I Spy Christmas by Jean Marzollo (1992, Hardcover)

The thirteen hide-and-seek pictures in the book all have - as you might suspect from the title - a Christmas theme. There's Santa's workshop, assorted sugar cookies and Christmas tree ornaments, shop window displays, and an arrangement of dolls and stuffed animals that looks a lot like something from the movie, E.T. Most images are set as cheerful tableaus, but several are avant garde arrangements of knickknacks, doodads, and Christmas goodies.

The riddles are challenging, not because they're cryptic but because they have you searching all over the page to find what you're looking for. I find it helpful to work on two or three elements from the riddle at a time. If you're looking for an ice cube, a twist of lime and a carrot-nose all at the same time you're bound to run into one of the three sooner or later. Plus it cuts down on the frustrating "ooh, I just saw that ... where'd it go?" moments. Once you've exhausted the riddles - and that should take a while - it's good to find a friend and play "I spy with my little eye something that begins with...." The pages are jam-packed with everything from angels to zebras, so you'll never run out of things to spy.

There are only a couple drawbacks to the book. First, the glare from the glossy paper can make it difficult to find anything on the page if the lighting isn't right. Second, there's no answer key. It's left to your own judgment as to whether you've found what you're looking for. There are times when you'll be looking for an object, say a jingle bell on the "Holly & Ivy" page, and you'll see something that looks less unlike a jingle bell than anything else on the page, but you're left wondering if you've actually found it or not. Granted, there are those who'd start with the answer page and fake their spying prowess, but for honorable souls there's no option to solemnly swear you've tried your best and then sneak a peek at the answers. Oh well, I guess it's time to let my wife have a look.

The pictures in the I Spy books are as incredible to look at as they are to search for the hidden-in-plain-sight objects. I Spy Christmas is an excellent choice to add to your collection or to start one with. Enjoy!