Eric Hill
(Frederick Warne)
Eric Hill’s much-loved Where’s Spot? is fast approaching its 35 years and has lost none of its charm and appeal. Are there any toddlers out there who have not been delighted by this mischievous little dog’s best ever hide-and-seek hideaway and his mother’s resulting quest to find him? There are few books that can truly claim to be classics, but Where’s Spot? surely is one. In fact, despite being in a golden era as far as picturebooks are concerned, Where’s Spot continues to be recommended as a must-have.
Here is just a few examples from the children’s book guides I have found on my shelves:
It is not difficult to see where Where’s Spot? enduring success has emanated from. Its simple narrative, bold artwork, animal characters as well as the familiarity of mother-child relationship and a good old game of hide-and-seek are all features that a toddler will be drawn to. Julia Eccleshare, in her 1001 Children’s Books You Must Read before You Grow Up, lends Spot’s great success to the fact that “he is an inquisitive puppy and always on a voyage of discovery, similar to a child’s burgeoning experience of his of her surroundings”. And of course, there are those flamous flaps, bringing to life the game of hide-and-seek for the little readers and encouraging interestive play between the child, the adult and the book. Where’s Spot? is hailed as the precursor of lift-the-flap-books by many honourable sources, including Dorothy Butler in her inspiring and sadly out of print Babies Need Books. Considering how popular lift-the-flap books continue to be nowadays, Eric Hill’s idea revolutionized publishing for the very young and his legacy (as he sadly passed away earlier this year) is incredible.
Here is Eric Hill talk about Spot in this video from 2007:
But Where’s Spot? was the only the first tome of a long and successful series of books. , including Spot’s Touch and Feel Playbook, a first word book which captures many objects and concepts which are part of a toddler’s every day world. It includes flaps, touch and feel elements and a mirror, a novelty element much-loved by babies and toddlers. With its bright and attractive colours, different textures and sturdy board pages, Spot’s Touch and Feel Playbook will be a big hit with little people and a great way to encourage interactive play.
You can find lots of Spot-related activities on the Fun With Spot website:
And finally, to celebrate, you could win this wonderful bundle of Where’s Spot? goodies:
All you need to do is tell us Where Spot is on the postcard below!
However, you must do so on Twitter. So Tweet your answer to @puffinbooks , including #WheresSpot in your tweet.
Your tweet could be as such:
@puffinbooks I have spotted Spot on @librarymice and he is in [your answer] #WheresSpot
Good luck!
