Christmas Chaos: Hidden Picture Puzzles

by Jill Kalz, James Yamasaki (Illustrator)

Are they sitting with Santa? Parked by the presents? Tiptoeing around the tree? All sorts of sneaky objects are hiding in these picture puzzles, and they dont want to be found. Look close and seek them out!

Genres: Picture Books, Christmas

32 pages, Library Binding

First published August 1, 2012

About the author

Jill Kalz is the author of The Winter Bees (November 2018, Minneopa Valley Press) — a collection of short fiction — and more than 70 titles for children, including the Tuckerbean beginning-reader series and the picture book Farmer Cap (Pfeffernut County series), finalist for a 2008 Minnesota Book Award and winner of the Readers' Choice Award and an AEP Distinguished Achievement Award. Kalz has also published poetry in the Nebraska Review, the Ohio Review, Cream City Review, and other magazines. She works as a children's book editor and lives in Minnesota.

Reviews

[Lorellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are challenging. Fun to play with Tot.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fourteen puzzles created around a holiday theme give readers a chance to try their skill at locating various objects such as a rocking horse, a candy cane, and mistletoe, among others, will keep young readers quite busy. Despite the book's title, it also features puzzles about Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year's, and the winter season. Many of the pages feature friendly figures out and about, enjoying the lighted houses and ice sculptures as well as standing in line to visit Santa Claus. Successful puzzle solvers can return to the puzzles to look for a cupcake, a mermaid, and a lizard, of all things. It's great fun, but headache-inducing.

[Mely · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a bit tough. Almost too difficult for my 4 year old, but we enjoyed the winter/Christmas themed pages. Great for Where's Waldo fans, but man, some of the things were so tiny we almost couldn't find them all.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of these were crazy hard. Most were fine though.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

A holiday-themed seek and find book that includes puzzles inspired by both Kwanzaa and Hanukkah. Readers are invited to revisit puzzles in search of additional items listed at the end of the book.

Puzzles become more challenging as readers progress. Search items are pictured in a box in greyscale which adds to the challenge as items are often different colors than readers might predict and are sometimes obscured by action in the scenes.

I liked that pre-readers could enjoy this book because the search items appear in words and pictures. This book would make a good stocking stuffer!

[Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to admit that I am pretty conflicted on my feelings toward this book. The puzzles were challenging in a Where's Waldo format. However, this is a book that would get used once or twice before kids would get tired of it or the mystery would be gone. Don't know if it would be worth spending the $$$'s on it.

[Klare · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read 01/2020