Where's Waldo?: Martin Handford

An oversized picture book with hoards of people milling around on each pageamidst this humanity readers must try to spot Waldo, identifiable by his clothing and hiking paraphernalia, in a game of concentration. It's difficult to find him in the middle of a crowd because he does not stick out head and shoulders above the teeming masses of pedestrians, beach-goers or vacationers. He's hiking his way across the world, and sees mermaids in canals, cows escaping from train cars, a helicopter chopping down flagpoles, a mummy's baby in a museum, a capsized desert island, a hat-eating giraffe and a glove attacking a man; he tells all in postcards, considerately short and friendly. Toward the end, Waldo has lost everything but his hat, and readers are expected to find those objects, too, in this amusing game of concentration amidst a sea of distractions. Waldo cuts through a maze of people and participates in numerous activities, but, unlike readers, seems to know where he is going. The pictures are astonishing in variety, detail and humor, and the pages are filled with so many people that readers will marvel at the artist's patience. All ages. (September)