Puzzle Island (Child's Play Library)

This book was really cool, one of the best puzzle books I've seen. I think itis for people way over "ages 4-8". i don't think a 4 year old could understand it at all. It had my cousin and me (she's 13, i'm 12) hopping for a whole night. No, it's definetely too complex for a "4-8 year-old". However, if you have a kid 9 or older who likes puzzles and lots of details, I think you can't go wrong wiht this book. It's a wonderful book, you just have to project it to the right audience for it to be appreciated.

I'm a teacher in a class of 7-8 years olds. Everyone in my class loves this book. They'd look at it all day if they could! When I first saw the book in my class, I went out and bought my own copy. It still keeps me engrossed for hours at a time. The illustrations are extraordinary and have to be appreciated by everyone.

This beautifully illustrated book kept my 8 year old son engrossed. The puzzles are complex and require concentration and observation, yet not too difficult for children. A great learning experience that is lots of fun

Paul S. Adshead, Puzzle Island (Discovery Toys, 1990)

I'll start off my review saying I know a little something about puzzle books, but I know nothing about the way kids respond to them. My wife and I have a Where's Waldo knockoff book we keep in the car, and my daughter gets absorbed in it every time she gets in the back seat. This has been going on for six years, and my daughter is now fourteen. So anything I say about age-appropriateness or lack of interest in repeated readings would be silly. It is entirely possible that buying one copy of this book for your pre-teen will keep them happy well beyond high school. I don't have the data on that yet.

In any case, Puzzle Island is best categorized as an art book, really. Paul Adshead does these lovely paintings in which he hides animals (camouflaged as a tree trunk, or outlined by branches, or what have you), and then tasks his readers to find four of them in each picture. At the end of the book, you put everything together and solve the final mystery. I rated it based on the idea that one time through and you're done, but who knows? The pictures themselves are lovely. ***

The book was very entertaining, but some of the clues were written in the book by the previous owner. I guess that is what I get for buying used.

Puzzle island is an extremely good book. But it is really challenging. I got the paperback book when I was 9, and just last week, I think I finally finished it. I'm going to be 14 in 6 days, so you can imagine how long it took me to figure out the secret. Actually, I'm not even sure if I got it right!! My advice to anyone that reads it is to be very patient, because no matter how old you are, you are definitely going to get frustrated. The vivid pictures are so unique and fantastic, your eyes are going to be all over it, looking for the hidden animals. Sometimes, you will look over a picture more than 10 times and still not see what's in it. But, ultimately, Puzzle Island is a magnificent book that I would recommend to all ages.

Only you, dear reader, can protect Professor Fogarty's discovery of a surviving pair of a species long thought to be extinct. You must solve the puzzles on Puzzle Island, making your way through a tantalizing web of deceptive artwork and wordplay.