I Spy Games

You are invited to play this week's I Spy Cats and Dogs game, which will be set up throughout Dragonwings Bookstore beginning on Saturday, June 28. The I Spy games are free, open-house-style events, which can be played anytime during Dragonwings open hours. Summer: 10 AM to 5 PM Monday through Friday and 10 AM to 4 PM Saturday.

To begin the game players pick up game cards, which list the dioramas, displays, and other settings in the store where cats and dogs are hidden and waiting to be discovered by clever I Spy contestants. At each location a riddle is posted, which lists each item that the players are trying to spy in the scene. Each riddle also includes one letter for a secret word. Once the riddles are completed and the secret word is discovered, players turn in the game cards and receive a small prize.

For I Spy Cats and Dogs the Dragonwings staff will use life-sized puppets, photos, and toys of all sizes in dioramas and displays. This is the third in a series of I Spy summer games, which are becoming more elaborate and more popular each week. Nearly 50 people played the I Spy Strawberry Hunt game on Saturday during Strawberry Fest.






Brenden Dowling (left) and his cousins Erin and Collin Dowling were visiting their grandmother in Waupaca last weekend for Strawberry Fest. Dragonwings is one of their favorite stops when they come to town, and they were enthusiastic about playing the I Spy game. Here they are searching for a strawberry and other objects in our clear-topped I Spy Table.

I Spy Treasure Hunt at Dragonwings

I Spy Treasure Hunt
Saturday May 24
Free Event - Open all day

On Saturday May 24 Dragonwings Bookstore will host an I Spy Treasure Hunt. Look for I Spy games throughout the store, some of the games will be easy to find, like the big I Spy posters, others will be more hidden. Part of the fun will be finding each game.

The I Spy games are inspired by the series of books by Jean Marzollo and Walter Wick, who create detailed dioramas and clever poems that list items to search and find. The I Spy books are family favorites, and have become so popular that there are now spin-off series such as Can You See What I See? by Walter Wick, I Spy easy readers, and rebus-style I Spy board books.

My personal favorite is Made You Look, the Klutz compendium of puzzlers. It has every kind of search-and-find game that I’ve ever seen including a haunted house of glowing ghosts, a circular scramble that you look at through a mirrored tube, a completely dark page that you illuminate with a punch-out flashlight, and many more that I’ve never seen before. It’s an incredible collection.

The I Spy dioramas at Dragonwings Bookstore will be life-sized and integrated into the store’s displays. Here's a hint: you might want to take a second look at our front window and at our woodland fairy garden.

The I Spy Treasure Hunt is a free event and will be available to play all day. Prizes of discount coupons will be awarded for completing the games and finding “gold” coins hidden in the store. We will be giving out prizes only on Saturday, but we will leave many of the games set up for the next couple of weeks. So, if your grandchildren or cousins will be visiting, you can bring them in to play.

April Event Photos

Guests at Dragonwings Corduroy Bear Event were very busy decorating activity books, making medallions, and playing games.

Some very fancy guests came to Dragonwings Fancy Nancy Tea Party in April.

May Events

Mother's Day Gift-Making Workshops
Registration: 715-256-9186 or dragonwingsbookstore@gmail.com

Friday May 2 Rainbow Art 1:00 pm Ages 6-10 Fee $7.50 This Friday is an early dismissal day for Waupaca schools, and a perfect time for an art workshop. We will be creating several projects including a Mother's Day card, using rainbow art paper, stencils and stickers. Each student will receive a rainbow art kit with tools, paper pack, and a project book.

Saturday May 10 Beading Workshop Ages 6-10 Fee $7.50 Here's your chance to make a beautiful bracelet for your Mother, and have plenty of beads left over for yourself and for more gifts. We will learn some basic bead design principles for your one of a kind jewelry. Each student will receive a bead kit in a hard plastic case with nine compartments for 150 beads in a variety of shapes and colors along with several strands of beading string.

Saturday May 24 Memorial Day Weekend
I Spy Treasure Hunt Open House
Games and prizes throughout the day - more info soon!

More Favorite Books for Spring '08

I’m Bad by Kate and Jim McMullan

$16.99 HarperCollins Ages 2-5

This T-Rex is really bad, really big and really hungry, but although he’s huge, fast and sneaky, he just can’t catch anything for dinner. He finally throws a spectacular tantrum in an explosion of color, which brings some surprising help his way. Iridescent illustrations overflowing the pages in vivid orange, yellow, purple and lime green are filled with action and humor. By the creators of I Stink and I’m Dirty, I’m Bad will be a favorite read-aloud, begged for again and again.

The Pigeon Wants a Puppy! By Mo Willems

Hyperion $14.99

Once more ultimate happiness is almost within pigeon’s grasp, if only he could have a puppy, life would be perfect. Maybe, but then again, maybe not. This is one pigeon who is not afraid to express his inner child, especially when he wants something. He’ll try everything – flattery, logic, tantrums, but is a puppy really the answer to finding happiness or even satisfaction? For ages 3 and up.

Duck Soup by Jackie Urbanovic

HarperCollins $16.99

Duck is making soup, but it still needs a little something to spice it up. While he is out in the garden choosing herbs, his friends troop into the kitchen and immediately suspect that duck has fallen into the soup kettle. Dumping the soup into a colander, they are shocked to find what might be eyeballs and webbed feet (but luckily turn out to be onions and carrots). Poor duck, his soup is ruined, but at least he hasn't become...Duck Soup. For ages 2-6.

Savvy by Ingrid Law

Dial $16.99 Ages 9-12

The boisterous, warm-hearted, Beaumont family has a major secret. Each member of the family develops a surprise savvy on the day they turn thirteen. Will Mibs get a supernatural power like her brother Fish who can cause hurricanes, or Rocket who creates electricity or Grandpa who could move mountains? It’s Mibs’ turn to be struck by her savvy, but her birthday goes all wrong when Poppa is badly hurt in an accident. Will Mibbs’ new savvy help save her father’s life or will it be another source of problems for the family? Mibbs only knows that she needs to get to her Poppa in the hospital and find out, which is why she, her siblings and the preacher’s kids stow away on a bible salesman’s broken-down, old, school bus, and ride into a world of trouble.

My Dog May Be a Genius by Jack Prelutsky

Greenwillow $18.99

Over 100 funny poems by the first ever U.S. Children’s Poet Laureate. Some of my favorites are A Letter From Camp, which recounts a series of dreadful accidents and mishaps written by a very happy camper; also My Brother Poked a Porcupine about a family’s misbegotten nature walks, and He Thought He Saw a Crocodile in which a man mistakenly sees danger lurking everywhere until one day…uh-oh, he’s right. A great family gift this is a very funny read-aloud for ages 5-12.

Adventures of Riley - Safari in South Africa, Project Panda

By Amanda Lumry and Laura Hurwitz

Scholastic $16.99 Ages 4-8

Riley can’t believe how lucky he is to be invited to join Uncle Max, a world-famous conservation biologist, and his family on their wildlife expeditions around the world. A clever mix of stunning photography and cartoon art, draws readers into each scene as Riley and his cousins explore the habitats and animals in exotic regions. Colorful sidebars from real scientists have quick facts about each species, while the storylines will keep even young children interested. A unique approach to learning about endangered animals, poaching and conservation.

The Golly-whopper Games by Jody Feldman

Greenwillow $16.99 ages 8-12

Gil Goodson beats the odds and wins a chance to enter the Golly-Whopper Games. The prizes are fantastic, but the games are tough challenges, and Gil is part of a team of kids who find it difficult to work together. Also, despite high security and hidden cameras, someone on his team is cheating and it gets worse when they have to compete against each other. Readers can try to solve the clues to each game along with the players, who are racing against the clock while suspense builds. With a surprise twist at the end, and a very satisfying conclusion, The Golly-Whopper Games is a perfect book for fans of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.