| I Spy | |
| Author: | Jean Marzollo |
| Illustrator: | Walter Wick |
| Publisher: | Scholastic Press |
I Spy is a children's book series with text written by Jean Marzollo, and photographs by Walter Wick, which was published by Scholastic Press. Each page contains a photo with objects in it, and the riddles (written in dactylic tetrameter rhyme[1]) accompanying the photo state which objects have to be found.
Although the first I Spy book contains unrelated pages of still life pictures, subsequent books are more thematic.[2]
Several video games based on the I Spy books are available for Windows PC, Nintendo DS, Wii, iOS, Leapster, and Game Boy Advance, including I Spy Spooky Mansion, I Spy Treasure Hunt, and I Spy Fantasy. These served as early examples of an increasingly popular hidden object game genre.
I Spy merchandise has been sold in at least 31 countries worldwide.[3]
Wick stated in a 1997 news article, "My career can really be put into two categories: before I Spy and after I Spy. ... The success of the books has been really nice. I never got that lucky break in my commercial career, but all of that hard work ... was usable for I Spy."
Jean Marzollo was the award-winning author of over 100 books, including Help Me Learn Numbers 0-20, Help Me Learn Addition, Help Me Learn Subtraction, Pierre the Penguin, Soccer Sam, Happy Birthday Martin Luther King, The Little Plant Doctor, In 1776, Mama Mama/Papa Papa, and I Am Water, as well as books for parents and teachers such as The New Kindergarten.
Walter Wick is the author and photographer of the best-selling series Can You See What I See?.
Carol Carson Devine, the book designer for the first I Spy books, is art director at Alfred A. Knopf Publishers. She has designed covers for books by John Updike, Joan Didion, Alice Munro, Bill Clinton and Pope John Paul II.
Multiple sub-series of the I SPY books have been released.[4]
| Book Title | Release Date |
|---|---|
| I SPY | Spring 1992 |
| I SPY Christmas | Fall 1992 |
| I SPY Fun House | Spring 1993 |
| I SPY Mystery | Fall 1993 |
| I SPY Fantasy | Fall 1994 |
| I SPY School Days | Fall 1995 |
| I SPY Spooky Night | Fall 1997 |
| I SPY Super Challenger! | Fall 1997 |
| I SPY Gold Challenger! | Fall 1998 |
| I SPY Treasure Hunt | Fall 1999 |
| I SPY Extreme Challenger! | Fall 2000 |
| I SPY Year-Round Challenger! | Fall 2001 |
| I SPY Ultimate Challenger | Spring 2003 |
| I SPY A To Z | Fall 2009 |
| I SPY Spectacular | Spring 2011 |
| Book Title | Release Date |
|---|---|
| I Spy Funny Teeth | Spring 2003 |
| I Spy A Dinosaur's Eye | Spring 2003 |
| I Spy A School Bus | Fall 2003 |
| I Spy A Candy Cane | Fall 2004 |
| I Spy Lightning in the Sky | Spring 2005 |
| I Spy A Scary Monster | Spring 2005 |
| I Spy A Penguin | Fall 2005 |
| I SPY Santa Claus | Fall 2005 |
| I SPY A Pumpkin | Spring 2006 |
| I SPY A Balloon | Spring 2006 |
| I SPY A Butterfly | Spring 2007 |
| I SPY Merry Christmas | Fall 2007 |
| I SPY I Love You | Fall 2009 |
| I SPY A Skeleton | Fall 2010 |
| I SPY An Egg In A Nest | Spring 2011 |
| I SPY An Apple | Fall 2011 |
| I SPY Thanksgiving | Fall 2011 |
| I SPY School | Fall 2012 |
| Book Title | Release Date |
|---|---|
| I SPY Little Book | Fall 1997 |
| I SPY Little Animals | Spring 1998 |
| I SPY Little Wheels | Fall 1998 |
| I SPY Little Numbers | Spring 1999 |
| I SPY Little Christmas | Fall 1999 |
| I SPY Little Letters | Spring 2000 |
| I SPY Little Bunnies | Spring 2001 |
| I SPY Little Hearts | Spring 2009 |
| I SPY Little Toys | Fall 2011 |
| Book Title | Release Date |
|---|---|
| I SPY A Funny Frog | Spring 2012 |
| I SPY Animals | Spring 2012 |
| I SPY Letters | Spring 2012 |
| I SPY Numbers | Spring 2012 |
| Book Title | Release Date |
|---|---|
| I SPY Phonics Fun | Fall 2007 |
| I SPY Sticker Book | Spring 2012 |