I wrote this book not knowing what a success I SPY would be. No one knew. Here's how it happened. In the 1970's and 80's, I worked on a kindergarten magazine called "Let's Find Out" at Scholastic. One day in my mailbox I found a promotional picture by a photographer named Walter Wick. I did not know him, but I loved the photograph. It was perfect for kindergarten because it was fun to look at, it was beautiful, and it was clear. So, Carol Devine Carson, the art director of "Let's Find Out," and I met with Walter and gave him a job: to make a big poster called "Fasteners." He did a fabulous job, and we hired him to make more posters for us. Eventually, Grace Maccarone, a Cartwheel editor, and Bernette Ford, the publisher of Cartwheel Books at Scholastic, asked me if I would ask Carol and Walter if they would like to create a book. I was very excited and so were Carol and Walter. We all said yes.

We met in Bernette's office and discuss what the book would be like. I remember that, at one point, Grace mentioned the kids' game "I Spy With My Little Eye." I wrote that down and eventually used the words "I Spy" when I started writing the riddles. I am grateful that I was in a kindergarten frame of mind when I wrote them because kindergarteners need concrete objects to think about. The I Spy books do not depend on kids understanding abstractions, such as Canada. If I call for CANADA, I call for a word spelled in uppercase letters that match. Nor does I SPY also depend on kids having a knowledge base. I do not call for "the 16th president of the United States." I call for a "penny" or a "coin" or a "face." To play you need a reasonable vocabulary and visual discrimination skills.

Because I SPY works for kindergarteners, it works for age 5 and up. Walter's photographs are beautiful, clear, and sophisticated so older kids, teenagers, parents and grandparents all enjoy I SPY. Everyone likes a jelly bean hunt, and I SPY is a grand one.

I SPY: A Book of Picture Riddles was set to be published in 1992, but Scholastic became so excited about advanced copies of the book that they rushed it into bookstores in Fall 1991.

“Excellent, sharp photographic work combined with ingenuity and imagination make this well-conceived book a winner.”
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

“One of the more successful efforts in the ever-growing crop of visual game books … An appealing book for children and adults to share and enjoy together.”
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

“Clever couplets serve as clues that lead the reader on a merry visual chase through more than a dozen full-color photo montages … Beware: The artfully designed riddles are harder than they first appear.”
SEATTLE TIMES