I Spy Spooky Night: A Book of Picture Riddles

I Spy

by Walter Wick (Photographer), Jean Marzollo

Set in a haunted house, readers are invited to search for mice, spiders, candles, bats, jack-o-lanterns, and bones among other creepy things found in the hallway, library, fireplace, and laboratory of the house, as well as in the graveyard and a garden of ghouls outside.

Genres: Picture Books, Halloween, Childrens, Horror, Nonfiction, Holiday, Kids

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1993

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

[Monique]

I sat and looked through this by myself on an October afternoon. The kids loved the I Spy series until it began to give rise to over-intense competition and fights. It may be time for me to try once more to pen a ghost story.

(If you like this book, perhaps read M. R. James' "The Haunted Dolls' House" next.)

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Atmospheric and fun! This feels a bit like an homage to all things spooky, but in a cute and safe way. In this series of linked images that almost tell a story (but not quite), kids can follow a goofy toy skeleton as it enters, explores, and leaves a mysterious (haunted?) house. The sets are richly detailed, and can certainly appeal to kids’ imagination. Moreover, there are many objects that appear in several pictures, not only giving kids a hint as to what to look for, but also helping them get a sense of the scale of each image. The sets vary drastically in terms of size, so it might be fun to compare. Bonus challenges at the end heightened the fun. I have only one criticism: I couldn’t always be sure what I was seeing. Sometimes, even looking at an object, it was difficult to know what it was, and sometimes the pictures themselves were so dark that I couldn’t really tell. Other than that, it was an excellent experience that both young and old can enjoy.

[Qt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had oodles of fun with this one :-) I loved the incredibly detailed and deliciously spooky photographs, and pored over each picture trying to find the listed items--some were relatively easy, and some were surprisingly difficult!

[Heather R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Am I the only adult here that LOVES the iSpy books? They are extremely visually appealing to me, perhaps due to my love of miniatures. This one was particularly good, combining my love of all things tiny with that of all things spooky and mysterious. Wonderful book at any age.

[Emma Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book. I love I spy!

[Reese Bordelon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was kinda hard. Took me, my sister, and my nephew to find all of it. Super fun tho.

[Mayda · Rating 5 out of 5]

The photography in this collection of spooky pictures is fantastic, but most of the photos are so dark, you likely will have trouble deciphering the details and locating the items. Still, it is a fun activity for young and old alike, and the rhymes will stir your imagination. A well executed and creative book.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Good and spooky. Could have done with fewer ghosts and more bats. And lobsters."

[Kara Taghon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes you just gotta take the edge off, ya know?

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did I randomly get this in Wal-Mart one day because it was my favourite I Spy book as a child to the point my sister once got me I Spy Spooky Mansion for cheap off Amazon?

Yes. Yes it is.

It is still perfect, thank you.

[readbeales · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gives me such cozy halloween-y feelings!

[Lynn Plourde · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just got this for our grandson for Halloween. Love that our kids enjoyed the I SPY books when they were little. Timeless, classic, and oh so fun--for all ages!

[Teagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delicious!!!!!!!!!!!

[Thomas Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars for the nostalgia.

[Raven · Rating 5 out of 5]

distracting myself at an election night 2024 "party" with this bad boy

[asiya | アセヤ (free palestine) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't know why this wasn't already in my 'read' books? But it's definitely one of those classic stories I've owned from when I was just a little kid. 😊

I love this series! Never fails to amuse the reader, make them old or young.

--

Ahhhhh, on that fateful day that I had left from my last day of school, and passed by a box packed with free books... Mom had yelled at me to get moving, because we had "too many" books at home (but when is there EVER "too many" books 🙄), so I secretly pulled this one out, along with a few others that I took home, and couldn't stop loving.

Unfortunately, most of those others I gave away to my younger cousins. 🥺 (Hopefully they will enjoy them!)

But I still miss those books. Books like this one, that I would read so MANY times over at night, when I would stay up late in bed because of how scared I was (for some reason). Probably from reading The Time Machine and TOO young of an age... 😬😂

--

As for the actual book REVIEW. I can't help myself but recommend this one enough! 😆

If you like little witty puzzles, with clues and mysteries within them, then this is the book for you. 😊

I found that each riddle was challenging enough to get through/have fun with, but also not so obvious, as to letting myself come back after such a long time, to figure out all of the stuff and what not.

The bonus riddles at the back of the book were fun too! Fairly solvable, and a good challenge for a boring day. ☀️

There was also a passage and note about the making of this book and the reason as to WHY the authors created it! At the time, I wasn't interested with that stuff, but NOW; I love reading every word of it and the behind the scenes part, for such a beloved book to me and my family.

I can't explain ENOUGH about the detail and ingenuity, put within each photograph that's on the pages, for us to find the items/solve the riddles. Such clever insight and creativity! 😆💜

All in all, I've poured over this too many times to count/catalogue, so I hope that speaks for itself!

Love this one, and will FOR SURE be coming back to it again sometime soon (in the near future, probably 😁)!!!

[Stacy Renee (LazyDayLit) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This picture book review was originally shared on Lazy Day Literature.

'Tis the season for spooky and I SPY has given us a wonderfully creepy look-and-find to fill our dark and dreary (rainy) days.

I remember borrowing as many of these I SPY books from the library as I could as a kid. A family member and I would look over them together and marvel at all the different items on each page. I can't remember if the new and older version are the same though. This one reminded me very much of the ones from when I was a child with a similar style and very old items. Still, it was a lot of fun to come back to these old favorites!

My daughter loves look-and-find books but a lot of the ones in her age groups are way too easy so are always happy to find something that gives us a challenge. I thought this was perfect for her because there are plenty of easy to find items but enough harder ones to take our time with. The rhyming riddles were a lot of fun for her, especially since they are also the list of items to find!

There are extra riddles of items to find listed in the back along with descriptions or the rarer and lesser-known items included in the search, such as a palindrome and a rebus.

[Alex Baugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an updated version of the original 1996 I Spy Spooky Night with new challenges for sharp readers. Set in a haunted house that is really a victorian dollhouse, each page challenged readers to find the hidden, creepy objects an unseen narrator has already spied. Objects can be found in the different rooms, the hallway, the stairs, the library, even a secret cupboard, the creepy graveyard and the ghoulish garden. How many of the listed objects can you find on each page? None? Some? All? The book photographs are cleverly done for dramatic effect, and it is all described in the back matter. Be careful, Riddlers, you might be fooled by a rebus or a palindrome where you least expect it. What are they? Find the answer to that in plain sight. This book was a little old for my young readers, who are 4-5 years-old, although they did give it a good shot and did pretty well all things considered, but some of what is included is a little too sophisticated for them. I would age this for 6+

[S.L. Hendricks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall 5.0 ★★★★★

I’ve loved this book ever since I was a child. I get it out every single year as soon as autumn comes around, even as an adult, and it’s a fun experience every single time!

The book has a good flow, and an ongoing theme and story to its pictures. Speaking of the pictures, the photography of this book is absolutely beautiful; the lighting does an amazing job setting the mood, and the themes are consistent and easy to identify. I’ve always loved seeing all the props, especially the dollhouse; I really appreciate the way it was redecorated as a haunted house!

The hidden items are fun to find, varying in difficulty and great for all ages. This book is truly a classic, and I recommend it to anyone and especially families—it’s a great thing to get out every year and to share with your children.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since Bea arrived, I've been reading children's books pretty much non-stop...aside from trips to playgrounds, the store and Morris Arboretum. She loe Where's Waldo, so this I Spy book was right up her alley. The pictures are dark and shadowy, which, in my opinion, makes this more of a book for older children and adults. She was game for four pages...and we spent a good part of an hour searching for the items cleverly suggested in the text. She'll ask for it again, I'm certain.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surprisingly disappointing but good. A sweet book for Halloween but I highly recommend getting “Can you see what I see on a scary scary night” instead. This one doesn’t really have a story to follow and didn’t make as much sense. It was fun but I personally prefer a path through the images that connect to one another.

[Michael Guillot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes you just gotta buy an I SPY book from your childhood to relive to spooky Halloween memories (the old PC game is great too).

My favorite thing about this collection might be the two at the end. The last little bits of magic as Halloween wears off and it’s morning again, but the remnants are still there.

Also impressive how difficult this book can be! Some I flew through, some… whew!

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best of the I Spy books in my opinion. A bit too old for my son as of yet but I couldn't help adding this to his Halloween book collection. As an adult I now realize the images are shots of minitures but as a kid I had thought this was a real spooky mansion like the one at Disneyland. Funny to see it so many years later.

[Roberta Decenzo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an all time favourite of mine! It’s fun to visit over and over, year after year. The first I Spy with a plot. Even if not playing the game, the photographs and scenes are beautiful to see in and of themselves.

[J.B. Mathias · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the best of the I Spy books and I love the I Spy books. I like the spooky theme, it really suited the puzzles well. I liked the addition of the little skeleton in every puzzle like a little mascot. I wish the bonus challenges would tell you what page you should be looking on.

[Autumn Kearney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I Spy Spooky Night: A Book of Picture Riddles is an unusual book. It's my first time experiencing such a thing. The book was heavily theamed to be scary and haunted house-like. I liked it for that reason.

[Carrie Doss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who said “I Spy” was just for children? I’ve loved these books since I was a kid and they’re deeply nostalgic now. Spooky Night will probably always be my favorite, it’s just so detailed and is just like taking a tour of a haunted dollhouse. The updated edition is so good!

[Sam Dawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book of I Spy. Great book to tire a child out before bedtime.

[Patricia Kaniasty · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kids grew up loving these type of books. Please keep them coming. My grand babies will love them too.

[Professor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had a blast reading/playing this game with the kids. Amazing dioramas.