Can You See What I See?: Toyland Express: Picture Puzzles to Search and Solve [Hardcover]

Walter Wick (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2011 | Age Range: 6 and up | Series: Can You See What I See?

An amazing new search-and-find adventure from the creative mind of renowned photographer and author Walter Wick.

Amazing photographs accompany a search-and-find story by Walter Wick, the creator of award-winning picture books, the author and photographer of the New York Times bestselling Can You See What I See? series, and the photographer of the bestselling I Spy series.

CAN YOU SEE WHAT I SEE? TOYLAND EXPRESS, the eighth title in the bestselling search-and-find series, follows the life of a toy train from the workshop to the attic, only to be rescued at a yard sale and brought to life once again in a new home. As readers search for more than 250 hidden objects, they will also notice how the train takes on various transformations along its journey.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Booklist Advanced Review, November 2011:
Wick\u2019s latest seek-and-find book begins in a toymaker\u2019s workshop, where an unpainted wooden train set
and many other wooden toys and parts can be seen. A rhyme challenges children to find 20 things among
the hundreds of tiny objects. The next 11 double-page spreads follow the toys\u2019 progression as they are
painted, displayed in a shop, received on a birthday, left on a bedroom floor, and repurposed in scenes
involving a snowy mountain, a circus, and a dollhouse. Forgotten in an attic, they reemerge at a yard sale,
receive repairs, and find new life in a toy-land cityscape. Wick\u2019s puzzle design and picture composition
are as masterful as his photography. An appended note offers insight into the book\u2019s subject and
acknowledges the \u201cteam of artists\u201d who contributed to it. The handsome endpapers, depicting the toys in
soft-edged drawings washed with gentle colors, contrast nicely with the bright, crisply delineated photos.
Like other books in the Can You See What I See? series, this book offers practice in visual-discrimination
skills as well as a great deal of fun.
— Carolyn Phelan

Kirkus Reviews, June 2011:
Complex seek-and-find images provide an intriguing backdrop for the story of a tenacious toy train.

This latest collection of picture puzzles in the Can You See What I See? series provides a nostalgic glimpse into the life, death and resurrection of a wooden train. The engine huffs from creation to exploration as it races past blocks, around dolls and through miniature villages. There's a vulnerable depth as the once-cherished birthday present is discarded in the dusty attic. Rescued in a yard sale and restored to its former beauty, the vehicle races with new purpose. The text follows a repetitive format as an inviting question encourages the eagle-eyed audience to peruse each page for items strategically placed within. Without effusive description, straightforward rhymes of concealed objects add to the challenge of the hunt. A direct title oversees each expansive double-page spread, and the pace naturally builds to repeated references to the train and its tumultuous journey. Wick plays with similar colors to enhance these expressive camouflaged spreads. Digitally processed photographs capture crisp dimensions with remarkable clarity.

No puzzle here—these well-designed scenes are another success from the picture-challenge master. (Picture book. 4-8)

About the Author

Walter Wick is the photographer of the bestselling I Spy series as well as the author and photographer of the bestselling Can You See What I See? series. He lives with his wife, Linda, in Connecticut.

Product Details

• Age Range: 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Cartwheel Books (October 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0545244838
• ISBN-13: 978-0545244831
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 10.6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #50,900 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #12 in Books > Children's Books > Transportation > Trains
  • #32 in Books > Children's Books > Holidays & Celebrations > Christmas

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A story teller like no other... December 5, 2011

By E. Pierce

Format:Hardcover

My 3 yr old loves this book, and *I* love this book! There's nothing better than reading a book to my son that both of us truly enjoy.

This is our first Walter Wick book (won't be the last) and we are simply amazed at how much effort was put into the fantastic story line and how brilliant it is executed. Walter so competently lays out an implied yet clearly understood story line in such a unique manner and provides so much for the parent and child to talk about. Each page is so unbelievably rich... I'm awestruck! Every time we read this book it is a different experience... very few books I've run across can pull this off.

Check out the 'Watch a Book Trailer' on this page for a cool insight into how Walter pulls it all off.

Bravo, Walter!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Photographic I-Spy book about a little blue train - Perfect for train lovers! December 22, 2011

By Brimful Curiosities

Format:Hardcover

Like Wick's other books, Toyland Express is full of all sorts of delightful finds. Besides the Toyland Express train, readers get a chance to search for more than 250 hidden objects in this fun, photographic adventure that portrays the life of a little blue toy train. The train is created and painted in a workshop. Then it goes from store window display on to become a beloved birthday gift. Later, forgotten in the attic, it finally ends up in a yard sale and finds another loving home. The toy train storyline unites all the photographs in the book and gives the book an interesting fictional depth.

Toyland Express is the first Can You See What I See? series book my family has read though we've read many of Wick's I Spy books together. We really enjoyed watching the story of a toy train unfold in the photographs. We also learned about a new-to-us Wick character, a "bead boy" named Seymour! Seymour is a cute character that Wick hides in all the Can You See What I See? books. Perfect for train lovers and all readers that enjoy search and finds!
*Book provided by publisher for review

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Gets little minds working! December 19, 2011

By T. Snedaker

Format:Hardcover

This is a perfect Christmas book! It gets little minds working and is a fun Christmas addition. We love the I Spy series, and this book was as expected. I sit down with my 4 and 6 year old and we see who can see the items first. The pictures are beautiful and the price is right! Walter Wick has done it again.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great story, great author June 7, 2013

By Michael Miehl

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Lots of exciting things to see - every time you read it, there's new things to explore. I loved it - my wife says I like reading it to my kids simply because I like looking at all the pictures.

5.0 out of 5 stars Toys! February 25, 2013

By Lisa west

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Don't know about you guys, but as a mom who has to pick up toys all over the place, I just love looking at a book with the toys strewn all over the pages! No, it's not bad. It's fun to look at, especially the detailed scenes. Finding the specific toys on a page covered with toys may not make a person with OCD crazy after all. I'm a big fan of these books by Walter Wick and so are my kids. This makes a great Christmas gift as well.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great fun to share with Family February 19, 2013

By Holly Michigan

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

These books are beautifully done. I enjoy looking for the hidden items with my daughter. It's another fun thing for us to do together on cold, snowy nights.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great pre reading book January 30, 2013

By janc111

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

My grandbabies (2years old) love to find the specified items on each page.
It can be tricky to find (for example) 7 ice cream cones, as one may be very tiny and hidden in another object, but these toddlers catch on quickly!! Great fun both for adult and child together.

5.0 out of 5 stars Love these books January 13, 2013

By blueman

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Love all the Walter Wick books. I go thru them with grand children. How usally find things first. A geat way to spent time with them.