Spot 7 Spooky

Each spread of this Halloween-themed activity book features two spooky photographs that appear identical. Eagle-eyed readers, however, will spot seven things that have changed from one photo to the other. Perfect for fans of the I Spy or Where's Waldo series, the popular Spot 7 books offer benefits the other series don t: Comparing the two photos helps develop important reading skills, such as differentiation and visual memory. With a riddle on each spread and extra things to look for throughout the book, Chronicle's latest search-and-find activity book is sure to provide hours of spooky fun.

Children's Literature

A Japanese import, this is a riddle book of paired photographs based on the theme of "spooky." The two facing photos on each double-page spread appear the same but contain seven differences for sharp, obsessive little eyes to dwell upon and pick out. Do not despair if the answers cannot be found because the back matter contains the solutions to each picture. Each spread also comes with a riddle, and these are geared at a higher age and are tougher to solve. The pictures themselves are an odd mixture of ghosts ("Under a Bad Moon" and "Ghosts on Vacation"), chess ("The Hall of Mirrors"), masks ("Eerie Masks") and brick-a-brack set pieces ("Ghostly Hands," "Inside the Witch's House"). Some of them might be a bit scary for toddlers, particularly "Food Bites Back"—refrigerator shelves filled with wickedly decaying veggies. That being the case, a certain amount of parental guidance might be required. Reviewer: Kathleen Karr