Can you see what I see? Toyland express

Wick's latest seek-and-find book begins in a toymaker's workshop, where an unpainted wooden train set and many other wooden toys and parts can be seen. A rhyme challenges children to find 20 things among the hundreds of tiny objects included in the intricate spreads. The next 11 double-page spreads follow the toys' progression as they are painted, displayed in a shop, received on a birthday, left on a bedroom floor, and repurposed in scenes involving a snowy mountain, a circus, and a dollhouse. Forgotten in an attic, they reemerge at a yard sale, receive repairs, and find new life in a toyland cityscape. Wick's puzzle design and picture composition are as masterful as his photography. An appended note offers insight into the book's subject and acknowledges the team of artists who contributed to it. The handsome endpapers, depicting the toys in soft-edged drawings washed with gentle colors, contrast nicely with the bright, crisply delineated photos. Like other books in the Can You See What I See? series, this title offers practice in visual-discrimination skills as well as a great deal of fun.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2010 Booklist

Complex seek-and-find images provide an intriguing backdrop for the story of a tenacious toy train.This latest collection of picture puzzles in the Can You See What I See? series provides a nostalgic glimpse into the life, death and resurrection of a wooden train. The engine huffs from creation to exploration as it races past blocks, around dolls and through miniature villages. There's a vulnerable depth as the once-cherished birthday present is discarded in the dusty attic. Rescued in a yard sale and restored to its former beauty, the vehicle races with new purpose. The text follows a repetitive format as an inviting question encourages the eagle-eyed audience to peruse each page for items strategically placed within. Without effusive description, straightforward rhymes of concealed objects add to the challenge of the hunt. A direct title oversees each expansive double-page spread, and the pace naturally builds to repeated references to the train and its tumultuous journey. Wick plays with similar colors to enhance these expressive camouflaged spreads. Digitally processed photographs capture crisp dimensions with remarkable clarity.No puzzle herethese well-designed scenes are another success from the picture-challenge master. (Picture book. 4-8) ]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.