My preschooler’s favorite in-the-car game is “I spy” which usually ends up being “something green” (grass and trees). Needless to say, then, when I spied I Spy with My Little Eye by Edward Gibbs (Templar, 2011) on the new books shelf at the library, I had to check it out. Using bright colors and a perfect eye-sized die cut circle to the next page, Gibbs gives us animals that are different colors. For example, “I spy… something blue” reveals a small circle of a blue whale’s back, and the next page shows the entire whale.
To add to the fun and help the kids learn about the animals, Gibbs also has a “clue” on the “I spy” page to help the child learn some fact about the colorful animal that is on the next page. My son loved the game, and we reread the book many times, despite the fact that we of course knew already what the animals would be. The last page gives a die-cut circle through the back cover, asking what we, the readers, spy. My son loved looking around the room for something new to spy, and it made the end of the game different every time. As an adult, I loved the illustrations, my favorite one being the majestic lion.
These are all great books. As a future educator myself, I always love learning about new books to use in the classroom.
Celawerd » I love picture books! One of the highlights of being a stay-at-home mom is regular storytime 🙂
I recently started giving the Baby Storytime at my library and have been learning a lot about titles that appeal to children under 18 months old. One of the favorites so far with the parents and kids was Moo Baa La La La by Sandra Boynton. We also really liked Baby Cakes by Karma Wilson. I’ll look out for I Spy With My Little Eye – I ordered it for my library system and still haven’t seen it!
Anbolyn » My son is almost 4 and we just checked out Moo Baa La La La! So not just for the babies, we love Boynton.