Where's Waldo?

Perhaps I had always had hope.

Perhaps it had only been washed away temporarily by the waters of time and life.

Perhaps the barbs had never struck me, the teenage yearning been a mere dream, the doubts and thwarted ambitions really echoes of other people's lives and not my own.

For in these moments I knew only that there was a town, a camp site, an airport, a safari park. That these places held the mysteries of the universe. A misbehaving vacuum cleaner. Flight controllers playing badminton. Five men blowing up a balloon.

These were not mere abstractions. These were gifts of the Magi. Peace offerings, or, less charitably, sops to Cerberus.

There were no special editions in those days. We were not yet attuned to such expectations. We weren't show more quite like the previous generations, apparently happy with a cardboard box or playing outside until nightfall. Still, though, we asked little beyond the joy of finding. The quest was the reward itself.

The hope which had long since subsided reappeared by nightfall. It was dressed in red and white strips, carrying a walking stick. (There was supposed to be a camera and a mallet as well, but they had been dropped along the way and not yet found.)

The hope remained. show less

Banned Book Week 2017. This year I'm reading a few picture books that have been challenged for their content, this one due to its depiction of sideboob in the beach scene.

Alas, the offending breast has been expunged in the edition I have actually read; the woman has been equipped with a securely fastened bikini top by the creator and/or publisher. Once again children have been protected from the scourge of rampaging mammaries.

Having counted Waldo as read, I now wonder does one truly read Waldo? I mean, there are a few words of introduction on each spread, but there is no story here. I diligently found Waldo and most of his friends hidden amongst the dozens of pantomime gags contained in each panorama, but in the end, counting it as read show more seems akin to counting a bound collection of crossword puzzles as read.

Mostly it made me want find my copy of [b:Aragones Mad Marginals|2363334|Aragones Mad Marginals|Sergio Aragonés|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1314640599s/2363334.jpg|3830324]. Now that guy knows how to do wordless humor. show less

If I was asked to choose the most popular book from my elementary school days, this picture puzzle book would win without question. We fought over this series in our school library. Everyone loved Waldo!

When I saw this soft-cover version while shopping for presents, I couldn't resist. My girls and I can enjoy the Waldo challenge without the time limits imposed by a borrowed library book. Despite the passage of many years since my elementary school days, I knew what to expect: humorous scenes crowded with details. Many people, animals, and odd additions litter the pages. Also, most of the people are involved in some kind of mischief, whether as the perpetrator or the victim, or flirtatious behaviors. Hidden amongst the plethora of show more minute illustrations is Waldo, the traveling man. Distinctive in his striped red shirt, dark glasses, and red and white hat, he is the primary treasure to find. Besides Waldo, the eagle-eyed reader is asked to find Odlaw, Wenda, Woof's tail, the Wizard Whitebeard, and the five objects they dropped. In addition, twenty five Waldo watchers are scattered throughout the pages, and one unidentified extra character repeats in every picture. At the end of the book, a checklist is given for each area with more hidden surprises. All of this equals a lot of searching.

How does the book compare to my young impressions of over two decades ago? Really well. Where's Waldo is still an entertaining picture book that challenges young and old. I had a hard time finding some of the hidden objects, and I love puzzles and have done many over the years. For the most part, the items take some patience but are fairly simple to discover, which is good, since this book is intended for children. Waldo always stands out. The other four main characters are also easy to find, and the checklists at the back ask the reader to look for objects that are hard to miss in the pictures (for the most part - there are a couple of very difficult exceptions, and a typo that will have you looking forever for something that doesn't exist, and a few puns that younger readers could have a hard time understanding). However, the Waldo watchers are a bigger challenge, because some are easy and some are not, and you never know where to look exactly. And that mystery character that the reader is supposed to find because he repeats on every page ... that is also challenging. In other words, the book can appease puzzle solvers from a range of levels.

Even without the puzzle aspect, this picture book is great for children who like details. My girls are too young to find Waldo yet - they need the easier look-and-find books - but they still enjoy reading this book with me. The illustrations offer so much to look at. Instead of asking them to find particular items, I just let them tell me what they see. The silliness of the drawings are not lost on them, either. As for myself, I also like to immerse myself in the pictures, just absorbing all of the jokes crammed on the page. The book is all about the pictures, not the story, but the pictures are great and it is an excellent puzzle book. I still love Waldo! show less

I remember long afternoons spent with my sister poring over the giant-sized pages of our Waldo books. She had the one with the red cover where Waldo is walking through a different civilization and time period on every spread. This one with the blue cover, with Waldo walking through various modern-day scenes, was mine.

This is a very fun book. There are lots of little humorous scenes spread throughout the massive illustrations... people getting their pictures taken and giving one another bunny ears, people accidentally stepping on another person's foot or dress, waiters in the act of tripping and flying through the air with the contents of their tray headed straight for a particularly snobby-looking individual. Handford knows what kids show more like. My copy is rather battleworn with the years, but its shaggy edges bear witness to the pleasure it gave my sister and I as children. Very enjoyable. show less

This book would be a great tool to use in all grades k-12. This book forces its readers to pay attention to detail and can be challenging. Students must learn how to look for key details and focus on small details. The images of the text are very intricate and show different scenes from around the world. The book is very relatable to students because Waldo is going on various trips and demonstrating independence. Students tend to like traveling and going to new places, just like Waldo, so they can appreciate his various journeys. I would utilize this text as an independent read for students because it will allow them to study the intricate details and focus on each page.

Another iconic dude with an amazing Herzog video, although the didact in me comes out and says that Waldo may be fun, but he doesn't confer as much educational wonderment as Madeline or Curious George. Nonetheless, adults will benefit from this Herzog video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvWh6PMi9Ek

ADDENDUM: I came back and gave this book an extra half star because of its weirdly compelling mythos. IF YOU KNOW WHY HE IS WALLY IN ENGLAND AND WALDO IN NORTH AMERICA, GADU-GADU ME. I've been trying to find out for half an hour.

I would recommend with this book for first and second graders as an independent read because it will allow them to experience how to use their observing skills. With this book, I would have my students write a few descriptions about where and what they found around Waldo. I could also use this book with a kindergarten and first grade class and have them answer questions about what they see. I believe this would be a great introduction to observation skills for students that is introduced in a fun and interactive way.