Clues That Lead to a Love of Reading

This past holiday season, I became obsessed with the idea of making a scavenger hunt for my 5 ½ year-old niece. When I say that this kid loves scavenger hunts, I mean she LOVES scavenger hunts. All year round she makes my mom take turns hiding plastic eggs around her house so they can collect them and do it all over again. So, when my brother and sister-in-law told me some easy readers and phonics books would be a good gift idea for my niece this holiday season, I hatched the perfect plan. A book scavenger hunt!

Here’s the list of books I hid, along with the clues I used, and where I hid them. Feel free to use this list as reading recommendations for a 4-6-year-old in your life, or to spark inspiration to create your own scavenger hunt at home!

I kicked the hunt off by giving her a Pete the Cat Phonics Box Set. I tucked the clues inside the cover of the first page of each book after that, along with a bookmark to color. I wrapped each book as well, to protect them from the elements—you’ll see what I mean as you read on.

  1. Pete the Cat Phonics Box

    Introductory clue [read in the voice of Pete the Cat]:

    Hey there, cool cat, grab your shoes,
    We're going on a hunt for clues!
    Ten books are hiding, high and low,
    Let’s find them fast! Get ready, GO!

    Clue #1: The first book is waiting, so move your feet. It’s in the kitchen by a tasty treat!

    (hidden by a plate of cookies)

  1. Cooking with the Grinch

    Clue #2: There is water near where your next book is set, I sure hope it doesn’t get wet!

    (hidden on the bathroom sink)

  1. Kelp Leads the Way  

    Clue #3: Ponies love to run and run, look by your toys that are so fun.

    (hidden in the toy box)

 

 

 

  1. My Little Pony: Magic Runs Wild

    Clue #4: Uh-oh! A mix-up we need to fix soon, find your next book by the spoons!

    (hidden in the silverware drawer)

  1. The Big Mix-Up!

    Clue #5: Your next book is waiting, that’s the word, you’ll find it by a little bird.

    (hidden near a bird figurine)

     

     

     

     

  1. Two Birds…and a Moose

     Clue #6: Finding this will be a breeze, just make sure that you don’t freeze

    (hidden in the freezer)

 

 

  1. Frozen. Big Snowman, Little Snowman

Clue #7: Where you go to get nice and clean, that’s where your next book will be seen.

(hidden on the edge of the tub behind the shower curtain)

 

  1.  Kelp Finds a Way to Help!

    Clue #8: Your favorite color, bold and bright, look for the book where pink is in sight.

    (hidden behind a pink pillow)

  1. I Love Pink!


Clue #9: The next book, about a fox, is snuggled tight beside your socks.

(hidden in the sock drawer)

 

 

 

 

  1. Fox Has a Problem

    Clue #10: You’re doing swell, that’s for certain, your last book is hidden with Pete, behind a curtain.(hidden behind a curtain)


  1. Barbie. Let’s Build a Snowman!


   

 

 

 

 

Because I’m a little extra, I had crocheted a Pete the Cat doll to accompany her last book. By some miracle I finished stitching his eyes on just 20 minutes before arriving to the party, and was able to pull off the scavenger hunt without a hitch. 

I also read her this note that was left with Pete the Cat:

"Well done, reader, you did it right!
You found all 10 books, what a wonderful sight!
Now keep on reading, day and night,
With every page, your future's bright!
So, grab a book and start today,
Reading’s an adventure, in every way!"

Were the rhymes super corny? Yes. Did she love every minute of it? Also yes. Will I be making another scavenger hunt for her birthday in a couple months? You betcha!

After my niece found all of her books, she spread them out in front of her and started reading to her new crocheted Pete the Cat doll, which of course melted her Aunt Caitlin the librarian’s heart. <3

A couple of tips for doing your own scavenger hunt at home:

  • Plan for the hunt to take about 20-30 minutes. Even though I hid the books in fairly simple hiding spots, I was surprised at how long it took to read her the clues, search for the book, and then unwrap it to find the next clue.

  • Make an answer key! I made a cheat sheet that listed all of the book titles and their hiding places. I wrote the book’s number on each wrapped package so I knew that I was hiding them in the right places in the right order.

  • Choose books that suit your reader! My niece started Kindergarten in the fall and I know her interests pretty well. I went to the book store and just scoured the easy readers for beginner level books and chose the ones I knew she’d like. If you need help with book suggestions, ask your librarian!

  • You don’t have to rhyme and your clues don’t have to relate to the title. I fully committed to making this as cute as I could, and I must admit, my rhyming muscles were fully fatigued by the end of it.

Happy hunting!

By Caitlin Decker

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