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Quick answer: If you loved Where's Wally?, try Where's Wally? The Fantastic Journey, Where's Wally Now?, I Spy: A Book of Picture Riddles, Can You See What I See?, Animalia and The Eleventh Hour. Each one is a busy, detailed search-and-find book that keeps kids and adults hunting for hidden details.
Martin Handford's Where's Wally?, called Where's Waldo? in North America, first appeared in 1987. Each double-page spread hides Wally, in his red-and-white striped shirt and bobble hat, among hundreds of tiny figures, along with friends such as Wenda, Wizard Whitebeard and Odlaw. Readers love the busy crowds and the jokes hidden in every corner. These books share its search fun and its detail.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Age | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where's Wally? The Fantastic Journey | Martin Handford | 5+ | readers who want harder Wally |
| Where's Wally Now? | Martin Handford | 5+ | readers who want time travel |
| I Spy: A Book of Picture Riddles | Jean Marzollo and Walter Wick | 4+ | readers who like photo searches |
| Can You See What I See? | Walter Wick | 4+ | readers who like photo puzzles |
| Animalia | Graeme Base | 5+ | readers who love detailed art |
| The Eleventh Hour | Graeme Base | 7+ | readers who want a mystery |
| Busy, Busy Town | Richard Scarry | 3+ | younger readers |
| Each Peach Pear Plum | Janet and Allan Ahlberg | 2+ | toddlers |
| Where's Spot? | Eric Hill | 1+ | toddlers |
| The Jolly Postman | Janet and Allan Ahlberg | 4+ | readers who like hidden letters |
| Masquerade | Kit Williams | 8+ | readers who like real treasure hunts |
| The Mysteries of Harris Burdick | Chris Van Allsburg | 8+ | older kids |
| Press Here | Hervé Tullet | 3+ | readers who like interactive books |
| The Snail and the Whale | Julia Donaldson | 3+ | readers who like rhymes and adventures |
| The Very Hungry Caterpillar | Eric Carle | 1+ | toddlers |
1. Where's Wally? The Fantastic Journey by Martin Handford
Wally travels through imaginative lands.
Best for: readers who want harder Wally.
2. Where's Wally Now? by Martin Handford
Wally travels through history.
Best for: readers who want time travel.
3. I Spy: A Book of Picture Riddles by Jean Marzollo and Walter Wick
Rhyming riddles hide objects in photos.
Best for: readers who like photo searches.
4. Can You See What I See? by Walter Wick
Wick creates new search puzzles.
Best for: readers who like photo puzzles.
5. Animalia by Graeme Base
An alphabet book packed with hidden objects.
Best for: readers who love detailed art.
6. The Eleventh Hour by Graeme Base
Readers solve who ate an elephant's feast.
Best for: readers who want a mystery.
7. Busy, Busy Town by Richard Scarry
Scenes full of busy animal characters.
Best for: younger readers.
8. Each Peach Pear Plum by Janet and Allan Ahlberg
A rhyming I-spy game with nursery characters.
Best for: toddlers.
9. Where's Spot? by Eric Hill
Lift the flaps to find a puppy.
Best for: toddlers.
10. The Jolly Postman by Janet and Allan Ahlberg
A postman delivers real letters to fairy-tale characters.
Best for: readers who like hidden letters.
11. Masquerade by Kit Williams
A picture book that hid clues to real treasure.
Best for: readers who like real treasure hunts.
12. The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg
Strange pictures with only a caption.
Best for: older kids.
13. Press Here by Hervé Tullet
A book that asks you to press, shake and tilt.
Best for: readers who like interactive books.
14. The Snail and the Whale by Julia Donaldson
A tiny snail hitches a ride on a whale.
Best for: readers who like rhymes and adventures.
15. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
A caterpillar eats through the week.
Best for: toddlers.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Where's Wally?: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to Where's Wally?. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most. If a pick is part of a longer series, read the first book before you commit, and check the age or content notes in the table before passing a book to a younger reader.
How to Choose
Keep going with Where's Wally? The Fantastic Journey if you want a harder search. For photo puzzles, I Spy and Can You See What I See? are perfect. Older kids who like a challenge should try The Eleventh Hour or Masquerade. Toddlers can start with Each Peach Pear Plum or Where's Spot?.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Where's Wally the same as Where's Waldo?
Yes. Wally is called Waldo in the United States and Canada.
Who created Where's Wally?
British illustrator Martin Handford.
When was Where's Wally first published?
In 1987.
Who are Wally's friends?
Wenda, Wizard Whitebeard, Woof and the villain Odlaw.
What age is Where's Wally for?
It is fun for ages about 4 and up, and many adults enjoy it too.
How many Where's Wally books are there?
There are several main books plus many activity and special editions.
Is Where's Wally good for reluctant readers?
Yes. It builds focus and attention without any pressure to read long text.
What should my child read after Where's Wally?
Try I Spy or Graeme Base's Animalia for more detailed searching.