I-Spy Cars & I-Spy Classic Cars | Book review by Maggie Woods

“There will be few people brought up in
the 50s and 60s who do not remember
the popular Michelin I-Spy books — and
now they have been updated, packed
with lovely colour photographs and, as
always, make the perfect travelling
companion to keep bored youngsters
entertained...”

BACK ON THE SHELVES FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2002, Michelin I-Spy books encouraged children of all ages to appreciate and explore the world around them. With a variety of titles covering subjects as varied as cars, nature, ancient Britain and birds, this iconic book collection was created by Charles Warrell in 1948 as pocket-sized books designed to develop children's curiosity, powers of observation and sense of discovery.

Each title had a specific theme and included I-Spy Cars, I-Spy In The Country, I-Spy On The Road, I-Spy Below Your Feet. The 40-page books are illustrated with the objects I-Spyers need to spot to earn themselves points. During its heyday, Michelin I-Spy had a cult following with more than 1.5 million children becoming members of the I-Spy 'tribe', headed up by Big Chief I-Spy — Warrell himself.

Children of the 50s and 60s loved playing cowboys and Indians, so the club played on that. Once children had found all the items in the book, they sent it to Wigwam-by-the-Water (later Wigwam-by-the-Green) in London and completed books were rewarded with badges, many of which can be found for sale on internet sites today: Check out ebay.

MotorBar reviews two of the new 2010 series of books here: I-Spy Cars and I-Spy Classic Cars. Both are neat, colourful pocket-sized books that have been updated and each photograph is accompanied by the dates of production and an interesting brief description of the car or the manufacturer. There is room to add your points for each car seen, a glossary of terms and a potted history about Michelin. There is also information about how to get your I-Spy certificate and badge.

“I-Spy books are great
fun, even for today’s
youngsters who were
born into a world
dominated by computers,
games consoles
and hand-held gaming
devices...”

I-Spy Cars is divided into colour-coded pages for various types of car, including Supercars, Luxury Cars, Classic Cars, Electric Cars, and Hybrid Cars, along with a glossary of terms. Each car is given points, ranging from five points for a Kia Rio, BMW 5-Series or a Peugeot 107 through to 25 points for a Bentley or an original Beetle and 30 points for a Ferrari or a Maserati.

The fascinating I-Spy Classic Cars is divided into motoring years and begins with the bright yellow De Dion-Bouton which was in production from 1900 to 1913. Tip: you are most likely to see one on the London to Brighton Run. If you do come across this car, you will earn 40 points, the same amount you will get if you see the Amphicar that was produced from 1961 through to 1963. The ill-fated DeLorean DMC-12, in production from 1981 through to 1982 and was the star of the Back To The Future movie series, will earn you 45 points.

A Morris Minor will earn you just ten points but a Jaguar E-type will get you 25. The McLaren F1, a modern classic, will get you a whopping 50 points — as will the Bugatti Veyron. Good luck, I-Spyers. You will have great fun spotting these cars. Just the thing for keeping those youngsters occupied; they willl love these books.

One woman who remembers the collection well is Greta Jones, a pupil of Thetford Girls' Grammar in 1955. Greta and her sixth form classmates took part in a competition run by The News Chronicle newspaper (later to become The Daily Mail). Warrell was regularly writing an I-spy column in the publication and decided to issue an I-Spy Great Britain Challenge, inviting schools from around the country to produce a book showcasing the weird and wonderful things about their village, town or county.

I-Spy Classic Cars

Thetford Girls' team of eager I-Spyers dedicated a lot of time and energy to creating their entry. Greta has some fond memories from that year and recalls: "The whole class came together after our O-Level exams in July 1955 and we spent much of the summer holidays touring Norfolk and Suffolk collecting material. We were encouraged and supported by our teacher Miss Melton and friends of the school Mr and Mrs Bagshaw, whose cars enabled the more long distance projects to be accomplished."

And it is due to the overwhelming demand from fans that Michelin has published this new series. The collection comprises of twelve new titles, including I-Spy Cars, I-Spy Train Journeys, I-Spy Birds and I-Spy Creepy Crawlies.

"I think the secret of I-Spy's appeal is its timeless charm, which taps into the inquisitive and curious nature of children," says Ian Murray, Michelin head of Maps & Guides UK. "With a world dominated by computer games and television, I-Spy books give children a refreshing opportunity to take a closer look at what's going on in their everyday lives."

Each pocket sized guide contains up to 200 themed colour photographs. I-Spyers have to spot them and tick them off to score points. Having reached one thousand points, children can join the I-Spy Club and send off for a certificate from Chief I-Spy. I-Spy books are great fun and stretch the imagination, even for today's youngsters who were born into the age of technology.

• Perfect for encouraging children of all ages to get out and explore the world around them, I-Spy books retail at �2.50 and are available now, either direct from michelin online or from High Street book retailers.

"I-Spy books are great fun and stretch the imagination, even for today's youngsters who were born into the age of technology" — Maggie Woods, MotorBar

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