I Spy: A Book of Picture Riddles

I Spy

by Walter Wick (Photographer), Jean Marzollo

ISBN 0439787297

Photographs by Walter Wick

Design by Carol Devine Carson

I spy... a little baby's footprint, a heart-shaped box, a silver jack, a train track, a comb, a button, a pine cone... and hundreds upon hundreds of other small, interesting objects. Here is the original I Spy picture book, the one that launched the very popular series by rhyme-ster Jean Marzollo and photographer Walter Wick. Each sizeable two-page spread features an assortment of crisply photographed items, along with a rhyming litany that serves as a riddle for readers to solve:

I spy a snake, a three-letter word,
And flying underneath, a great white bird;
Nine gold stars, a blue tube of glitter,
One clay cat, and a six-legged critter.

The beauty of these books, which include I Spy Funhouse and I Spy Gold Challenger, is that when the initial riddle is solved, there are still extra credit riddles in the back, as well as countless other games of varying degrees of difficulty any imaginative parent or child can create. Readers of all ages, distracted by the bright, eye-catching objects, may find the challenge surprisingly difficult, and will delight in finding something new with every reading. (Ages 3 to 7) --Emilie Coulter

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Nonfiction, Art, Mystery, Classics, Reference

33 pages, Hardcover

First published April 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

[Dan Graziotto · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 would spy again

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun puzzle book for kids. Good for my ENL students because they have to read simple phrases, identify objects and see some things in different forms.

[theperksofbeingmarissa ;) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this would be so much easier as an adult, but I still had trouble finding some of the items! 😭 In fact, there are about 4 things I just couldn't find after looking for HOURS!! I'm so happy I found a copy of this book. It takes me back to being a kid! 🙂

[Reyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This whole series of books was so popular when I was in elementary school (1998-2004) the school library did not permit students to put them on hold. My review applies to the entire series.

Walter Wick's sets for these books are an art form in themselves. People of any age can appreciate their beauty and the thought put into setting them up. Jean Marzollo's rhymes, found at the bottom of each page listing the various objects the reader should look for, are complex enough that they do not sound juvenile, yet are simple enough that children as young as second grade can read and complete the puzzles on their own. Children who are even younger are likely to understand what they are being asked to find if the riddles are read aloud to them. Finally, not only are the photographs beautiful, but they are so intricate that a nearly infinite number of riddles can be written about each picture - this would be an excellent activity to have older children do when teaching them about concepts such as alliteration and assonance.

This book specifically is an excellent overview of what the series has to offer, with photos which while interesting and beautiful do not pertain to any specific theme: blocks, silhouettes and the like. Later books, beginning with I Spy Christmas, have themes including the circus, fantasy and school (very appealing to kids). There are even two books, I Spy Mystery and I Spy Spooky Night, which have mysteries or a sort-of storyline to follow. I Spy Treasure Hunt is especially cool because Wick set up a miniature seaside village, and the sort-of storyline sets kids out to find a pirate's treasure. In case you can't tell I adore these books and have all but one of the originals and all but two of the Challengers, the series with more complex riddles. This series gets a 10/5 from me.

[Daniel Yao · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m so obsese with this series like the aesthetic was unmatched

[Tawny Angerame · Rating 5 out of 5]

The I Spy: A Book of Picture Riddles book is such a great read for children. Children never want to read something that is not interesting. However this is a book full of riddles and pictures. It keeps children interacting with the book as well as keeping their attention. I enjoy these books as much as any other kid would because of how fun and entertaining it can be. Personally, I love this book. It is all about cute riddles and pictures. The colors are very bright and engaging. Who wouldn't love a book like this? A great thing about the I Spy books, is that it is a series!

[Dj Colter · Rating 5 out of 5]

it is sort of hard but fun

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our family loves this series too.

[Tammie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great fun with the kids.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Five stars for the original."

[♥ I’d Rather Be Reading ♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read Count: 2+

4.5 stars

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SUMMARY: (SPOILER WARNING)

The classic original I Spy riddle book that set the precedent for pretty much all I Spy books to come. Each page is a treasure trove of knick knacks to look through and discover.

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REVIEW:

I'm one of those people that unfortunately can't remember very much from my young childhood years. Everything is just blurry and hard to recall for some reason (my long term memory sucks lol). But I have a very vivid memory of reading this book when I was in Kindergarten. I don't know why that random memory stuck with me, but for some reason it did.

Anyways, I bought a bunch of these I Spy books for my kids many years ago and we have read (and re-read) them countless times. They're always fun to come back to time and time again, especially if you set it aside for awhile and then come back to it when you don't remember where everything is again.

Tonight my daughter (who is ironically in Kindergarten, lol) wanted to read it. So we did a few pages.

Always fun and a great read. Highly recommended for kids of all ages.

[Antonia Benetti · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an activity book that allows children to search for objects. It also has fun riddles and pictures for them to follow along. This book is one that would keep children busy and entertained for long periods of time. I would recommend this book for children who struggle staying seated for a long time or for students that have trouble focusing on thing for long periods of time. It allows its readers to be active and participate in the reading. This book is also good for young readers because it gives them a chance to see words and see what they look like. I enjoyed this book because it can also be read with other people who can also participate in searching for objects. I like this book because its easy to become lost in the pictures that show lots of different themes. There are pictures of objects outside, pictures of doll houses and many more.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love I spy books. They were always my favorite books to check out of the library. I remember that they always had waiting list for these books because they were so popular. I like that each page she makes the items that you are looking for rhyme and that it really makes you interact with the book. I like that after you are done with they pages there is more to find on the back page of the book. They will always be a hit in my book and I'm thankful that Jean Marzollo came up with the idea of makeing these books!

[Heather Lincoln · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book!!! This book is a fun activity for rainy days for kids, filled with bright and colorful pictures kids love this captivating activity book! Filled with riddles, this book captures kids attention and keeps them entertained for hours. I loved this book as a kid and my students love it just as much! It is a scavenger hunt bound into a colorful picture book. Each page has a theme, from circus' to the zoo I Spy asks its readers to search for items on each page through a funny riddle. I recommend this book to parents and teachers who want to occupy their kids.

[Cassandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

My toddler is a visual learner and loves all of the I Spy books. She always has one or two checked out from the library. They have been great vocabulary builders for her because there are so many items in the pictures that I would not otherwise think to show her. I do not usually read the text to her. We enjoy talking about what she sees, or I will randomly choose things to tell her I spy, and she looks for them. Sometimes, we will look for the items listed in the text together.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging, interactive experience with my children. A great blend of simplicity and difficulty and I really enjoy the "double meanings" of some of the word clue's that force you to think outside of the box. Often, some fantastic vocabulary "lessons" are included. My children LOVE all of the I Spy books.

[Anna Hardesty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved these books whenever I was in Elementary school.
It kept me busy and made me use my noggin.

So if you're trying to work and your kids on getting on your nerves, plop them on the couch with one of these. =D

[Sophie Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these books. They are great for the classroom library. The children could spend hours looking at the book, following the riddles to find the items. These books could be used with thematic units.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I give this book 5 stars because it's so visually and mentally stimulating as a book for you and a child to spend time together. My daughters' and I could spend an hour a night looking for things and not be bored!

[Jelisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book is a great tool to use in the classroom for students when there is downtime from studies. I think that this book would be perfect to place in a center, where students can play the game with a partner.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of seek and find puzzles for school-agers with rhyming text and bonus challenges.

[John Gentry · Rating 5 out of 5]

the photos are beautiful, the riddles are grand. I'm 24 years old and I still can't find everything without help. a great start to a great series.

[Ryan W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book to read with friends. Great time waster.

[Patrick Wadden · Rating 4 out of 5]

classic but quite rudimentary compared to later installations

[Natalie.Oudish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lol I love it

[Salvador Salvajadas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Makes me be smarter... Actually, I´m smart but this book helps a little bit

[Ethan & Isaac · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little advanced for me. I like to show my mommy what I CAN find on each page though.

[Kiara Selena · Rating 5 out of 5]

The photography and rhyming scheme are very well thought out and executed. Even decades after its original release this book is still very impressive.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is awesome

[Ebony M · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a picture book, intended for children 3-7 years of age. Every page in this book, has so many items to look at. This book is a great time waster, for the road and in the classroom. This book is a mystery solving, picture book like the Waldo series. I love how this book is also a riddle book and it's like a matching game. Another thing I like about this book is, not only does every page have a certain theme, but over all every book has an overall theme. For example they have "I spy Christmas", "I spy school", and "I spy ultimate",(for adults). I believe this book is appealing to kids because, when kids get bored and want something to do, they can just pull this book out and search for the different items that need to be found. I personally remember the "I spy" picture book series. This book in particular was always my favorite, because the images were so random which made finding the items so much more satisfying. There are also "I spy" books for adults, so everybody can be happy. If I were to use this book in my classroom, I would use it as an extra curricular activity to do after a test. 12/10/23