I Spy ABC - by Ruth Prenting (Paperback)

About the Book

Originally published: Stuttgart: Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co. KG, [2017], under title Ich sehe was, was du nicht siehst, das verráeuckte ABC.

Book Synopsis

"Crisp design and bold colors create visual intrigue in companion title I Spy 123 as well. Families looking with their little eyes for seek-and-find activity need peer no longer."
--Kirkus

Like its companion I Spy 123, this colorful search book is hiding a cornucopia of toys, sweets, foods, wooden beads, dolls, natural items and much more, all hidden within a letter. Searching for them while learning the alphabet -- as well as colors, counting, vocabulary, memory and attention -- is a fun experience of surprise and achievement.

On each letter page are short rhyming verses setting the reader's task to find specific items and providing hints of where those might be found. The answers to the rhymes -- where is that toy horse? -- are at the back of the book. This is a great book for sharing, quiet time and bedtime, and for early childhood learning, discovery, and development.

Review Quotes

[Review of hardcover edition: ] Crisp design and bold colors create visual intrigue in companion title I Spy 1,2,3 as well. Families looking with their little eyes for seek-and-find activity need peer no longer.-- "Kirkus" (8/12/2017 12:00:00 AM)

[Review of hardcover edition: ] Learning their ABCs is the foundation for early literacy and this beautifully illustrated picture book provides a solid start by appealing to a child's curiosity. They are encouraged to search each letter of the alphabet and learn about colours and counting while developing vocabulary, memory and attention. The amazing pictures include a cornucopia of toys, food, items from nature and more, combined with cheerful rhymes that set the reader's task to find specific items based on hints. There are also hundreds of other items to discover. This is a great book for reading together or alone.--Jane Muller "City Parent" (9/1/2017 12:00:00 AM)

Make no mistake, these two visually incredible, stimulating books are not intended for little ones who are just learning the alphabet or to recognise numerals/numbers and to count. It's the 'I Spy' part of the title that is key, for what the letters and numerals are doing is to act as templates onto which themed items are arranged and to which the text directs users to look for various objects relating to that theme... There's a wealth of learning opportunities between the covers of both the ABC and 123 and each offers countless hours of fun too. And just in case you're stuck on any of the searches, the final pages provide solutions. Great for both home and school use.--Jill Bennett "Red Reading Hub" (11/7/2020 12:00:00 AM)

About the Author

Manuela Ancutici is a graphic designer with a special talent for detail. To make this book and its companion I Spy 123, she searched flea markets, took apart old typewriters, bought pounds of candy, and managed to acquire an impossible variety of items to build up the letters and numbers.

Ruth Prenting has worked as an editor in a children's book publishing house for many years and is a creative writing lecturer.