reviews by Bob Walch

February 2011 — Robert Crowther’s Amazing Pop-up Big Machines (Candlewick Press, 10 pages, $17.99), by Robert Crowther

Renowned for his paper engineering, Britain’s Robert Crowther outdid himself with this latest title in his transportation series. Young readers 4 years of age and older are invited onto a construction site to try their hands at operating the big machines.

There are multiple pop-ups with some moving pieces in each section, and the young construction worker will also find pockets with additional pull-out pieces that can be used to “interact” with the equipment. For example, there are different tools and trailers to attach to the back of the green tractor.

Each machine — bulldozer, tractor, forklift, dump truck and tower crane — also comes with a “fact file” that provides key statistics; there’s also a flip-open section on each spread that provides more detailed information.

As with any pop-up book, care must be taken when enjoying this volume — but it is rather hardy and should hold up to average wear. This book does have small parts that could be a choking hazard for young children, so please use appropriate caution.

Wild Oceans (Little Simon, 12 pages, $27.99), by Lucio and Meera Santoro

This pop-up book features some revolutionary technology that gives it more “pop” than you usually find with this type of children’s book. The artwork is fantastic and the information about underwater creatures is excellent, but you must handle this book with care. Because of the super cool paper engineering, I fear this is not a volume that will stand up to harsh treatment. Although it is aimed at an audience of youngsters 6 and older — and adult collectors, of course — I would target older children. This is too nice a book to destroy because of harsh handling.

Wild Oceans takes you on a journey into the oceans of the world to visit whales, dolphins, anglerfish and more. This is an interactive book, too, so there is information hidden away in little underwater nooks and crannies.

This very unusual, special book is a lot of fun. Just give it the respect it is due, given how much ingenuity went into constructing it!

Pop-Up: Everything You Need to Know to Create Your Own Pop-Up Book (Candlewick Press, 16 pages, $19.99), by Ruth Wickings, illustrated by Frances Castle

Ever wonder how those wonderful pop-up books are created? Ruth Wickings provides the explanation in this hands-on guide and kit to creating your own pop-up book. The “components” will enable you to create a dragon, castle, jungle scenario or Frankenstein scene. You won’t need glue or scissors because all the parts are pre-scored so they press out easily and they have peel-off sticky backs. How easy is that? But a word to the wise: Once you press a piece down, it may not pull up very easily, so make sure to place it where you want it before applying pressure!

For those who want to create something a little more complex, you’ll find a handy guide to basic folds and techniques, along with a sample pop-up robot showing how these techniques may be used. Once you get the hang of angle and parallel folding and learn how to create spiral effects, you’ll be able to let your imagination be your guide for future pop-up projects.

Because of the small pieces, this book poses a choking hazard for younger children. Only older youngsters, 7 years of age and up, should be using this book. Actually, even that age group will probably need a little adult help since this book is a little more complex than the average pop-up.