Features: Tricks for Dogs - "Do dogs enjoy them?" read this and find out... John gives us all vertigo for the umpteenth time by joining the Red Devils freefalling parachute team... Val displays her lack of aptitude with a quill pen in a feature on writing implements from days of yore... Daniel Grows Up - the slightly bizarre story of the Blue Peter baby - showing children the progress of a child long before the days of pregnant twelve year olds... John and Peter travel to Norway to chop down the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree - Val sensibly stays at home and gets to switch on the lights... An update on Cindy, the second Blue Peter Guide Dog for the Blind, who at one year old is ready to start training - thanks to BP viewers silver paper and milk bottle tops... Peter is trained in screen swordfighting, and then dresses up as a musketeer for a thrilling fight with five assailants - "Have at ye!"... The Blue Peter Appeal is for a hospital truck "to help the victims of that terrible war in West Africa" - the target is set at 144,000 parcels of old wool, but the eventual total is 1,400,000 parcels, allowing the purchase of 2 hospital trucks, 6 emergency doctor's cars, jet injectors for speedy inoculation plus drugs and supplies - they never explain who they sold all that wool to, though (the fourth Doctor Who???)... Val tells the story of the famous ballerina, Anna Pavlova, which is followed by John taking on his toughest assignment - ballet dancing with the Royal Ballet School, "Anyone who says ballet dancing is for cissies must be out of his mind..." Peter takes over from Chris Trace as he shows off the BP model train layout... John and Peter attend a school for butlers in a wonderfully self-indulgent comedy sketch, and whilst in service have to inform a "Miss Valerie Singleton of Blue Peter" that their master is not at home...

Makes: Annoy your neighbours with Peter Purves' Patent Football Rattle.
John gives very brief instructions on how to make a Red Indian costume and turn yourself into a Noaki (!?!).
Val demonstrates Tinsel Sweet Trees - little Christmas trees with edible decorations
Peter enthralls us all with his Newspaper Tricks.
In an thrilling example of how we used to live, Val show us how to make those bits of cheese and things on cocktail sticks stuck into a grapefruit that used to be de rigeur at all the best parties. Tin foil wrapping optional.

Historical Figure's Life Story in Pictures: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - although sidestepping his early, poverty-stricken death.
Stories: Booster invents a new weapon - a Sonic Solidifying Gun - but argues with Bleep and storms off. The friends are reconciled, however, when Booster is caught by the Gelatanoids (ouch) and needs rescued.
Paddington enters a BP competition and wins a jar of marmalade (and a BP badge!).
Bengo and his friend Skippy the Scottie stow away on a lifeboat keepers boat and end up having to be airlifted back to shore (couldn't they just have gone back on the boat?).
Rubbish Mystery Story: The Case of the Hi-jacked Horse - Can you spot the mistakes that put paid to the plan to steal the International Horse Show trophy? Do you really want to?

Notes: Colourful and at first seemingly jam-packed with features, the brevity of some of the articles means there isn't quite so much to see here as you might think. The popularity of the show has obviously meant an increase in budget, and this is reflected in an equivalent increase in the amount of location stories (even managing to travel overseas!). There are still one or two items which seem a bit out of date (the BP model train layout and 'Collectors Corner' spring to mind), but there seems to be much more being made of the group dynamic, especially between John and Pete, as evidenced in their larky antics at the school for butlers. A strong entry in the series, and the page count remains consistent. Not as hard to find as you might think, this is still a good find, especially under a fiver. Anything more and you should think hard and check the condition carefully.