The Discovery Store sent me this puzzle for free to test out and write about here. I gave it to my son, a puzzle maniac, to check out. A friend of mine astutely observed, after spotting the animal puzzle online, that it was unclear whether the puzzle would be rather difficult or too easy. (Our sons are in the 3 year old range). It’s not too easy after all.

It is nicely challenging although perhaps frustrating for a non-puzzler. The wooden pieces are unforgiving and need to be joined as they’re held in line with one another. Also, the Xerus has to slide in from under the Whale even though it is super tempting to drop it in from above. My son is about three and did not get overly frustrated; it is designed for age 5+ according to the site. He got the hang of it and does it almost every day. He likes to play with the animals, too, and builds a cage with his blocks for them. Today, he placed the Zebra on his Plan Toys forklift.

One downside, the Alligator’s nose broke almost immediately, as did the Flamingo’s legs and a chip off the Bear. Another friend of mine explained that natural wood will break along the grain. And so it did. The puzzle feels good and chunky and I’m very glad we have it. It’s a nice precursor to Christmas. I do believe that toys made of wood or wool are great textures for children, as opposed to big pieces of plastic.

The gift is also packaged beautifully and makes a great first impression. The names of the animals are listed alongside a picture of the completed puzzle, which is key. It’s big fun and I only wish the pieces didn’t break. I have successfully glued them with Elmer’s wood glue though.

Another obvious downside is the price. I did experience sticker shock when I saw the $40.00 price tag. Now I’m more disappointed that a number of the puzzle pieces broke but still loving it. Happy Holidays!