THINGS THAT GO

A topsy-turvy tumble of brightly colored iconic images on a clean white background is accompanied by the invitation, “What can you spot? What do you see?”

Double-page spreads show vehicles found in a town, flying, on water, at a racetrack, and in space, as well as construction, emergency, and farm equipment. This is not a book for beginners. The 30-35 vehicles in each grouping are displayed upside down, sideways, or at angles, adding challenge to the game. Outlines of most vehicles included on each spread are shown in a band of color along the bottom of the page as a sort of visual glossary. On some pages, this band of color is dark enough to make the text difficult to read. Extraneous figures to fill in white space (oars and anchors on the watercraft spread) and the inclusion of some vehicles not hinted at on the bottom (a train on the town page) further clutter the pages and increase the complexity of the task. Finding the tiny hidden lion on each page will be beyond the ability of many toddlers and will test the patience of older siblings and parents. In the companion title, In the Wild, finding the toucan is even more difficult.

Consider these sturdy board books training titles for Walter Wick's more densely packed I Spy titles.