A pamphlet of feline opinion · est. mmxxv
Pete, the resident feline critic
The Pete Gazette
The Counting Desk Reviewed for kids & the grown-ups who shop for them Reviewed from the windowsill
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From the wires — the critic descends upon the next desk shortly. The toys have been warned.
Lead Review · From: Learning Resources
One Hundred Cubes, One Perfectly Clear Demand
Our critic rearranges the MathLink Cubes into a color-coded message decipherable even by a human, proving the toy is best used as a semiotics device for demanding milk.
By Pete · Resident Feline Critic

My Human has presented me with a box of what they call "MathLink Cubes" from a brand named "Learning Resources." Apparently, these are for small, clumsy humans to learn about numbers and shapes, which seems like a rather tedious way to spend an afternoon. From my perspective, it's a hundred small, brightly colored plastic blocks. While the "educational" asp…

Continued on the story page →
Image of Learning Resources MathLink Cubes - Set of 100 Cubes, Ages 5+ Kindergarten, STEM Activities, Math Manipulatives, Homeschool Supplies, Teacher Supplies
Fig. 1 — the subject
Pete's Verdict
★★★★☆
Worthy. The cubes speak for me.
From The Desk
Image of Melissa & Doug Abacus - Classic Wooden Educational Counting Toy With 100 Beads
Melissa & Doug
Warden Pete Slides Each Row with Authority

My human has presented me with what appears to be a primitive calculation device for their small, noisy offspring. It's a sturdy wooden frame from the Melissa & Doug brand—a name …

★★★☆☆ — An instrument of order. It stays.
More From The Desk
Image of The Learning Journey: Match It! - Counting - 30 Piece Self-Correcting Number & Learn to Count Puzzle - Preschool Learning Toys - Award Winning Toys
The Learning Journey
Guardian of Taste Dispatches Sixty Cardboard Blasphemies

So, my primary human has presented this box from a company called "The Learning Journey," which sounds dreadfully optimistic. It appears to be a coll…

★★★☆☆
Image of Melissa & Doug Self-Correcting Wooden Number Puzzles With Storage Box (40 pcs)
Melissa & Doug
The Final Piece Goes Under the Sofa

My human has presented me with what appears to be a box of finely cut wooden rectangles, ostensibly for the entertainment and "education" of a much s…

★★★☆☆
Image of Learning Resources Smart Counting Cookies - 13 Pieces, Ages 18+ Months Toddler Counting & Sorting Skills, Toddler Math Learning Toys, Play Food for Toddlers, Chocolate Chip Cookies
Learning Resources
The Cookies Are Irrelevant; the Jar Is the Prize

It appears my human has brought home a vessel of deception. This "Smart Counting Cookies" contraption from a brand called "Learning Resources" is a p…

★★★☆☆
Image of Learning Resources Baby Bear Counters - 102 Pieces, Ages 3+ | Grades Pre-K+ Toddler Learning Toys, Counters for Kids, Counting Manipulatives, Teddy Bear Counters
Learning Resources
One Hundred Bears Relocated; One Exiled to the Heating Vent

My human has presented me with what appears to be a pail of small, garishly colored plastic effigies, apparently intended to teach infant humans rudi…

★★★★☆
Image of TOP BRIGHT Preschool Learning Toys for Toddlers 2-4, Educational Math Manipulatives Number Counting Blocks for Kids, Montessori Toys for 3 4 5 Year Old Finger Math Toy
Board Is Rubbish; Blocks Are a Physics Triumph

My human seems to believe my brain requires "enrichment," a rather insulting notion for a being of my superior intellect. This latest offering is a w…

★★★☆☆
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