11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My Favourite in the I Spy series, September 18, 2002
I have been a fan of Walter Wick's photographs and Jean Marzollo's rhymes since I was nine years old and my school friends and I huddled over the mat at school trying to find all the hidden items in the pages. Now that I'm eighteen I still love these books, not so much for the riddles but for the amazing and merticulous photographs, some of which just *beg* to have a story written about them (such as 'The Ghost in the Attic' photograph on pages 14-15). Each photograph has some sort of an enigma or mystery involved in it, whether it be messages written in the letters on building blocks, lost puzzle pieces or clues to a secret birthday party.
A complaint was made that 'I Spy Mystery' has no story to it. This is because this book was one of Wick/Marzollo's earlier editions, and it is only with their latest books - 'I Spy Spooky House' and 'I Spy Treasure Hunt' that they add a plot thread. But there is a theme in the other books, and this one is obviously 'mystery'. Each photograph is intriguing, and each riddle has a specific object to find that harks back to many old mystery and adventure books that you may have read as a child, whether it be 'the missing key to the chest', 'proof that the cat knocked over the can', 'the stolen diamond ring' or 'the pirate's X'. These types of clues add an extra dimension to the pictures and children will be more drawn into the hunt for the objects in the pictures, and as I mentioned before there is no end to the inspiration the photographs create - these are the perfect books to use to kindle a child's imagination.
It isn't just the riddles at the bottom of each page that will keep you occupied, there are more mysteries to be found at the back of the book: riddles that have to be matched to the photos, a charm bracelet that had its charms scattered throughout the pages, a cat that can be found in every page and a heart shaped box that's lost all its contents - these too are concealed throughout the book.
All in all, this is one of the better 'I Spy' books - in particular the photographs 'The Birthday Hunt', 'The Golden Cage', 'The Ghost in the Attic' 'The Secret Note' and 'Chain Reaction' are particularly well made.
P.S. (spoiler) To the reviewer who had trouble finding the 'dolphin' in the photograph 'The Naughty Kittens', it can be found on page 24 in the large tree. Look closely at the green on the right-hand side and you can see that it frames the blue shape of a dolphin against the blue background.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing Photography, April 9, 2001
This is a wonderful series, my family has each book and we get so much enjoyment. The I spy Mystery I really feel has some great creative photography. I thought some of the pictures may be scary for the young but that wasn't so. They seem to be amazed with the photo that is like peeking though a keyhole and especially the pages with all the marbles. The extra credit questions in the back of this one are really a lot of fun. You can't go wrong with this book and is great for all ages!
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mesmerizing and great fun for all ages, November 9, 1998
By A Customer
This entire series of "I Spy" books is fabulous. We've had so much fun with our grandchildren looking for the hidden objects in each picture. We especially like the Extra Credit page in the back. What a fun way to improve our powers of observation! We own all of the current titles, so we're anxious to see new ones in the future. Keep them coming!
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