I Spy the 50 States

In this cute children's novel, we are taken on a journey across the United States by a bald eagle. The reader is given one page full of images for each state and asked to find three things that begin with a certain letter. This is something that seemed to be an attempt at making I spy educational, but did not fully make it there. One page of images does nothing to teach a child about the state. The images are bright and colorful, but I found many that were repeated throughout. I do love the diversity in this story. There is a great representation of both men and women of different races. I was confused by the pink circles. There is a pink circle on each page but it does not seem to make sense. There is no clear pattern to take away from it. 

In the end, this is a colorful and interactive story but is meant more for entertainment than educational purposes. My seven year old enjoyed finding the various things while my two year old loved looking at the images. This is a book that can be used for many things, that can grow with your child.

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  
From the publisher --- 

Take a tour around the 50 states of the USA, from Maine to Hawaii, peeking through the holes as you go. Colourfully illustrated board book with images depicting the people, landmarks and things that make each state unique, as well as one item that it has "in common" with the state next door. Can you "spy" it is through the hole?

This is an adorable book but with the digital edition you cannot "peep through the hole" - but it did not affect how much I enjoyed the book! The illustrations are adorable and I learned something about quite a few states - we didn't have the option to take US history in Canada until Grade 13 so you can miss a lot of potential knowledge about your neighbour! 
The librarian in me wanted the states in alphabetical order, though --- otherwise, you have to flip around the book looking for each particular state...nonetheless, a great book!

M kids love reading non fiction books. So, when there is some good ones, I make them read them to me to learn! This was a good one since we travel a lot. We learned about other states as well as our own!

This is a fun little book designed to teach young kids facts about the fifty states and give them a head start when it comes to American geography. The illustrations are bright and colorful to really draw kids in as they explore all fifty states.

Cute

A fun way for kids to start learning about states and some of their facts.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy.

This is from an advance review copy for which I thank the publisher.

Fifty States in Fifty Pages! This is intended as a print book, but all I merit as an amateur reviewer is the ebook, which is fine because I love trees far more than I love print books, but it doesn't quite work as the author intended because one of the treats of the print version is a spy-hole through which you get a glimpse of the next page so you can try to guess at your next destination. These spy-holes are represented by little red circles in the ebook.

The tour begins in New England and proceeds from there and a linear and switchback fashion. On each double-page, a state is represented with many small and colorful pictures by artist Sol Linero, and the author writes a few words. I think she had the easier job! The words are a tease because you have to find three things she names, each starting with the same letter. This worked fine until we reached Vermont, the third state in the trip, where I was told to find a Sugar Shack, a snowshoe, and a sleigh. I found the first two, but there ain't no sleigh in Vermont! I had to wonder if the fishing lure was mistaken for a sleigh up in the top right corner, or if a snowboard was mistaken for one at lower left?

The rest of the pages I checked (not all of them!) I didn't see any such issue with, and maybe I'm blind that I can't see the sleigh. There are so many pictures, it might be easy to miss something. I haven't been to all fifty states, but I've visited many and lived in several, and it was nice to be reminded of some of the things I'd seen there. The book is fun, and colorful, and offers a lot of things to keep a child's interest. I commend it as a worthy read and a great distraction on a long trip!

Fun and informative, interactive resource for the age range. Cute illustrations that compliment to text.

Very visual, perfect to use in class with kids. Using the “I spy” game to analyse the images, it describes each state and what’s typical from it. Really useful.

Talk about a whirlwind tour of the 50 states!  In Sharyn Rosart's I Spy the 50 States, each state has a page of its own.  Key landmarks, plants, foods, or other distinctive (OK, many not-so-distinctive) features are shown in simple illustrations, about 15-20 per state.  Some are labelled, some are not.  Most make sense, but almost every page had one or two unlabelled illustrations that left me scratching my head.

Each page has a "I spy" challenge, with three things starting with the same letter.  I can see this as an activity book for very young nonreaders who have someone reading to them.  Adding a little interest is a hole to the next page, although in most cases it's just an eagle; there's a bald eagle on every state's page except Hawaii.

I Spy the 50 States is fun and colorful, and captures some of the highlights of each state.  But it's not terribly informative.  I would see this as level 1 of learning about the states.  Kids will want to move on to level 2 and 3 and 4 to learn more about our great nation.  (I'm not thinking of a particular book, just pointing out the very basic nature of this one.)

Gather the toddlers in your lap for an armchair cross-country tour!


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

This book is fun and one that can help keep kids occupied in the car. While you are driving through many different states, there are things that they can search for. Forget taking electronics and other items to keep kids busy. This book is full of little facts and fun snippets of information. Kids will enjoy searching for the items on their list as you travel through different areas. Fun places to stop, find and more!

I SPY THE 50 STATES is a perfect little guide to introduce kids to the whole U.S.A., through a colorful board book format with holes you peek through as you page through. Illustrates each state with the people, landmarks and qualities that make each state sing. Also includes one item in common with the adjoining state, adding a helpful connecting piece. Highly recommended! 

Pub Date 02 Aug 2018

Thanks to Quarto Publishing Group - Wide Eyed Editions and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are fully mine.

#IspyThe50states #NetGalley

I am honestly not sure who will love this book more: will it be the children or the adults who are either looking at the book with them or grab the book to look at on their own?  The illustrations are so appealing, friendly and engaging.  The two-page spread for each state captures the spirit of that state and its special attractions.  And, of course, I Spy is a fun game.  Add this one to your shelf and delight in the glories of the USA.

Very cool book! Kids will love this and it is perfect for learning about different states or taking on a road trip. The pictures and font make the book fun and enjoyable for all readers.

What a joy it was partaking the journey being led by a bald eagle across the 50 states that comprise the USA. Being neither a child or a citizen of the country I nevertheless found a surprising number of new and informative things I was not aware of.  Although  with the digital edition I was of course unable to "peep through the hole" this did not detract from my overall enjoyment. I'm sure that the I spy educational technique will appeal to the target audience and will lead the child to the next knowledge level. The images were also indicative and inclusive of the diversity of the peoples, history and culture of the state under review.

My main criticism would revolve around wanting some more facts with particularly reference to the name of the state capital and name of the official state bird and flower also the inclusion of the state flag would have been interesting to have. Overall though I believe for a young child this will be a most useful educational addition both in the home and at school.

Thanks to Quarto Publishing for a free e-galley. I enjoyed this I Spy book! The images are beautifully done and it would be a great activity book especially for adults and older kids. However, I definitely think it would be better appreciated by Americans. I also wish I learned a little more about each state from the pages — more words, maybe?

Still, great pictures and would make for great I Spy action!

'I Spy The 50 States' is such a charming book, and although it is marketed as a children's book, I reckon adults will learn new things here too, especially those who live outside of the United States. It introduces kids to each of the fifty states in turn through a wonderfully colourful board book with holes to peek through as you progress. Each state gets its own two-page spread and features images of the people, landmarks and things that make each state unique.

As it is so basic I would recommend this for very young children as those that are older may wish to read more in-depth information about America. Each page has an "I spy" challenge, with three things starting with the same letter. I feel this would an ideal book for keeping a child occupied during a car journey/road trip. It certainly has enough going on to hold their interest for a decent period of time.

Many thanks to Quarto Publishing Group - Wide Eyed Editions for an ARC. I was not required to post a review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This delicious peek-a-boo book offers parents and kids the opportunity to "I spy" several items within each state. This is very much a book to be read alongside an older person who can explain what each picture means. It's a perfect book to learn about what makes each state special.

Very interesting for me to read as I know a lot about the US but not about particular states, very informative.

This is a cute picture book about the 50 states. The colors are bold. The only drawback is if you don't know the buildings or images that are drawn it is hard to tell kids about them. I like that there is a little finding game for kids with each state.

"I Spy the 50 States" book is a handy and nice companion book to the "The 50 States" (ISBN 9781847809346) that was published in 2015. While the "The 50 States" is aimed for mature young readers, the "I Spy the 50 States" is a better choice for little kiddos. There are three "I Spy" challenges for each state- easy, fun and engaging.

The uniqueness about the book is all the illustrations are not random landmarks/food/plants/animals/culture but all pertain and are relevant to each states. Besides looking up the "I spy" items, readers can also learn a thing or two about other states while browsing through the pictures. Some illustrations are easy to recognize, some are not. Few are labeled but mostly aren't. I can imagine parents could have a challenging time to explain some illustrations when they get to the states they are not familiar with. For me, since I own the "The 50 States" myself, I find myself constantly going back to it to spot the unfamiliar objects I see in the "I Spy the 50 States." 

The book has a lot of potential and I could see it makes a perfect book for family to spend quality time together. It would also make a perfect fun intro book for readers who desire to learn more about the country. Highly recommend.

I loved this book! In fact, I have loved this series! I bought them for my 8th grade U.S. History class (they are all English Language Learners) and they loved the illustrations.

Creative idea and great perhaps for a book while traveling. It is a great way to learn some things and keep us busy too -- a fun family time activity. Creative illustrations too, which aer interesting.

This book is hard to appreciate as an ebook.  I had to use my imagination about how it would be to hold the book in my hands while reading it to a little one.  I liked that it was written as an I Spy game.  It seems that it would be a fun reading and learning experience for children.  The illustrated states looked very appealing and I know they would look even more beautiful in full color.

A fun introduction to the 50 states.  Well done and educational.
My grandchildren really enjoyed this book.

Great way to travel the United Stated. Good illistrations. Interesting facts of each state. Fun to read and learn with kids. Would recommend.

I have to say, I didn't enjoy this book as much as I usually do with books published by Quarto. I quite like the typography for the State names; I think most of them are all pretty readable and being framed nicely on the upper left corner, however, the rest... They are just too much! All pretty saturated. Really wished a white gutter could have been used. The layout is nice, but it feels really suffocating with all of the illustrations sticking with each other. In most cases, I think it did the individual illustrations a disservice by connecting them with neighboring pieces. It's a fun book, but like I said, not my usual favorite.

I Spy the 50 States is a picture book aimed at preschoolers and kindergarteners which introduces each of the 50 US states through a collection of stylized images. These images cover a wide range of items, places, and people that make up the different states from apple pies and baseballs, to famous statues, mountains, and cities. As you travel across the US from state to state, you’ll follow a bald eagle and try to spot three items in each state that begin with the same letter*.

I Spy the 50 States does a good job at introducing all the states and showing both what makes them unique and what they share in common. Each state gets an equal amount of space, so none feel more important than any others. California’s spread shows the Hollywood sign, Alcatraz, gold, and the Santa Monia Pier, while New York shows pizza and bagels, Broadway and the Statue of Liberty. Yes, there’s a lot of stereotyping going on here, but in a primer aimed at very young children that’s generally forgivable.

One thing I disliked was the way the color scheme remained the same throughout the book. It seemed to me that states like Nevada and Arizona have a very different color palette to Washington and Oregon, yet the book’s use of a single palette throughout made all the states feel oddly homogenous.

Many of the images were also so overly stylized that it was hard to tell what they were supposed to be, something that was not helped by the lack of labeling. In North Dakota, a building is shown that I guess must be significant in some way, but as I am not familiar with the area, I was left clueless about what it might be. Meanwhile, in California, a tall tree is shown that I can only assume is supposed to be a giant redwood – I have only visited California once but even I can tell you that giant redwoods look nothing like that.

I Spy the 50 States is a fun book for parents to share with very young children, but it may frustrate those with slightly older kids beginning to ask questions.

*In my advance copy, several items listed to search for were missing from the images – a problem repeatedly noted across several other published reviews. I have been assured by the publisher that this problem has been corrected prior to printing.

Bright and colorful look at the 50 States in the U.S. There is a hole to peek through on each page to spy the next State. The simple graphics are beautiful but provide limited information and I think a few words explaining the images would be helpful. Might be a good book for a cross country road trip with kids.

Thank you NetGalley & Quarto Publishing Group - Wide Eyed Editions for an advanced copy of this book.