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More Inspirational Books with LEGO Bricks

You might remember from our recent discussion on Christmas-related LEGO books (see: Books for Expanding the LEGO Winter Village), the LEGO Holiday Ideas: More Than 50 Festive Builds book by DK Publishing. It’s similar to – but smaller – than the LEGO Build Your Own Adventure book series (also published by DK Publishing) with stories, inspirational build ideas, as well as step-by-step instructions for some smaller models, along with a good handful of LEGO pieces to build those models.

Turns out that the LEGO Holiday Ideas book is not alone, and DK Publishing recently released several books in the same size and format. I have already been a big fan of the LEGO Build Your Own Adventure books, and it’s nice to see another, smaller version based on the same idea of including stories, inspirations, and bricks to build with. The quality of the books is excellent, with sturdy cover, high-quality pages, beautiful printing, and big text – perfect for firing up kids’ imagination. The books are great for travel, long car rides, and short reading/building sessions before bedtime.

Speaking of bedtime, one of the new books in the series is titled The LEGO Book of Bedtime Builds, with bricks to build eight mini models. Here is the description of the book: A relaxing bedtime routine with quiet, screen-free activities – like building with LEGO bricks – and stories is recommended by pediatricians to help children sleep better. “Calming activities and stories before bed can help your child get a good night’s sleep,” says Lauren Hale, PhD, sleep expert. This book includes eight adventures to build, play, and read to help kids wind down before bed and let you spend quality time together. To get started, choose and build one of the LEGO models from The LEGO Book of Bedtime Builds, then read the story together. When it’s time to sleep, the mini model and story will inspire exciting dreams. The next night, take apart the mini model and choose another adventure to build and read together. Convenient brick storage and packaging make for easy building at home or on the go. Includes easy-to-follow building instructions and bricks. Stories feature a pirate ship, dinosaur, robot, bird, castle, elephant, spider, and spaceship. Regular price: $19.99 – CHEAPER PRICE AT AMAZON

Another book in the series is the LEGO Animal Atlas to discover the world of animals and get inspired to build. This book includes inspirational models, as well as instructions and builds to build four of them. Here is the description of the book: Discover the planet’s amazing animals with specially commissioned LEGO models and maps. Which animal gobbles up 4,000 clams in one meal? Where can you find a snail as big as a baseball? The LEGO Animal Atlas has answers to these questions and a whole lot more. The book is packed with fascinating facts, images, and building ideas for more than 110 models of the world’s most awesome animals. A detailed LEGO map, dotted with charming micro-build creatures, introduces each of the continents. The maps are followed by colorful spreads featuring up to seven LEGO animals in their habitats. From a cute koala in the Australian outback to a mighty lion prowling the African savanna, this book showcases many of the world’s favorite animals–plus some unusual sights, such as the bizarre blue-footed booby and the mysterious giant squid. The models are built with mostly standard bricks, and tips and breakdowns will inspire children to create their own animal models. A combination of clear photos, authoritative text, fun facts, and classic LEGO humor helps children learn as they build and play their way around the animal world. Regular price: $19.99 – CHEAPER PRICE AT AMAZON

The last book in the series that I have seen published so far is the LEGO Amazing Vehicles book with LEGO pieces to build four of the models (plus lots of other inspirational ideas). Here is the description of the book: Which vehicle could fit five jumbo jets along its deck? How did firefighters travel to blazing emergencies before the invention of motor-powered fire engines? LEGO Amazing Vehicles is packed full of fascinating facts and images of more than 100 models of cool things that go, including airplanes, trains, boats, cars, and even futuristic vehicles. Best of all, it comes with 61 bricks to build four exclusive LEGO mini-vehicles! Colorful scenes showcase fan-built LEGO vehicle models accompanied by fascinating facts, data, and record-breaking information about the machines. From trains and tractors to aircraft, spacecraft, and automobiles, this book showcases every kind of machine that moves-from past to present, and far into the future. Timelines featuring micro-build models drive readers through the history of transport. The models are built with mostly standard bricks. Tips and photographic breakdowns will inspire children to build their own LEGO vehicles. A combination of clear photos, authoritative text, fun facts, and classic LEGO humor help children learn as they build and play. Regular price: $19.99 – CHEAPER PRICE AT AMAZON

As I mentioned above, I quite like these books, and found them particularly popular with younger kids (the recommended age range is 5-9 years). They make great gifts for kids who are just starting out with LEGO, and also for families with kids who are already into LEGO and you would like to gift them something other than just the usual LEGO sets. They are especially helpful for those who are just starting out with free-building and designing their own models. They are appreciated by LEGO fans of all ages.

What do you think? How do you like these smaller inspirational LEGO books with included LEGO bricks? Do you prefer the larger format of the LEGO Build Your Own Adventure books, or these smaller ones? Do you have any of them already? Feel free to share your own reviews in the comment section below!

And you might also like to check out the following related posts:

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Biggest & Greatest LEGO Sets for the Holidays

LEGO released some fantastic sets for teen and adult LEGO fans as well as collectors in the last couple of years. In fact, the number of large sets geared towards a more mature audience is steadily increasing. Some of these sets you might already have, some may be on your wanted list, and others are retiring soon, So, let’s talk about some of the greatest sets of the last couple of years. Maybe Santa will hear us and bring us our favorites.

In terms of size, piece-count, desirability, and price, the greatest LEGO sets from the past few years appear in several different themes, satisfying a wide variety of interests. We will start with LEGO Star Wars, because this theme is known for its large and impressive sets and huge fanbase, but we will also look at some of the of the other impressive large sets specifically made to satisfy older teens and adult LEGO fans.

GREATEST LEGO STAR WARS SETS FOR THE HOLIDAYS: The #75252 LEGO Star Wars Imperial Star Destroyer (4,784 pieces, price: $700), and the #75192 LEGO Star Wars Millennium Falcon (7,541 pieces, price: $800) are the two largest LEGO Star Wars sets of all time, and they are absolutely massive. If you plan to get either of these sets, make sure you plan for display space ahead of time. Slightly smaller, but still highly detailed advanced sets are the #75244 LEGO Star Wars Tantive IV (1,768 pieces, price $200), the #75159 LEGO Star Wars Death Star (4,016 pieces, price $500). You can find them all at the LEGO Star Wars section of the Online LEGO Shop.

GREATEST LEGO DISNEY SETS FOR THE HOLIDAYS: Another theme that’s very popular around the holidays is LEGO Disney. The two currently available largest LEGO Disney sets are the fully motorized #71044 LEGO Disney Train and Station (2,925 pieces, price: $330) released this year, and the #71040 LEGO Disney Castle (4,080 pieces, price: $350). You can find them both at the LEGO Disney section of the Online LEGO Shop.

LEGO FAIRGROUND SETS FOR THE HOLIDAYS: Yet another popular collection is the LEGO Creator Fairground sets. The #10261 LEGO Creator Roller Coaster (4,121 pieces, price: $380) is the only set currently available directly from LEGO, and the #10257 LEGO Creator Carousel was just retired, but you may still be able to find it at select LEGO stores. See the LEGO Creator section of the Online LEGO Shop.

LEGO MODULAR BUILDINGS FOR THE HOLIDAYS: The LEGO Modular Buildings are the favorites of many adult LEGO fans. They are very interesting builds, and look great on display. The currently available LEGO Modular Buildings are the #10260 LEGO Creator Downtown Diner (price: $170), the #10264 LEGO Creator Corner Garage (price: $200), and the #10255 LEGO Creator Assembly Square ($280). You can find them all at the LEGO Creator section of the Online LEGO Shop.

GREATEST LEGO CREATOR VEHICLES FOR THE HOLIDAYS: Another popular sub-theme of the LEGO Creator Expert line recreates iconic cars in LEGO. These are large display-sets with authentic details, and they also have some functionality like opening doors, hood, etc. The sets currently available are the #10265 LEGO Creator Ford Mustang (price: $150), the #10262 LEGO Creator James Bond Aston Martin DB5 (price: $150), the #10258 LEGO Creator London Bus (price: $140), the #10252 LEGO Creator Volkswagen Beetle (price: $100), and the #10269 LEGO Creator Harley-Davidson Fat Boy (price: $100). You can find them all at the LEGO Creator section of the Online LEGO Shop.

LEGO HARRY POTTER SET FOR THE HOLIDAYS: The #71043 LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle (6,020 pieces, price $400) is a beautiful set, and the largest in the LEGO Harry Potter collection. Please note that although this set does include some of the key Harry Potter characters in minifig form, the castle itself is for micro-scale figures. Eve if you don’t care for Harry Potter, this set is a beautiful example of LEGO castle building and could be easily repurposed for other inhabitants. You can find it at the LEGO Harry Potter section of the Online LEGO Shop.

GREATEST LEGO TECHNIC SETS FOR THE HOLIDAYS: LEGO Technic is especially popular with older LEGO fans who are technically inclined and like to build working vehicles with realistic mechanical functions. The largest and most challenging sets currently available are the fully motorized and app-controlled #42100 LEGO Technic Liebherr R9800 (4,108 pieces, price: $450), the #42110 LEGO Technic Land Rover Defender (2,573 pieces, price: $200), the #420823 LEGO Technic Rough Terrain Crane (4,057 pieces, price: $300), and the #42083 LEGO Technic Bugatti Chiron (3,599 pieces, price: $350). You can find them at the LEGO Technic section of the Online LEGO Shop.

GREATEST LEGO IDEAS SETS FOR THE HOLIDAYS: LEGO Ideas are sets that were originally designed and submitted by adult LEGO fans and were selected to become official LEGO sets. They aren’t necessarily expensive, and they cover a great range of themes and interests that adult LEGO fans usually like. The largest currently available LEGO Ideas set is the beautiful #21318 LEGO Ideas Tree House (price: $200). The highly popular #21309 LEGO Ideas NASA Apollo Saturn V is retiring this year, and was recently on sale, so you may need some luck to find it. Many of the other LEGO Ideas sets are also out of stock due to popularity, so check availability at the LEGO Ideas section of the Online LEGO Shop.

OTHER LARGE LEGO SETS FOR THE HOLIDAYS: There are some other beautiful, large sets for older teens and adult LEGO fans that you might consider for the holidays. This includes the #10256 LEGO Creator Taj Mahal (5,923 pieces, price: $370), the #76139 LEGO Super Heroes 1989 Batmobile (3,306 pieces, price: $250, the #75936 LEGO Jurassic Park: T. Rex Rampage (3,120 pieces, price $250), and the #75810 LEGO Stranger Things: The Upside Down (2,287 pieces, price: $200).

As you can see, there is a wide variety of large sets available for older teens and adult LEGO fans. Please note that many of these sets are very popular, so it’s likely they will be going in and out of stock between now and the end of the year. Of course, there are many other LEGO sets to select from, but if you are going for the biggest and best, this list should give you plenty of options. We will look at large LEGO sets for kids, moderately sized sets to fit a smaller budget, and even some inexpensive stocking stuffers in the next few weeks.

What do you think? What is your favorite large LEGO set from recent years? Do you have some of the ones mentioned here already? Are you planning to get any of them before the end of the year? Which ones would you recommend the most? Feel free to share your thoughts and discuss in the comment section below!

And you might also like to check out the following related posts:

LEGO SHOP IN USA: Online LEGO Shop USA

LEGO SHOP IN CANADA: Online LEGO Shop Canada

LEGO SHOP IN UK: Online LEGO Shop UK

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