Customer Reviews

ABC3D

5 star:		(59)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

ISBN 1596434252 - When I first looked at this book, it was marked with a "Reading Level" of 9-12. It is now marked "Baby-Preschool". I think both are wrong, for different reasons and think the right age group is more like 3-100.

Yes, there really are just 26 letters in the entire book (discounting the copyright page in back). And, yes, you can see the entire book - every last letter - in the video on the Amazon listing. But even that, a full preview, hardly does the book justice. Until you've held it in your hands and opened each page a few times, you'll never really "get it".

While there are a million pop-up books out there, I've never seen any other quite like this one. Each letter comes into view in a unique way, so that you can never really be prepared for what's on the next page.

Whether you're buying it as a gift or not, the protective sheets that are inside should be removed and the pages carefully opened, to loosen them a little, before you sit down to enjoy it or box it up to wrap; some of the "pop" in the pop-ups is a little tight at first. Very young children will probably do a bit of damage to the book, so I'd keep it away from them when they're alone. Older children and adults will find the mechanics of some of the pop-ups fascinating, turning even grown men into ooo-ing and aah-ing kids. Learning, teaching, and reading the alphabet has never, ever, been this attractive before!

- AnnaLovesBooks

My husband opened up this book and immediately became protective of it! He wanted to keep it just for himself. Our 3 and 5 year old daughters couldn't wait to see it. But, this is really a book for ages 6 and up. ABC3D is not a child's ABC book by any means. It needs to be handled delicately and some of the letters are not easy to see for a child under 5. My children couldn't discern the u, j, and i. For me (as an adult), the U was really eye catching. It is a book of art that would best be enjoyed by adults and older children for the simplicity of its designs.

This book shows you that thinking outside the "box" can truly be illustrated so inventively here that not only will any age enjoy it,
but it makes you reflect. This small book is a great coffee table book, great for a small group show n tell and great just to
relax with from time to time. What I enjoyed about the book is that seeing the transformation of the letters in various formats makes one think about life's options. When you look at something, letters or anything else , how many different ways can it be reinvented- repurposed, effectively and creatively. I enjoyed how the letters are morphed so that they have a fluidity and a beauty to them. I think this book is great for the elementary teacher who is teaching penmanship to add a little whimsy to learning. Great for the art teacher or fashion instructor whose trying to get the students to look at other creative options. If your are creative I think it could even be used as the back drop for a good bed time story for parents to use with kids to show them creativity as well. If your not into being creative visually, the book definitely will show you that if you put your mind to it, you've got so many more options than the old standards. Look around in your world and see it differently.

The book is unique in a sense that I have never seen a pop-up book like that. It is visually a remarkable piece of innovation. Pop-up itself is not new, it is just that this is really well thought out book. What I mean is that the 3D image of Alphabet letters stick to your mind. So that the kids (targeted ages 4 through 8) can visually and spatially (in 3-D) learn the alphabet letters -- stimulating brain activity. In sum:
1. The book is about the Alphabet letters (no words, just letters) -- covering "A" to "Z" in a pop-up presentation. The unique feature is that Alphabet letters pop up in 3-D and it is artistic.
2. My kids (ages 3 & 5) love the book. They pull the pages to see the transformation the letters are making. It is quite well done. You could tell that kids find it interesting. They try to figure out how and why the letters pop up!!!
3. Pages are sturdy, but they are not stitched, but glued. It will fall apart in time.
4. The cover has holographic letters, so when you shift the book, the letters change.
5. The book is indeed for ages 4-8. My daughter who is 3 years old, almost ruined the letter "G" -- meaning she did something, and the book wouldn't close. But it is fixable. My son (5 years old) on the other hand, carefully uses the book.

All in all, it is a fine book. Your kids would like it, but most of all, learn the letters in a stimulating way.

Pop-up books don't work that well for children. It is a rare child who can be trusted alone with one, and they all want to use them by themselves -- who wouldn't? There is no coolness like the coolness of a pop-up book. For someone who writes, they can be the avatar of the goal -- to have things leap off the page for the reader.

When you reduce what makes pop-up books amazing to the least common denominator, you have ABC3D. Here, magically alive, moving and turning and changing, are the operative agents of literature -- letters. They have depth and shape. They have character.

ABC3D makes you remember all over again how and why you first fell in love with words. You can get it for a kid who's at that point in their life, and sit with them to enjoy it -- or you can get it for you.

Really. You can.

This book is simultaneously one of the best pop-up books ever created as well as one of the best tools for children to learn their ABC's. It all starts with the hologram on the front cover, which depicts letters of the English alphabet. I spent several minutes moving the book around and looking at the cover from all angles. While the letters A, B and C are obvious; there are hints of many other letters.
As you move through the pages, each of the letters of the alphabet will pop up. However, that is only the first aspect of the display. In some cases, as you spread the pages farther out, something moves to change the initial letter into the next one. For example, the letter E is altered into the letter F by having the bottom horizontal segment retract. A similar action causes the letter X to be transformed into the subsequent letter Y.
This book is truly a work of art and it is also eye-catching and educational. While written primarily for children it is so novel that it kept my interest for some time as I slowly moved the pages to determine how the changes were implemented.

An interesting book that you could view with a child, but supervise them - the pop-ups are on the delicate side, and could be damaged easily by a child. There are only three colors - black (and shades of gray), red, and white. Some of the pop-ups, like the letter "U" are really fun. At first I thought my copy was missing the letters "Q" and "R," but I was mistaken - this is a clever book, even for those of us who know the alphabet!

The video preview of the book is very convincing and so is the price. That's why I ordered 2 of the books, just in case. I was then a bit disappointed by the sometimes grubby manufacture. One of both covers had a stripe of sticky glue on one side and the overall handling is not as easy as in the video. But well, pop-up books involve a complicated technique, especially if you want to include exciting effects. This is not a book you "read" everyday, so I think it simply is a nice collectors piece for everyone interested in playful graphical objects. Just get one (or two), the price is hilarious and the idea gorgeous!

I was in awe when I opened this amazing pop-up book. It is a three-dimensional look at the alphabet that stands alone in excellence. The cover is holographic. You are intrigued right away as your eyes feast upon a shiny red cover that changes its letter upon movement, but the real pleasure awaits you inside the pages of this work.

Within you will find the alphabet set before you with the most imaginative use of paper that I have ever seen. With the flick of your hand or the movement of a page one letter will turn into another, one spins around, the letter B slides out to greet you. Every page is an exciting surprise, an adventure for your mind and a morsel of delight for your eyes. Children learning their alphabet will be encouraged to look at this book over and over again. It has a drawing power like none other that I have seen. Adults as well will not be able to resist the urge to study each letter and be in awe at the imagination of this author.

I am impressed and am proud to give this book a hearty recommendation. New invocative work that every household would benefit from having, definitely an investment that will continue to bring pleasure and learning for years to come.

ABC3D is not a children's book, and I think its author and publisher already know that. It's a sly, elegant aesthetic foray into the tactile pleasures of the alphabet, ringing changes and revealing relationships within our diverse community of letters. The stalwart "A" and the lazy "L," the shy "K" unfolding itself from behind the curtain, the pickpocket "F" stealing the foot of the "E," the clown-like, zany "S," all are revealed as we unfold the pages of this compact and attractive volume.

Let this lie casually next to your sleek MacBook air and a cup of Starbucks, and you'll feel trendy and elegant. Wonderful little volume.