"I Spy" Books Never Go Out of Style

My 6-year-old son loves I Spy books. Most nights before bed, I make a deal with him. He reads me a story (you know, to practice his reading), and I will let him "read" one or two pages of an I Spy book. He has about 12 books in his collection, ranging from I Spy Christmas: A Book of Picture Riddles to I Spy Letters. Tonight, we read I Spy School Days.

It's amazing that even after reading these books many times, he does not get tired of them. If there was an item in a picture he couldn't find before, you can bet he will try his hardest to find it now. That happened tonight. It was a picture of a bunny that he was never able to find. But tonight, he did.

The excitement and happiness on his face was priceless. This is the same enthusiasm he shows when he able to read something for the first time. Being a first-grader, he is still learning the basics of reading and trying to figure when a "c" or "g" is hard or soft or why the "e" is silent at the end of some words. But he wants to read. He loves books and will try to read them whether he understands the words or not.

This is what our kids today need. They should have a love for books that never goes out of style. If your child loves puzzles and wants to read, pick up an I Spy book at your nearest bookstore or online. Your child will love you for it, and you will love that he or she wants to read. The carousel below shows off some of more popular I Spy books available.

"The more you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you will go."

-- Dr. Seuss