I Spy (book series)

For other uses, see I Spy (disambiguation).
I Spy
AuthorJean Marzollo
IllustratorWalter Wick
PublisherScholastic 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."[2]

  1. ^ Raugust, Karen (2011). "Celebrating 20 Years of I Spy". No. 1. Publishers Weekly (Online).
  2. ^ a b Wignall, Jeff (June 1997). "The Secret Worlds of Walter Wick". Photo District News.
  3. ^ "Scholastic Media Launches New I SPY^TM^ Game on Nintendo DS^TM^". PR Newswire US. July 18, 2011.