Meet the Minds Behind I Spy Love

In 1992, illustrator Walter Wick and author Jean Marzollo created I Spy, a captivating series of seek-and-find books whose blend of pictures and riddles has delighted families for over thirty years. Since its debut, 52 I Spy books have been released and more than seventy-five million copies are in print. The most recent book in the series, I Spy Love, was released in November last year.

After Jean passed away in 2018, her sons, Dan and Dave, took over writing the riddles featured in the I Spy books. I Spy Love marks their first I Spy title, and their first time working with Walter.

Kid Reporter Grant Killewald (top right) interviews Walter Wick (top left), Dan Marzollo (bottom right), and Dave Morzollo (bottom left) about the latest installment in the I Spy series.

I recently had the opportunity to speak with the creators about the latest release and the success of the series. Here are some highlights from our conversation, which has been edited for length and clarity:

What did your creative journey look like when photographing I Spy Love?

Walter Wick: The creative journey is the same for all of my books. I Spy Love has eleven photos from past books and one brand new photo, which is also the cover. Making I Spy Love really brought me back to the time I made the first I Spy book.

Can you describe the process of photographing the detailed scenes in the I Spy books?

Walter Wick: Typically, I build scenes with the potential of putting smaller objects inside of it. For example, you could have kindergarten blocks and set it up with short blocks in the front, medium sized blocks behind that, and large blocks in the back.

Why do you think these books have been so successful over the years? What makes these books resonate with kids?

Dave Marzollo: You might not know this, but the first I Spy book was created by our mother, Jean Marzollo, along with Walter Wick. Dan and I were able to see the first copy of the I Spy book and were the first testers of the book.

Dan Marzollo: I think that each page Walter has created is so unique, that you can keep coming back to it time and time again as kids or adults. The I Spy books are different than books that a kid can pick up, enjoy, but each time they pick it up, it’s the same words, I Spy gives you something to look forward to every time you pick it up.

One of the love-themed spreads from I Spy Love. 

What is your message for the future generations who are interested in creating art?

Dan Marzollo: I’d say go for it. Whatever your artistic passion is, follow it and see where it takes you, whether it’s writing, or drawing, or singing.

Walter Wick: Do the first thing you want to do. If you don’t put one foot in front of another, you won’t get anywhere. You could even start with trying to make a picture and end up becoming a songwriter, that’s the nature of art, you can start with one thing that you do, but as you go along you can find new ideas to work with.