Very First Book of Things to Spot

by Fiona Watt

A look-and-talk book for very young children, with simple, bright illustrations and lots to see and spot on every page

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

28 pages, Board book

Published January 1, 2013

About the author

Fiona Watt is an Editorial Director and writer at Usborne Publishing. She started working at Usborne in 1989 and has written and edited hundreds of books including baby and novelty, sticker, art and craft, cookery, science and activity books.
Fiona graduated from Exeter University with a B.Ed. (Hons.), specialising in Psychology and Art and Design. After university she worked as a researcher and writer for a company which published educational material for places where children went on school visits (zoos, museums, stately homes etc). She then taught seven, eight, and nine year olds for five years; three years at a state school in Sevenoaks in Kent, and two years at The British School in the Netherlands in The Hague.

Having joined Usborne in 1989, Fiona became an editorial director in 2003, largely responsible for writing baby and novelty books, as well as art and activity titles. She has written over 100 titles for Usborne Publishing, perhaps most notably the, ‘That’s not my ….‘ touchy-feely series.

Reviews

[Beka Powers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Picture Book- Interactive
Audience: Ages 2-4

Summary: This book goes through many different settings with different animals and objects to find. The text on the pages directs the reader on what to find on each page.

a. This book is an interactive children's book because each page gives the reader specific objects to find. The variety of objects to find makes this book highly interactive, and not just a memorized response after going through it just once.

b. A visual element that stands out is how vibrant the colors are on each page. The colorful drawings keep the reader's attention and allows the special objects to stand out, yet still blend in enough to not be a giveaway. The contrasting colors on certain pages, like the penguin page, stands out because every accessory on the penguin is red, but many of the accessories are different. Each stands out and will draw attention.

c. I would read this book with a small group or individually with a child. The purpose is to distinguish and spot differences, which is done best when children have time to think instead of having the answer shouted over them.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great book for littles. Kept them entertained for a good chunk of time, lots of thinking and you could even add to the book as you read. Probably best for ages 2-5! So fun!

[Asho · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great! I bought it for a road trip last summer, when my daughter was 20 months old. It was a bit advanced for her at that point. She enjoyed looking at the pictures and it did entertain her for a while in the car, but when we would read it together she didn't fully understand the concept of finding things. Now, at 2 1/2, this is perfect entertainment for her. She can easily find all of the things the book suggests, but not so easily that she is bored. As the reader, it's also easy for me to make up other things for her to spot on the spot (ha, like what I did there?). We use this to practice counting as well since it's easy to say to her, "How many [whatevers] are there on the page?"
I think the ideal age for this book is 2, as I estimate that it's going to be too easy for her in about 6 months or so. In the meantime, it's perfect.
ETA April 2018: At this point this book has become pretty simple for my 3-year-old, but she still enjoys it!

ETA January 2021: F is 2.5 and we had read this book a few times when she was younger but now suddenly she is very interested in it. She's the perfect age for finding all of the things. I really love that this book asks you to find things in the form of questions "Who is wearing a red hat?" "Which monster is covered in spots?" "Which flower is the tallest?" rather than showing you pictures to match. It's a great way to work on listening comprehension skills! F finds this highly entertaining right now.

[Danica Midlil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice diverse collection of "things" for spotting.

[Mandy Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated seek and find book great for young children around 2-4 years old. I particularly liked how there were prompts throughout the book like "spot a cat wearing a scarf" and "find a duck driving a car" and you can make up your own questions to keep your little reader interested longer. We've had our copy for about two years and it's still in great condition after many many story times!

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute first book of things for kids to find. Not too easy or difficult. Makes kids LOOK and analyze sizes, shapes, and colours etc. My son loved it and was a book he would continually reach for. It was a fun activity for us to do together. A good way to get kids more interested in books too, if they don't show much interest.

[H · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that engages younglings to look and search for brightly colored items on a page. There are prompts for them to find things and enough details that the book can be read multiple times and each time search for something new. Good addition to a little one's library.

[Minttu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tämä kirja ansaitsee neljä tähteä, koska kuvat ovat lapsista mielenkiintoisia, selkeitä ja värikkäitä ja tekstinä on pelkästään kysymyksiä tai tehtäviä (missä/etsi/näytä/kuka) jne. Lapsi pääsee siis osallistumaan kirjan lukemiseen. Hyvä kirja dialogiseen lukemiseen. Perusmatskua puheterapiassa!

[Lisa]

Nicely adaptable to different ages.

[Rae Ann Huggins-Ledbetter · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books for toddlers/preschool age! My 3yr old loves it!

[Hiba · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute pictures. My son enjoyed it for about a week or so (when he was 2.5). There were lots of things to spot but once that was done, he wasn't interested anymore.

[Addie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute. 11 month old picked this book out and loved all the pictures, but it was a little long for her.

[Tapani Aulu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kiva tuijottelu- ja tökkäilykirja vaikkei ihan vielä konsepti avautunutkaan. Tämän voisi kyllä hommata itselle jos jostain löytyy. Voisin kuvitella että jo muutaman kuukauden päästä olisi kovaa kamaa.

[Jason]

A little baby-ish, but my boys are young enough to still get a kick out of it. Nostalgic for them, I would guess. I expect books like this will be behind us for good pretty soon. *sniff*

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

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[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good fun. Lovely read and my son really enjoys it.