I Spy on the Farm
Reprising the animal-identification game played in Gibbs’ I Spy with My Little Eye (2011) and I Spy under the Sea (2012), this large, brightly illustrated picture book introduces farm animals, colors, and letters of the alphabet. The text begins, “I spy with my little eye . . . / something yellow that starts with a D.” On the left-hand page, a three-inch circle frames a yellow animal’s eye, and on a facing page, a two-and-a-half-inch hole reveals the animal’s textured side. If those hints are too subtle—and they might be—a speech balloon carries the words “quack, quack!” A turn of the page reveals a smiling animal, who says, “I’m a DUCKLING.” While the large pictures of animals show up well from a distance, the small elements seen through the holes do not. Still, the holes themselves are a playful element that will be inviting to young children singly or in small groups. Featuring tiny silhouettes of the animals and a question—“What do you spy with your little eyes?”—the final page is a satisfying conclusion. Preschool-Kindergarten, --Carolyn Phelan