ALA Booklist (Thu Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 1994)

for reading aloud. As they did in three previous books, I Spy (1992), I Spy Christmas (1992), and I Spy Mystery (1993), Marzollo and Wicks offer an oversize volume featuring incredible photographic collages. Here, fantasy is the theme, so one two-page spread is an assemblage of clouds, angels, white birds, and castles against a sky of heavenly blue; another is a woodland scene with frogs fishing, bears fiddling, and cats jamming, one on the sax, another on the bass, and yet another on the drum. The text challenges readers to find objects in the pictures: I spy a mailbox, a feather, a flute, / A horseshoe, a beetle, a basket of fruit. One of the first questions readers may ask when they see the book is, How did they do that? A two-page addendum explains how Wick creates the elaborate sets for the spreads, with the final riddles written after the photos are taken. There are also suggestions for other activities, such as writing your own stories. A real imagination stretcher that can be used in a variety of ways. (Reviewed December 1, 1994)

Horn Book (Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 CST 1994)

Busy color photographs showing scenes composed of building blocks, sandcastles, candy, and toys are accompanied by bland verse listing objects the reader should hunt for within the crowded double-page spreads. Like the previous volumes in the series, the book provides entertainment but is little more than a trifle.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Were this volume the first in the I Spy series (I Spy Funhouse; I Spy Mystery) instead of the fifth, it would astonish the reader with its ingenuity. Once again, rhyming riddles direct a hunt for a series of objects in each of 13 sumptuously styled photographs, and once again Wick goes to extraordinary lengths to achieve just the right look. For example, in creating the set for a photo of an elaborate sand castle under attack by armored knights, he used two tons of sand, compressed it in a frame, then carved out the castle. In another noteworthy spread, titled ``Blast Off,'' kitchen gadgets are arranged to construct a space station complete with launch pad; eerily diffused lighting seals the otherworldly effect. Aside from one truly magical shot (of a spinning Saturn made up of plastic toys) the volume goes no further than its remarkable predecessors-then again, maybe it need not. Ages 3-8. (Oct.)

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 5-Another book of picture riddles from this creative team. Each double-page spread is a rich visual delight consisting of elaborate sets constructed around fantasy themes, e.g., City Blocks,''Sand Castles,'' Into the Woods,''Monster Workshop,'' and ``Sweet Dreams.'' The clever riddles suggest things to search for in each large, crystal-clear, full-color photograph, although there are many other objects that youngsters will spy on their own. Even more challenging are the riddles at the end of the book that can be matched to the previous photographs. This volume provides hours of fabulous fun for children to enjoy with a friend or on their own. And best of all, there are no right or wrong answers, as the possibilities are only as limited as readers' imaginations.-Pamela K. Bomboy, Chesterfield County Public Schools, VA