Maisy's Pop-up Playhouse [Hardcover]

Lucy Cousins (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 4, 1995 | Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up | Series: Maisy

It's a book, it's a toy, it's Maisy's very own house! Children can help Maisy bake a pie in the kitchen, brush her whiskers in the bathroom, and climb into bed. With a movable Maisy figure, lots of flaps to lift, tabs to pull, pop-out parts, and a 14-page mini color booklet with play ideas, this three-dimensional carousel house offers limitless playtimes for anyone who's crazy for Maisy.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Gaily tied up with two red ribbons, Lucy Cousins's unusual, delightful, virtually wordless "book" is in fact a triple pop-up. When you open the covers (vertically, like a door, rather than horizontally), you are introduced to this endearing rodent's kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom, like three little dollhouses. In the boldly colorful kitchen is a pop-up table and chairs, and a pop-out-from-the-wall set of cabinets, complete with a range that opens to reveal a baking pie, and many other distractions. Turn the "page" and you come to a bathroom complete with a mirror on the wall, a liftable toilet seat, and a little figure of Maisy to stand in the shower stall. Each room comes with a sheet containing cut-out objects like clothing and small furnishings, to be arranged at will. In the bedroom, a tab turns a window scene from day to night and back again, and a clothes chest has real sliding drawers. Maisy is a character small children can fall in love with. Ingenious. (Ages 3 to 6) --Richard Farr

From Publishers Weekly

Q. What's more fun than a book bearing the distinctive Cousins touch? A. An entire domicile decorated in this author/ illustrator's well-known whimsical style. In this book cum dollhouse, would-be homemakers use the attached ribbons to tie together the book's covers, thereby forming a three-room abode (kitchen, bath and bedroom). For a guided tour, readers can consult the small booklet tucked into a kitchen windowbox, Maisy's Day, which locates Maisy the mouse herself-a cardboard Maisy with movable arms "hides" in the shower. Following the book's suggestions, kids help Maisy get dressed, take a bath, etc., in the process opening doors and drawers, turning down the bedspread, even pulling toilet paper (of the cardboard variety) from its dispenser. Press-out objects equip each room; these can be stored in cupboards, medicine chests, armoires and similarly convenient spots, while other nooks and crannies invite close exploration. Intriguing interactive interiors in one swell dwelling. Ages 3-up.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 8 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (September 4, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1564026353
• ISBN-13: 978-1564026354
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 9.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #273,959 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lucy Cousins is the creator of many wonderful picture books for children, including Yummy: My Favourite Nursery Stories and Hooray for Fish! , as well as her bestselling books about Maisy the mouse. About I'm the Best, she says, "I had the idea for this book after winning a tennis competition. I loved telling all my friends and family about it, but then I realized that I was probably showing off, like Dog!" Lucy Cousins lives in Hampshire with her partner, four children and very fluffy dog.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars colorful, interesting and interactive book, June 8, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Maisy's Pop-up Playhouse (Hardcover)

My 4 year old never tires of this book and couldn't wait to get her hands on it. Lucy Cousins has wonderful illustrations that are eye-catching and fun. I wouldn't recommend it to a young child, as the pieces often don't sit up as planned and require quite fine motor skills. It's more of a "toy" than a book, but is educational nonetheless.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great playhouse for preschoolers -- no batteries required!!, January 31, 2003

By 

audrey (white mtns) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Maisy's Pop-up Playhouse (Hardcover)

What a wonderful value this is -- an adorable and fun playhouse setup, creatively designed and waiting for a lucky child to discover its many hidden surprises. The book comes tied with two red ribbons. You can "read" the book and let each of the three rooms (kitchen, bathroom, bedroom) appear individually, or you can unfold the house and tie the ribbons with the book covers back-to-back so that the three-room house is completely accessible as a sort of diorama. Your preschooler boy or girl will have hours of low-tech fun playing with Maisy as she dresses, bathes or showers, cooks and plays. Three sheets of pop-out accessories include clothes, dishes, food, etc. which can be placed in the closets and cupboards and other nooks and crannies.

A sliding window depicts a day or nighttime sky over Maisy's bed. A pie is in the oven. Clothes hang in the closet. A toilet with a lid that raises. There are loads of fun little surprises here. My advice: get this even for a little child who may tear the cardboard pieces. You can always tape them together or buy another playhouse, but you can't always find a cute, fun setup for little ones that requires imagination more than batteries, allowing children to act out stories in a familiar home-y environment.

Highest recommendation.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars independent play, June 22, 2004

By 

Julia Keller (Pebble Beach, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Maisy's Pop-up Playhouse (Hardcover)

My daughter received this book when she was just a little over two years old. She was already a Maisy fan. What shocked me was that she disappeared into the bedroom one day, and when I went to go check on her, she was quietly playing all by herself with this. I didn't figure it would last long. Finally, almost an hour later, I had to go in and get her to go to the grocery store. She is almost three now and STILL loves to play independently with this book/toy - it's the only toy which occupies her independently for hours on end. I bought her the farm version too, which she also likes. A definite winner!