What happens on the card

Dawn light through the tall windows of a cosy library, and a big round black bear ambling down the aisle, gobbling every snack it passes: cookies on the reading tables, peanut butter and peach cups on the shelves, honey pots on the 100 YEARS OF HONEY display. Motion sensors sweep red beams over the floor: hold the finger down and the bear freezes like a statue, cheeks puffed, until the beam has passed; let go and it ambles on. A bear can only hold its breath so long, after a couple of seconds it goes PFFF and walks anyway. Caught in a beam, the camera flashes, CAUGHT!, and two snacks are coughed up, never the game. Twice a pile of books on a cart wobbles as it stomps past: freeze and it settles, SHHH!, with a bonus snack. At the end the bear pushes the STAFF ONLY door, sits down with the honey jar and the birthday cake, the clock hits ten, the librarians arrive with their keys and gasp in the doorway, and the tally reads 7 SNACKS, 0 BOOKS DAMAGED, their name and age above. With an age, the honey jar says how long it has been aged.

Who it is for

Book lovers and librarians, teachers and bookshop people, Winnie-the-Pooh fans, Californians and Mammoth Lakes skiers, and the friend who would also break in for the honey.

What to write in a book lover birthday card

The message is yours. If you need a start, these fit this card:

  • “Happy birthday! May your year be a page-turner.”
  • “Wishing you a quiet corner, a good book and a jar of honey all to yourself.”
  • “You are the best chapter of my story. Happy birthday.”

How to send it

  1. Tap Make this card: the card opens with this game.
  2. Type their first name, their age and your message. The card updates as you type.
  3. Send the link on WhatsApp, by text or by email. You are told when they open it.

Questions

Can I personalise this book lover birthday card?

Yes. Their first name and age are written into the game itself, and you choose the title, the message, a P.S., the celebration at the end, the colours and the fonts. You can also switch to any of the other 43 games without losing your words.

How much does a book lover birthday card cost?

Making and previewing it is free. Sending it costs 2.60 € in the euro zone, £2.20 in the United Kingdom and $2.90 everywhere else, once, with no subscription.

How do I send a book lover birthday card?

As a link, on WhatsApp, by text or by email. It opens in their browser, on a phone or a computer, with no app and no account, and the link does not expire.

Can they lose the game?

No. Every game lasts about twenty seconds and always ends on the birthday cake with their name, whatever they do. A score is shown at the end, just for fun.

Also known as: library birthday card, librarian birthday card, bookworm birthday card, reader birthday card, winnie the pooh style birthday card.