to join Sir Charlie on more adventures as soon as we can!

Charlotte's best bit: Horrible cackling witches brewing up a storm!

Daddy's Favourite bit: Another cracking romp from Kristina for the world's premiere pongy-footed hero. Bring on the rest! Sir Charlie is definitely NOT a frightful knight :)

I always loved stories about the paranormal and weird creatures as a kid, and I've passed on a bit of that bizarre fascination to Charlotte - who always loves a good monstery tale.

In "Spaghetti with the Yeti" by Charlotte and Adam Guillian, with illustrations by Lee Wildish there are monsters a-plenty and we join a young boy who - like a tiddly little Peej - is fascinated by the abominable snowman, ol' Sasquatch, Bigfoot himself - otherwise known as THE YETI!

Boldly, the little lad sets out on a grand quest to track down the Yeti once and for all, and prove he exists. Armed with all the essentials a young explorer would need, backpack, compass, tin of spaghetti, he is soon on his merry way.

Meeting several other monsters along the way (and taking them in his stride), our gallant and youthful hero almost gives up the ghost. Yetis are quite hard to track down after all.

Will he find his enigmatic quarry in the end? You know what we're going to say, you'll have to read the book to find out.

Clever rhymes, hilarious (and it's fair to say, very spotty!) monsters and some brilliant little details in Lee's illustrations, it's definitely a great book to add to any monstery book collection.

Charlotte's best bit: "At least the Yeti eats PROPER spaghetti" observed Charlotte. "Proper out of a tin!" (kids, eh?)

Daddy's Favourite bit: A lovely little nod to a character in a certain paranormal-based TV show at the front of the book, which tickled my fancy, oh yes!

(Kindly sent to us for review by Egmont Books UK)

It's National Gardening Week this week and a good way to get your little ones thinking about the glorious sunshine, the sheer joy of getting completely covered from head to foot in rich brown soil, and growing your own little plants is to dive into a great little book all about a child's first garden.

Miffy is an enduring character, and indeed Charlotte's very first soft toy was a tiny little Miffy - so it's great to revisit the Dick Bruna books, that have entertained little ones for a very long time.

Dealing with topics as diverse as gardening, first days at school and even grief, the books are eye-catching, beautifully designed and bunnytastic!

We took a look at Miffy's Garden to celebrate National Gardening Week and in it, Miffy's dad decides that Miffy is now old enough to learn all about things that grow in the garden.

Raking, digging, sowing and growing, Miffy learns that the garden holds infinite possibilities to grow plants to eat, plants to share and plants of stunning beauty - just like your own garden!

Keep an eye on the Royal Horticulture Society's theme week as it develops, and just as the first sunny days of spring (I know, they're a bit late!) come along, there's never a better time to dive into your own garden and start thinking about seeds to sow! If you fancy kitting out your little ones with lots of Miffy gardening goodies, check out the official miffy store. www.miffyshop.co.uk

For parents with iPads, there's also a great "Miffy's Garden" app available from the iTunes store for £2.99.

http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/de-tuin-van-nijntje/id495662581?l=nl&ls=1&mt=8



Charlotte's best bit: A huge big basket of lovely juicy carrots for Miffy and family!

Daddy's favourite bit: Dick Bruna books have been loved by children for years and it's easy to see why, they're still as brilliantly told and designed as they always were.

(Kindly sent to us for review by Egmont Books)

I can remember very clearly the very first Mr Men book I ever had. It was Mr Snow (another festive Mr Men treat!) and it's so good to see that the Mr Men books are still as wildly popular as ever with children.

You can get both Mr and Little Miss Christmas books, but we managed to snaffle a much sought-after copy of Mr Christmas from our excellent local library.

When the festive triangular Mister gets a frantic phone call from his Uncle (you know the fellah, wears a red suit, very jolly, says "ho ho ho" a lot), he pitches in to help out on Christmas Eve. Soon Mr Christmas finds out just how much work is involved in making sure each and every child gets their presents on time, reindeers are fed, mince pies are munched and Santa's sled is kept in tip top condition.

Mr Men books are absolutely perfect stocking fillers (I love the fact they still do those dinky sized books and now Roger Hargreaves' son, Christopher,  has taken over drawing and writing duties along with his dad there are even more books - and a TV show - than ever before!)

(For older 'kids' I bet you can still remember Arthur Lowe's dulcet tones reading out some of the original books way back in the 70s when they first hit TV, can't you! If not, here's a little reminder below!)


Charlotte's best bit: Mr Christmas and his sparkly decorations!

Daddy's favourite bit: The fact that the Mr Men and Little Miss books are still as popular as ever, and better still - are still great little stories the perfect length for bedtime reading.

"Silly daddy! It's Rabbit!"

"No it's Babbit, look, that's a B there!"

"No Daddy it's Rabbit! It's a rabbit!"

Or so went the conversation when we picked up the first of Lydia Monks' rabbit adventures from last year. This one she wrote and illustrated, the other one (following along shortly) was written by Julia Donaldson. But let's look at Babbit first.

Babbit is the beloved rabbit of "the small one" and the small one doesn't look after Babbit very well. So when nasty types kidnap Babbit and tie him to a tree, it's up to the small one and her big sister to save him.

Here's the thing. We love Lydia Monks. We love her illustrative style and we love her characters, but for some reason Babbit failed to grab either of us (I expected Charlotte to love it to pieces, she is mildly rabbit-obsessed after all).

Perhaps it's too personal a story or too personal a set of characters to appeal to other children (but it probably delighted the little girls it was written for / about), though I would admit to liking the 'naughty seat' method of justice and punishment meted out in the book.

Charlotte's best bit: Babbit suggesting that carrots would taste better than his ears

Daddy's favourite bit: Divine justice in the form of the naughty seats

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

After a fantastic reading on the Cbeebies Lunchtime Hour by the gangly Andy, we knew we had to seek out Lydia Monks' "Aaaarrgghh! Spider!" for ourselves.

Having previously enjoyed the very similar "Eeek! Mouse!", we enjoyed this book for the same reasons. Great fun and colourful panels mixed with a humorous story about a poor lonely spider who just wants to be a family pet. Despite trying all sorts of tricks and impressive stunts to win the family over, the poor spider seems destined to spend its days being thrown out of the house (or washed out!)

Of course, everything turns out OK in the end. A great little book and fully deserving of its book of the week status. 


Charlotte's best bit - "Look at me, watch me wash!"

Daddy's favourite bit - Look at the little girl's foot at the very end of the book. Oops!

This rather excellent book has such a neat twist at the end! Mr Wolf is a hungry little chap, not too bright but when he tries to enlist the help of his rather nasty neighbours (cameos from other popular nursery rhymes and fairy tales), Mr Wolf perseveres in his quest to make a stack of pancakes. 

Jan Fearnley performs a neat trick here. First she makes the reader feel a fair amount of sympathy for poor Mr Wolf as he tries to work out what ingredients he needs, how to write out a shopping list and finally how to work out how much everything costs. Every time he asks for help, his neighbours rather rudely slam the door in his face. 

Poor Mr Wolf. Readers might sense a touch of "Henny Penny" in the story but ah, Fearnley's next trick is to turn the story on its head. And of course, in true reviewer style I won't spoil the end but it made me laugh and made Charlotte laugh too. 

Charlotte's best bit: Alas, I cannot reveal this. It would spoil the book


Daddy's favourite bit: Again, can't tell you. Go get the book

After seeing "Aaargh, Spider!" read out on Cbeebies, we jumped at the chance to read "Eeeek, Mouse!" when we spotted it at the library. Though the books are similar, this mousey tale is excellent mostly because of the rather sneaky 'thought gags' the family's cat adds to the story. 

At first, like good old Grill Pan Eddy, this little nameless mouse is a thorn in the family's side but a little girl befriends the rascally rodent, and takes great pains to protect it from her daddy's crazy schemes of building a better mousetrap to catch the little blighter. 

If you want to know if she succeeds or fails, you'll have to go and read Lydia Monk's cute story (and if you spot any of her other books like "Oo Oo Gorilla", they're excellent fun!) Although very similar to Grill Pan Eddy, I think we preferred this one by a whisker. 

Charlotte's best bit: The mouse house behind the skirting board

Daddy's favourite bit: A cat with a screwdriver = dangerous!

Rating: 5 out of 5

Absurd nonsense books are particular favourites at Maybe Towers - the crazier the better, and with a notion like lions living in the middle of ponds on lily pads, Melanie Walsh's toddler-friendly book is a fun read. 

Each animal is boldly and brightly illustrated and though this book was a bit 'young' for a three year old, it would've taken a stronger will than mine to prise it out of Charlotte's grasp once she found it in the library. So we booked it out and it was a nice short book (those of you who, like me, end up reading 3 or 4 books to your children at bedtimes are extremely grateful for short books!)

Entertaining stuff though Charlotte was a bit baffled that the lion in the title isn't actually in the book after all!


Charlotte's best bit - The bear

Daddy's favourite bit - Great colourful pics that are very kid friendly

Rating: 3 out of 5

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