Where's Waldo Now?

 

Candlewick Press

Martin Handford

Waldo books don't ever seem to decrease in popularity. These books stand the test of time and constantly manage to find a new audience. It doesn't matter how many times we look through a Waldo book, I can't ever seem to remember where I spotted him or his cohorts. Which essentially means, every time we pick one up, it is pretty much like seeing it for the first time.

I love that Candlewick is releasing the entire six book series in affordable paperback editions. Plus they have included a handy little circle in the upper left of the cover, indicating where it falls in the series. This makes it really easy for parents to keep track of the editions they already have and those that are needed to complete a collection.

 
In addition to finding Waldo on each page, of course you must also find his four close friends hiding on each page: Odlaw (Waldo spelled backwards), Wizard Whitebeard, Wenda, and Woof. Those careless travelers have dropped five precious belongings in each scene: Waldo's key, Woof's bone, Wenda's camera, Wizard Whitebeard's scroll, and Odlaw's binoculars. I find it difficult to find Woof when all you can see is his tail, so the odds of finding Waldo's key seems like an impossible feat. 

This edition contains a dozen scenes to hunt in. Waldo has been reading history books, so this book is put together in a time line format. The first scene is the time of cavemen, then ancient Egyptians and their pyramids, games in ancient Rome, and so on. The last scene is meant to be the future, with space cars flying around glass domed shopping structures. Even after all that hunting, there is a bit more tucked in at the end. The last two pages contain a checklist for each scene of additional random things to search for, like an insolent statue, yellow teeth, and sunbathers in peril. Truly, this book could keep you (or small children) engaged for hours on end.    

Review copy provided by Candlewick Press.