Spot the Plot: A Riddle Book of Book Riddles

Bibliography:
Lewis, J.Patrick. 2009. Spot the Plot: A Riddle Book of Riddles. Ill. By Lynn Munsinger. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books. ISBN: 0811846687.

Plot Summary:
In Spot the Plot, Lewis uses poetry to create riddles about the plots of popular children’s books. Each poem is written about the story line to a specific book; this is done so that the reader is able to put the clues together to guess what book the author is describing. Characters drawn in the book take the form of detectives, who find themselves in the middle of the action of the book they are investigating. From Charlotte’s Web to Where’s Waldo?, some favorite children’s stories are broken down into a interesting game of “What’s That Book?”. The end of the picture book gives a run-down of the correct answers to the riddles.

Critical Analysis:
This book has an interesting concept, in that the poems are created in such a way to give clues to what book the author has in mind. Using poems in this way can give children the idea that poems can be about something specific, while still being abstract and not giving everything away at once. It brings to light how important the use of language within the poem is and of how the use of imagery in poems can paint a picture in a person’s mind. The concept of language and imagery is one of the most important in poetry, something well covered by this work.

The author uses fun rhyming schemes and different types of poems to keep the reader interested and focused. Lewis makes a game of trying to find out what book the poem is about, thereby engaging critical thinking skills by the reader. Illustrations complement each of the poems, giving small clues by providing drawn details of the book in question. In using drawings as reinforcement, a young reader can find picture evidence to back up their theories of what book they think is the answer. Drawings can also assist readers who are lacking in context clue development.

Awards and Reviews:
"There are clues in the text usually emphasized with bold colored letters and pictures that contain a myriad of clues." - Marilyn Courtot, Children's Literature

"The poems are presented in different layouts and are of different lengths, preventing a formulaic feel...this book is perfect for an interactive read-aloud, especially if the illustrations are held back until after the text has been read." - Stacey Dillon, School Library Journal

Connections:
*The obvious way to have an audience connect with this book is to have them guess which book they think each riddle concerns! Each poem can stand by itself, so break up Spot into sections and cover one plot a day. It will give the kids something new to look forward to each day! At the end of the book, assign a project where the kids write their own riddle about a favorite book of their own and draw an accompanying picture.
*Pair each riddle with the work that it is based on: read the riddle and let the kids have a fun time guessing which book the riddle is about. After guessing, read aloud the actual book, then have the kids point out the elements about the riddle that match the book’s plot.
*Using the illustrations, have the kids point out clues within the pictures that match the book. Make a list of things the illustrator could have included, but did not.

Book Jacket found at Chronicle Books.