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You Need to Read: Where's Waldo?

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Hi, Waldo. Glad I found ya. Let's get this out of the way: You're a famously sneaky guy. You are the undisputed king of camouflage. But I'm curious... Have you ever been the one seeking instead of hiding? Check out these search-and-find picture books to give it a shot!

By Martin Handford
Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2024. Picture Book.

Surprise! This first picture book features YOU! Images from the original Where's Waldo? books (cropped, changed a little to open up exciting new picture puzzles) are laid out in an original, competitive format - the book itself opens flat so two people can race to find Waldo first. But pay attention, the game changes with twists and turns on every page!

By Katerina Gorelik
Brooklyn, NY: Red Comet Press, 2025. Picture Book.

This seek-and-find book has an intriguing narrative component to it. Charley Mouse loves to clean and organize the homes of her neighbors. Detailed cross-sections balance cozy interiors, and macabre visual jokes (carnivores have to eat, after all). Challenges on each page ask you to help find the lost items hiding in the creatures' habitats. It's funny, dark, and delightful.

A Year in the Castle
By Nikola Kucharska
Translated by Anna Wladyka-Leittretter
Munich: Prestel, 2024. Picture Book.

Within a calendar year in this castle, there are multiple storylines to follow and dozens of detailed scenarios to pour over. Each two-page spread in this book represents a month in the year. You can observe the passage of time, the changing of the seasons, and the conflicts, relationships, and goals of the tiny little residents of this fortress. A Year in the Castle is a seek-and-find picture book with humor, process, cause and effect, and a little mystery.

By Walter Wick
New York: Cartwheel Books, an Imprint of Scholastic Inc., 2024. Picture Book.

I don't know if you know this, Waldo, but I Spy books are often closely associated with Where's Waldo? books. Both series are very unique, very interactive, very detailed, and very fun for kids. And like Martin Handford, Walter Wick is at it again! Curiosity Shop will have you treasure hunting in a cluttered antique store, combing through optical illusions and fascinating objects. It's a meticulous work of production design and a true visual feast. Go ahead! Start seeking! 
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