Interactive books — with pages filled with illustrations that pop up, flaps to open or tabs to lift or pull — are all the rage these days. Here's a look at some interactive books that would make great holiday gifts for kids:
It can be a tricky proposition to read interactive books with very young readers, who want to yank tabs instead of pull them or grab at fragile pop-up pages. Fortunately, some publishers are making sturdier interactive books for little ones. A fine example is "Gossie Plays Hide and Seek" (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $13.99, ages 2-4). Based on the popular "Gossie" books written and illustrated by Olivier Dunrea, this chunky book has it all: thick tabs that kids can pull, flaps to open, unusual surfaces to feel and even a flower scent to sniff. The book concludes with a simple game.
Maisy, the beloved mouse character created by author/artist Lucy Cousins, turned 20 this year. So she's celebrating with a new interactive book, "Maisy's Show" ($15.99, Candlewick Press, ages 2-4). Young readers can pull tabs to make Maisy tap-dance and help Cyril the magician disappear, among other feats. Cousins' blocky, brilliantly colored artwork is just right for little ones, who will delight in Maisy's latest exploits. (Note: While this book is sturdier than most interactive books, it still requires close parental supervision to ensure that the book stays intact!)
Beautiful artwork, clever paper engineering and an engaging rhyme make "Little Penguins" (Abrams, $17.95, ages 3-5) a winner for preschool readers. Written by Jean-Luc Fromental and illustrated by Joelle Jolivet, "Little Penguins" requires kids to count backward from 10 as they pull open each pop-up page and watch the penguins disappear — one by one — before getting to the surprise ending. The paper engineering by Bernard Duisit has a big "wow!" factor, as he includes pull-tabs on the pop-up illustrations.
"Wild Alphabet" (Kingfisher, $19.99, ages 4 up) may be an ABC book. But that doesn't mean it's for the youngest readers. Written and illustrated by Mike Haines and Julia Frohlich, this pop-up is a lovely book for readers old enough to be careful with it, and it's also a fun stocking stuffer for grown-up animal lovers. Each two-page spread features a photograph of an animal (for example, "Q" is for "Quetzal"), plus a brief description on one page. On the opposite page, there's a large version of the alphabet letter with an additional paper-engineered flourish. (For example, as readers fully open the "Q" two-page spread, they help reveal the quetzal's tail to make the "Q" complete.)
Robert Sabuda is known as the "Prince of Pop-ups," and his latest offering — "Beauty and the Beast" (Little Simon, $29.99, ages 5 up) — shows why. The word "stunning" may be overused, but it is perhaps the only — and best — description for this book. Open the pages and you'll find not only the series of "classic" pop-ups that take up much of each two-page spread, but tiny, charming pop-ups along the sides of the pages. On the first two-page spread, for example, readers can open a panel on the left-hand page that has small pop-ups along with the text; then, on the right-hand page, there are three exquisite pop-ups offering amazing kaleidoscope views into the castle. This also would make a great gift for the adult fairy-tale lover in your life.
Superhero fans of all ages will delight in Matthew Reinhart's newest pop-up book, "DC Super Heroes: The Ultimate Pop-Up Book" (Little Brown, $29.99, ages 5 up). Like Sabuda, Reinhart is one of the major pop-up creators today, and in "DC Super Heroes," he's outdone himself. The book is packed with more than 25 pop-ups of such popular figures as Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. And in a new twist, batteries installed at the back of the book power a light-up Bat-Signal and other parts of the book.
Kids can learn the mechanics of pop-up books and create their own pop-up pages with "Pop-Up" (Candlewick Press, $19.99, ages 7 up). In this book, created by author/paper engineer Ruth Wickings and illustrator Frances Castle, kids learn pop-up basics in "mini-master classes," and then get to create four different pop-up pictures. It's a great combination of learning and hands-on fun for both kids and adults interested in paper engineering.
Combine giant color pop-up photographs of animals in motion with easy-to-read facts about them and you've got "Animal Pop!" (National Geographic, $14.95, ages 4-8). If you've got a young animal lover in your house, this book offers both entertaining and educational fun, and, of course, the photos are spectacular.
Authors/illustrators Lucio and Meera Santoro bring kids a 3-D look at the world beneath the sea in "Wild Oceans" (Little Simon/Simon & Schuster, $27.99, ages 5 up). Kids will particularly enjoy the way that some of the pop-ups "swing" on the pages, a technique that really helps the illustrations come further to life.
If you've got a young vehicle fan in your house, then check out "Robert Crowther's Amazing Pop-up Big Machines" (Candlewick Press, $17.99, ages 4 up). All of the preschooler's favorite machines, from the bulldozer to the tractor to the dump truck, are here in pop-up fashion. Kids also can add to some of the machines with the paper pieces included with the book.
Karen MacPherson is the children's/teen librarian at the Takoma Park, Md., Library.