Pop-up Appeal.

I do love a well-done pop-up book. 

For a library to purchase a pop-up, you know that you’re buying a resource that does not have longevity going for it. But what we lose in the durability category, I think we can gain in engagement factor.

Two recent additions to the Doucette Library:

Welcome to the Neighborwood by Shawn Sheehy

                As the title suggests, this takes place in a wooded ecosystem.  I would stretch this to include ponds or wetlands, too.  Seven animals are featured with a special focus on their building abilities but also include a tidbit of trivia that indicates its size compared to an everyday object (eg. a female ruby-throated hummingbird is about the size of a crayon).   The pop-ups showcase the ‘homes’ that each critter builds. For example, a land snail builds its home on its back using calcium derived from its own body adding layers as it grows to create a shell. The garden spider weaves a new web each day, eating the same web at night. Nothing is wasted. Also included are hummingbird, honeybee, potter wasp, beaver and stickleback fish.  The quality of the pop ups is fantastic and adds a 3-D element that engages.  I especially liked the honeybee’s hive which is a series of hexagonal combs. Suggested for primary grades.  Using a book like this presents an opportunity to teach young eager hands how to gently use fragile resources. 

Take a chance with this one.

And

Legendary Routes of the World: a Pop-up Book by Alexandre Verhille and Sarah Tavernier

So, how do you depict travel 3-dimensionally? It’s not easy.

This is one of those books that I really liked and enjoyed perusing but wondered what kids would make of it.  The legendary routes that are highlighted really speak to me about the ‘romantic era of travel’ when long distances meant long travel times.

So the routes are: Route du Rhum, The Silk Road, Route 66, Aeropostale, and the moon. I’ve always had a thing about the Silk Road, finding it immensely interesting because of its vastness and the whole East and West convergence. Loads of interesting history to really engage with but it is only barely scratched here. The pop-up for this route, I thought was well done and gave the reader a sense of the epic scale of the Silk Road. However, the nature of the book is so cursory with only a few details/factoids given about each of the routes that you miss out on the stories behind what makes them legendary. The pop-ups themselves are very well done and explode off the page.

I’d recommend this book for upper elementary grades but as a supplementary addition.