Saturday, December 17, 2011

Kid Konnection: Toyland Express


Every Saturday, I host a feature called Kid Konnection -- a regular weekend feature about anything related to children's books. This week, I'm going to share a very fun (and very challenging) picture book that Booking Son and I just loved!

Summary: An amazing new search-and-find adventure from the creative mind of renowned photographer and author Walter Wick.

Amazing photographs accompany a search-and-find story by Walter Wick, the creator of award-winning picture books, the author and photographer of the New York Times–bestselling "Can You See What I See?" series, and the photographer of the bestselling "I SPY" series.

Can You See What I See? Toyland Express, the eighth title in the bestselling search-and-find series, follows the life of a toy train from the workshop to the attic, only to be rescued at a yard sale and brought to life once again in a new home. As readers search for more than 250 hidden objects, they will also notice how the train takes on various transformations along its journey. -- Scholastic

I'm sure this sounds just awful, but sometimes I am just too tired to sit down and read a picture book before tucking Booking Son into bed. And I swear if I read one more Star Wars book, I'm going to scream. Maybe that's why I enjoyed CAN YOU SEE WHAT I SEE? TOYLAND EXPRESS: PICTURE PUZZLES TO SEARCH AND SOLVE by Walter Wick so darn much. Over the course of several nights, Booking Son and I had a lot of fun racing against each other to find the various images.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the Can You See What I See series, these books are almost like puzzles. Each page features an interesting photograph with lots and lots of fine detail. Basically, Mr. Wick, who is also the creator of the I Spy books, designs and builds miniature sets and then photographs them for his books. In addition to the beautiful photographs, there are also riddles on each page which list the 250 items that you are supposed to find.

I am probably going to embarrass myself over this, but I had a heck of a time finding all of the items on each page. I don't know if I'm lacking the mental power to do this or I'm just super slow. Booking Son was better at finding them than I was, but I swear we both thought this book was challenging... in a fun way. One thing I can definitely say about TOYLAND EXPRESS is that it is a book for all ages!

If you are looking for a fun-filled activity book this holiday season that is guaranteed to keep kids (and adults) entertained for hours, then I highly recommend TOYLAND EXPRESS!

Thanks to the publisher for sending a copy of this book.

If you'd like to participate in Kid Konnection and share a post about anything related to children's books (picture, middle grade, or young adult) from the past week, please leave a comment as well as a link below with your name/blog name and the title of the book! Feel free to grab the little button too!

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6 comments:

  1. bermudaonionDecember 17, 2011 at 7:41 AM

    Interactive books like that are always great at keeping kids interested and starting conversations. This one sounds like a winner!

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  2. Laura at Library of Clean ReadsDecember 17, 2011 at 8:00 AM

    Julie, I totally understand about being too tired to read to your son. Every night I read to my son and to my daughter separately. Although my daughter is 10 she still really enjoys it when I read to her and will be more upset than my 7 year-old son if I don't. For her it's the routine, the time with me that is important and I simply can't deny her unless my eyelids are drooping...

    My son also likes books where you need to find objects and yes, he is super quick too. They see things differently somehow. I guess we get so used to scanning whereas they really look at the details.

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  3. rhapsodyinbooksDecember 17, 2011 at 8:05 AM

    I am the same way - I an never find hidden stuff in pictures!

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  4. AnonymousDecember 17, 2011 at 8:53 AM

    I LOVE the I Spy books and my son and I hunch over them until we find every last item (and he's 16!) I however did not know about the Can You See What I See series of books! I went right to my library website and they have a bunch of them. I immediately reserved 3 of them. I will definitely be looking for some of these for upcoming birthday presents. Thanks! You've made my day!

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  5. Dawn @ sheIsTooFondOfBooksDecember 17, 2011 at 9:35 AM

    We love the I SPY books, but I haven't picked up DO YOU SEE WHAT I SEE - younger son would *love* this!

    And, I'm totally with you: "If I read one more Star Wars book I'm going to scream!" :)

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  6. SerenaDecember 17, 2011 at 9:50 PM

    this sounds like a book that Anna's daughter would love. I remember doing the early I spy books with her for fun. I might have to check this out for my kiddo...get her more involved in the reading process.

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