I Spy Christmas: A Book of Picture Riddles

I Spy

by Walter Wick (Photographer), Jean Marzollo, Carol D. Carson

This best-selling book features a collection of favourite I Spy riddles that send readers searching for hidden objects in thirteen photographs with a 'Christmas' theme. Each rhyming riddle in this bright collection of photographic challenges invites children to find objects hidden throughout thematic pages.

Genres: Christmas, Picture Books, Childrens, Holiday, Nonfiction, Classics, Mystery

40 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1992

About the author

Walter Wick is an American artist and photographer best known for the elaborate images in two series of picture book activities for young children, I Spy and Can You See What I See?, both published by Scholastic.

Reviews

[Mischenko · Rating 5 out of 5]

It never ceases to amaze me how much entertainment my children get from these I Spy books, but even more so from this Christmas version. We all sat around together searching for the pictures within the beautiful collections of objects. It really pulls you into the holiday spirit.

What I love most about these books is that they're not just fun, but they help children learn to be more observant and also help strengthen their memory. This is one to keep!

5*****

[Jenni · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have given this 5 stars if the answers were at the back of the book to confirm what I’m pretty positive is a bunny

[Mayda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hesitate to list this book as a children’s book, because it will appeal to adults as well. The photography is fantastic, and finding all the items listed in the riddles is certainly not just child’s play! Settle down by yourself or with a favorite friend and see who can find the items first. Be sure to read how the pictures were made - it’s quite interesting.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

As with most I Spy books, the pictures here are the star of the show. Thirteen gorgeous full-color spreads, each on a different Christmas theme, help set the festive tone. This collection of photos is special, too, because of the extensive collection of vintage items featured in this book. Marzollo and Wick had access to what they called “extraordinary collections” of antique teddy bears, antique ornaments, and handcrafted decorations, all of which add an old-timey flavor that enhances the book. As for the puzzles themselves, some of the items are easy to find, while others are more challenging, so this book can be enjoyed by children of different ages who want to engage with the book at different levels. The back matter contains additional challenges, as well as information about the process of making each picture. This is sure to be a favorite for children and adults alike.

[Josiah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Again, Walter Wick and friends have created a photographic masterpiece I can hardly begin to comprehend.

Few things so fully get me into the Christmas spirit as this book. The scene in the toy store window is nigh upon inspired, and is surrounded by many other scenes bursting with the same creative spirit. I toyed with the idea of giving this book two and a half stars and rating it three (since half-star ratings aren't available), but decided to stick with two and a half stars and officially mark it two. I don't give out high ratings easily, and the fact that I considered three stars shows how highly I think of this book.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I particularly like the page with the ornaments, and never get tired of poring over it, deciding which one I would choose if I could just have one.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I Spy Christmas was kind of like *my* I Spy that I grew up with, so it has a lot of sentimental value."

[carley]

finally found that fucking almond !

[Katie]

This is such a fun book of I Spy. I always loved working through the pages as kid (even if I would often only get through 3-4 of them) and I still do them every year. I always find something new or realize what I once thought was the answer is actually something else. I always get a different perspective of these each year.

Now don't get me wrong, these puzzles can be really hard. I've done them many times and have some of them basically memorized, but I still struggle with them, and there are some objects I still struggle to find.

This is a great activity to do with a bunch of people, but also by yourself. Definitely one I love returning to every year.

[Fatima Seraj Alam · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter and I are obsessed with I Spy books ever since my dad got her I Spot Books. This was a bit harder because there were foggy windows to spy through. I was able to find quicker than my daughter which upset her but I can’t help myself much to the chagrin of my husband who had to handle her crying.

[Nicole Felten Castillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m 23 and I found this book amusing 😂 Lots of fun pictures with I Spy riddles beneath. Took me longer than I’d like to admit 😂

[Abby Ketcham · Rating 5 out of 5]

These books are so whimsical, and just a great way to spend some time.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a spiritual experience for me. Such strange dreams from my childhood had their genesis with this book. Rereading it as an adult was insane. I remembered almost every photograph and appreciated the art of them so much more as an adult. Literally took me days to do this. These books are very thoughtfully made, this one included a description of the process of how this book was made and additional "extra credit" riddles. This book will never get old, I can't wait to share this with my son as he gets older.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a mild obsession with this series of picture-riddle books when I was a kid, and this one was my favorite. The picture set-ups are creative and detailed - I see new things every time I look at them. And the "riddles" are appropriate for children, generally leaning to the simple, easy side, but with some mixed in that are trickier and ask the reader to stretch a bit and think about things in different ways.
If I had kids I'd want all these books for them!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've enjoyed these books since my son was about two years old. He loved them and was so good at finding everything, and he'd find them quicker than I could -shush- don't tell! My daughter has been checking these books out from the library lately and it's been fun looking through them with her. I'm happy to report that I found every hidden object in this book.

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have four children and we own each " I spy " book. These books are truly our favorite and they are not just for the young. Each picture makes them think, explore, and problem solve all on their own in a very different way. Ethan had cancer as a kid and these books are amongst the things that got us through the series of hospitalizations over 18 months.

[Sarah A · Rating 2 out of 5]

We love the I Spy books and read quite a lot of them. They're great for calm down time!
This one is a bigger book and Christmas based and we were quite excited about it. However we couldn't find half the suggested items!! We really struggled with this one. Some pictures were very dark and the dolls one was just scary!

[Lynn Plourde · Rating 5 out of 5]

I SPY CHRISTMAS by Jean Marzollo, photographs by Walter Wick
Love setting out this book on the coffee table at during the Christmas season. Kids of all ages work together and delight in reading the rhyming riddles and finding each named object in the busy, beautiful photos: I spy a jingle bell, two birds of blue,/ A bunny, a star, and Santa’s red shoe Tricky, challenging, and fun!

[Crazy Uncle Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

My inlaws have this book and I go through it every year when my wife and I go to their house for Christmas. Of course, each year when I sit down with it I find that I've forgotten where most of the stuff is so it's always fun.

[Skylar Burris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Both of my kids really enjoy finding pictures in this book, but especially my two-year-old son, who will sit with me for an hour and mumble "I Spy Little Eye..." There are some harder to find objects, and some larger ones, allowing all ages to "play."

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Read" this with my niece. It was fun, but you can only "read" it once.

[DixieJo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A twist from the usual Christmas story read aloud. Typical I Spy book with a Christmas theme.

[Janin · Rating 4 out of 5]

My boys and I pull this one out each Christmas-- after a year, we've forgotten where everything was (lol)

[veronica · Rating 4 out of 5]

The slim silver dime and the glove were really hard to find. I needed my Dad's help for the silver dime.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

My kids had fun searching for Christmas in this challenging "look-and-find" book.

[寿理 宮本 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm grading this slightly better than I would have since the free copy that was in a little library was partly COMPLETED by somebody (clearly a young reader) CIRCLING the items in the photographs and checking them off from the rhymes at the bottom of the pages. I mean, they didn't deface the WHOLE book, but I lost interest in finding anything after the first few were ruined.

That said, I'm actually not that fond of "hidden object" games, much less with real items. At least Where's Waldo? types of books have a clear amount of illustrated work put into them! ...not to say there isn't ANY artistic talent put into THESE, since photography isn't as "The camera does all the work" as some people make it out to be, but more than a few of the items got reused in different photos, so it just sort of feels like as long as the photo feels compositionally complete, it's fine to just throw any old stuff in there and "find" a rhyme after the fact (which is in fact a stated challenge at the end of the book).

I'm also picky about rhymes and found it slightly off-putting when the rhythm got thrown off in a few stanzas that are one or two syllables longer/shorter than expected. The "squirrel-tail sock" is also weird, though I admit the "black and white keys" is clever(ish).

Recommended for fans of hidden object games! (which I am not, but I'm being fair about the quality of the book OTHER than the fact of this one's defacement spoiling the entertainment value)

[The Glowing Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

:)
Fun!
Super Relaxing!
Adorable Objects!
Creative Scenes!

Vague hints and items at times but that's part of the fun: guessing, haha

I used a book light to help see the pages better but the glossy pages fought me.

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I Spy Christmas by Walter Wick & Jean Marzollo
Pictures & Riddles ::: Seasonal
(...✨4.5 out of 5✨…)
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From The Glowing Bookworm - bookish tidbits & more
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(:

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always love the beautiful photographs in this series. I've had I Spy School Days for decades and still find quirky details to enjoy. I feel as though the rhymes and items to be found aren't as good in this one (had to find a chick in three separate pictures), with some clunky wordplay and items that were too easy to find. The main audience is children, though, so I'll enjoy it for what it is.

[J.B. Mathias · Rating 4 out of 5]

I spy and Christmas are a winning combination. These books are still a lot of fun and I really like seeing old familiar objects in the phenomenal pictures.

I do wish the books had an answer key if there's that one object you can't find or just to make sure that what you are looking at really is the thing, it's hard to tell with some of the small obscured objects sometimes.

[Professor · Rating 4 out of 5]

The kids didn't get into this one quite as much as they did the I Spy Halloween book we took out of the library in October, but I still give this series much respect both for the beautiful scenes created out of real objects and the fun of the game of finding the hidden objects.