Spooky Spying: I Spy Spooky Night: A Book of Picture Riddles by Jean Marzollo and Walter Wick

There's nothing better to get into the mood for All Hallows' Eve than Walter Wick's misty, murky, looming photographs of the exterior and interior of a dark and dread Gothic-style house. Pumpkins and bowling pins take their place together in unlikely pairings in Marzollo's and Wick's spooky season book of picture riddles, I Spy Spooky Night.

Marzollo's riddles are well written, and Wick's photos are a challenging matrix for the objects which are the subjects of those riddles in this popular entry in the I Spy series. These books are truly fun for the whole family, since sharp eyes and concentration are found among all ages.

For younger readers, Marzollo and Wick have a beginning-to-read version, using closeups of details from Spooky Night and simplified text, in their Scholastic Readers Level 1 version titled I Spy a Pumpkin. Using basic vocabulary, rhyming word cues, and a word list in the backmatter, this book satifies the urge to spy scary stuff while reinforcing early independent reading skills.