"I spy" books for two year-old

[gigoteuse]

We will be flying to Italy in a few weeks (from Toronto) and I am looking for things to keep my 2 year-old entertained, especially that today a friend told me that Alitalia wouldn't let them use their portable DVD player for their 1 year-old twins last year. I was thinking of getting the "I spy" books and I looked at a board one (I spy little book) with my daughter this afternoon and she could find the things within seconds... Is there another series of similar books we could try? The salesperson showed me big "I spy" books and the pictures looked very full and for older kids.

Thanks

[fauve01]

i just got a set of scholastic books that are I Spy style, "things to Spot____________". we got by the sea, on the farm, and one i can't remmeber. these are published by Usborne.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/104-4275339-1135107?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=usborne+1001+things+to+spot

another set i got recently is similiar but for older kids, also published by Usborne, "the Great ______________ Search." we got Animal Search. at the allergist office we read the great undersea search.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/104-4275339-1135107?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=usborne+the+great+search&Go.x=8&Go.y=11

these books are good for kids not yet reading because the list of stuff to find is pictures and words (not just words like some search and find books). these are all paper pages books.

edited to add: i thought of some board book style loook and find books. dd has "Elmo and Friends" and "Princess Magic." she loves them and still reads them to herself at bedtime when she's reading to herself. they are LARGE board book page books.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/104-4275339-1135107?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=first+look+and+find

hth~
anne

[egoldber]

I would just get regular I Spy books. I think she will surprise you with how quickly she can find things. My older DD has been enjoying the regular I Spy since she was about 3.

[o_mom]

We have some of these style:

http://www.amazon.com/Spy-School-Bus-Scholastic-Readers/dp/0439524733/ref=pd_bbs_sr_11/103-1810292-0676615?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1180631542&sr=8-11

There are about 5 things on each page to find and it has a picture of what to find - like the board books. They are about $4 each at Target and there are a dozen or so different ones. They are kind of in between the board books and the big ones. We have some of the big ones, too and DS1 loves them as well, but sometimes there are things he doesn't know when I say the word what to look for.

[new_mommy25]

I was at Barnes & Noble yesterday and they had some I Spy type books geared for younger children. I was looking at the Thomas version, but I know they had others as well.

My DS also loves Highlights hidden pictures.

[egoldber]

When she was younger I would just look for things I knew she knew and just ignore the words. :)

[californiagirl]

My favorite I Spy style books are Australian and awfully hard, but DD loves the pictures anyway: http://www.bookcloseouts.com/default.asp?R=9781877003295B
ETA: I just saw one of these in a local bookstore, but Inspector Stilton has become Inspector Rockfort in the US. Weird. These are still good fun, although DD just admires the pictures while the grownups try to find things.

We have one of the Scholastic early reader ones, but it's too easy for DD. Dover makes a bunch of hidden pictures books: http://store.doverpublications.com/0486272613.html

[bluestar2]

DC are obsessed with the Walter Wick I Spy books and I think we have seen all of them! I would recommend going with the regular I Spy books and if they are too hard, just pick something easier out and tell her to look for that. I've noticed that after a time or two, DC remembers where they are and it is easier for them to spot. They still have to think about it some, so it is still a challenge. The books featuring Seymour (I think they are called "Can You See What I See?") are good too. They are easier and the bonus is that it tells your DD what to look for in picture form. (ETA: I just took a look at our "Can You See What I See" book and noticed it doesn't have it in picture form but I know some that we have checked out from the library did...)

[gigoteuse]

Thanks everyone for the great suggestions. This afternoon I bought "Can you see what I see? Animals" to see if my daughter likes the idea of looking for something in a book. The smile on her face when she finds it is worth the money I just spent ordering a bunch more!