THE NUMBERJACKS are back to help solve some more problems – and keep the kids happy with some great fun and activities in the 2010 album.

They are animated characters from a favourite CBeebies show who live in a sofa but come outside to solve problems. They get involved in activities that have a relevance to the problem that is later discovered – and the children have great fun while the problem is then solved.

There are ten Numberjacks – nought up to nine – and they are all introduced at the front of the book, where there is also a cutaway of the sofa showing the extraordinary things that can happen inside, including the launcher pad, cosy room, control room and the brain gain machine which is used to solve the problems.

They always have to be on the lookout for the Meanies who like making mischief, and the first puzzle in the book is to sort out the problems they have made.

They emphasise the need to use powerful thinking – the brain gain – to solve problems and this is done in an interactive way to help children with the process.

Circles and other shapes are introduced in a counter game and there is a chance to fit shapes into holes, and also to make different shapes.

There is a guessing game, a spot the difference, puzzler’s maze, and a useful time exercise, again cleverly put over in an interactive way. A drawing exercise, butterfly making mission, missing numbers, matching shapes and solving problems all make this a very useful and colourful book for the young ones.

Numberjacks Annual 2010, for three years and above, is published by Egmont and costs £7.99.