Are you familiar with the classic book series, Where’s Waldo?
I used to love trying to find the silly guy in the red and white shirt and matching beanie. I used to own a couple of Where’s Waldo books when I was a young adult. They were not only challenging, but also entertaining. I would like to say that I was pretty good at finding Waldo too.
Did you know that the first Where’s Waldo book was published in 1987? It was called Where’s Waldo in the United States and Canada, and Where’s Wally in the United Kingdom.
The Where’s Waldo books are from author/illustrator Martin Handford. There are several books in the series too, some where specific themes.
The latest Where’s Waldo book release is more like a game than a book (in a way). It’s called Where’s Waldo? The Great Speed Search. It’s published through Candlewick Press (CandlewickPress.com).
With the latest book, you can challenge another person to be the first to find the creative character who is skilled at hiding among people, animals and things. See who can find Waldo first.
Where’s Waldo? The Great Speed Search book lies flat, allowing you and another person to sit across from one another – each with their own page to search on. Race with another person to see who can find Waldo first on their page. You can even step it up a notch and see who can find Waldo in a specific time frame. You can also set a timer and challenge yourself to see if you can find Waldo in a certain amount of time.
Each page is just as challenging as other Where’s Waldo books.
To mix it up a bit, there are other things listed on each page that you can also look for. Let me tell you, sometimes the extra people or things you can look for are harder to find than Waldo.
I received a copy of the book to check out for myself. I had fun trying to find Waldo and some of the extras to look for. I even challenged my husband to a couple of games. My husband beat me more times than I beat him! It’s such a fun book. We had a blast competing against each other.
I knew my “work kids” would enjoy this book too. This is a great “rainy day” activity for my work kids, as well as a quiet time activity.
My “work kids” took to this book immediately. Initially they would look at it as a regular Where’s Waldo book. But after explaining to them that they could challenge each other, they were exited to challenge one another.
What I love about this book is that it’s great for a huge age range. I have five year olds in my program (up to 12 years old), and the little ones enjoyed the book as much as I do (and I’m DECADES older than them). Children of different ages can easily challenge one another as well, which is another reason why I like this book. In fact, one of my six year olds and one of my eight year olds challenged each other several times already. The two of them are hooked on this book.
This book has 24 pages. On Amazon it says it’s for grades K-4th grade, but as I mentioned earlier, this book is great for anyone – young and old alike.
Where’s Waldo? The Great Speed Search is now available where books are sold. I see it on Amazon as well as Barnes and Noble.
Are you a fan of Where’s Waldo? Feel free to comment and share your thoughts. I always love to hear from readers.
Kimberly
*I received a free copy of this book in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.
