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A review by easyqueenie
I Spy the 50 States by Sharyn Rosart
3.0
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.
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.