On a Scary Scary Night (Can You See What I See? Series)

Julie Just

…once again chock-full of the kinds of details that sharp-eyed children love to spot
—The New York Times

Children's Literature - Sheilah Egan

Wick's genius at involving readers in his creations is proven once again in this collection of double-page spreads featuring a spooky village, a scary night sky scene, a scary town's aerial view, a scary street, a forbidding house on a hill, a scary castle interior, a scary cupboard, a scary shelf, and more. You get the idea that this is one "scary" book, but you know that it is one people will spend hours poring over to locate all of the items listed in the side panel rhymes. The backmatter describes how Wick shifts the observer's from the general to the very specific and that while "some objects are not what they first appear to be, most things aren't as scary as they first may seem." Having opened the book with a long shot leading up a road to a "haunted castle," Wick directs one's eyes past a village and town. As the pages are turned, the reader finds the images becoming more and more specific, all the way to a particular shelf in the castle. Of course, there are the requisite ghosts and ghoulies included in all of the miniature items that make up the intricate pictures created by this talented artist. Be sure to visit his fabulous website (www.walterwick.com) for more information about how this master of photography and digital manipulation creates his detailed images. Reviewer: Sheilah Egan