Rhyme Thyme is a matching card game for two to five players ages 5 and up. The game includes 108 illustrated cards and an instruction book. The instructions are clear and easy to follow. Instructions are also included for playing Rhyme Thyme memory. Examples of a few rhymes are tie-pie, square-pear-chair-bear, raccoon-baboon-loon, and root-boot-hoot-fruit.

Rhyme Thyme is fast paced and fun. It is great practice for pre-readers and early readers who know how to rhyme. Older siblings have a slight advantage over their non-reading siblings during a Rhyme Thyme game. Each card includes a picture and printed word, so a reader can at times read the word before a non-reader figures out the picture. This is unlikely to be a big problem.

Once a child understands the rules of the game, he can play Rhyme Thyme with a friend. I consider any game that can be played by two 6-year-olds a good game. My 10-year-old daughter enjoyed playing Rhyme Thyme memory. My 6-year-old son had a bit of difficulty with a few of the words. For the card "hoot" there is a picture of an owl, and for the card "fruit" there is a picture of a cherry. My son thought the cards were "owl" and "cherry." Once we explained that the words were "hoot" and "fruit," he remembered them for later games. Several other cards will need explanation to a non-reader. The cards for "baboon" and "loon" look like a monkey and a duck. Spend a few minutes going over what each picture-word card is and most children will be able to play Rhyme Thyme without any problem.

Product review by Tina Rice, Contributing Writer, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, July 2006