I used to love I Spy books when I was a kid so when I was given the opportunity to review one, I got even more excited than the kids ! Even better, we were offered the I Spy in the Garden title so we actually stood a fair chance of finding quite a few of the things in it !
For those of you who don't know, the I Spy books work a bit like a scavenger hunt. They contain a whole list of things with photos and information that you have to go out and spot. Depending on how rare or difficult it is to spot, you get a higher or lower number of points. I explained all this to 9-year-old Sophie and within two minutes, she'd understood the concept and was running around my parents' garden with a pen ticking things off as she found them.
The book is arranged in categories so you can look for fruit, animals, plants, trees, garden machinery, buildings and so on. It made Sophie really look closely at the things around her so she spotted creepy crawlies, wild flowers and berries that she would never have seen before otherwise. It also helped her to learn the names of some of the trees, flowers and birds that she knew by sight without necessarily knowing their names. It's educational but it's so much fun, the kids won't even notice !
The I Spy guides have been around since 1948 but they have been updated to reflect the things you can see in today's world. There are currently 24 titles to choose from so you should have no problem finding something that appeals to your children. They've gone high tech because at the end of the book, if you've scored enough points, you can request a certificate online.
The best thing is, they only cost £2.50 and they provide literally hours of fun. Now that I know they still exist, I'll definitely be buying more of them.
star rating : 5/5
RRP : £2.50
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