Customer Reviews

Raggedy Ann and Andy and the Camel with the Wrinkled Knees (Classic Collectible Pop-Up)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When I first bought this book,about 2 years ago, I was already a fan of Raggedy Ann and Andy but I really wanted to introduces my then 3 year old niece to them. My niece and I really enjoyed the story and how Raggedy Ann and Andy and the Camel with the Wrinkled Knees worked so well together to find their friend, Babette. Also how they helped in getting the angry pirates to change to good. It has many good lessons in it which are good for all to learn. My niece is now a HUGE Raggedy Ann and Andy fan and loves all the stories. I am proud to say that I own this wonderful story.

This book was so much fun to read. It is easy for children to understand, and isn't too long. It is just the right length for a bedtime story. As with all the Raggedy and Andy stories, it takes children to a place where they can use their imaginations.

"One day Raggedy Ann and Andy were walking in the deep, deep woods when they met their friend, the Camel with the wrinkled knees..." is not a quote from this book despite its appearance at the top of this page.

No, this book is far better written than that and is a great bit of foundation to lay for children who will one day, sooner than their parents think, be reading real literature. Furthermore, Moerbeek's pop-up interpretations of the original pictures are stunning little masterpieces, sure to delight for years to come.

True, it doesn't offer the knock-your-socks-off prose of The Pop Up Mickey Mouse (see), being sweet and nostalgic rather than sharp and scrappy. But it is still quite a good read with its engaging characters and wry humor. And though most of the jokes will admittedly be lost on the little ones, they do keep it fun for the adult doing the actual reading.

The original text appears to have been edited a bit - probably for brevity's sake - but the story does seem to be fairly well intact (though the ultimate explanation of how the mischief-maker flew away is now missing and must be inferred from the pictures).

Despite the editing, reading this book aloud will take anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes and kids jaded by too much TV may not have the patience to sit through it. However, my own daughter asks for it frequently, and seems to think it is time well spent. I must say I agree with her completely.

This is one of the best pop-ups in my collection. Very detailed, and fun, pop-ups, and the art work is very much in keeping with the original Raggedy Ann books. A must for young and old collectors.

THIS BOOK WAS INCREDIBLE! THE COMPLEXITY OF THE POP UPS WAS AMAZING. THE GIRLS AGES 4 AND 6 LOVED IT. WE ARE KEEPING IT AWAY FROM THE 1 YEAR OLD. I WOULD RECCOMEND IT FOR ALL CHILDREN'S LIBRARIES.

Your child must have this book! It has the most beautiuful illustrations and stunning pop-ups. I have not even finished reading the story...the illustations alone have captivated me! The pictures posted on this site are from a different eddition, and are not even comparable.

My kids, ages three and five, absolutely love the book and listen to the whole thing beginning to end with no problem. They love the story and the pictures both.

The story is very sweet; Raggedy Ann and Andy set off to rescue a doll and also end up rescuing a little boy, all with the help of a good fairy, of course.

The pop-ups are delicate enough that I wouldn't leave the book lying around the house in case my one year old might find it. But an older child can be taught to open and close the pages with care.

It's hard to peg the exact age range for Johnny Gruelle's Raggedy Ann readers: they require good reading skills or parental assistance but will appeal to a wide age range. Raggedy Ann And Andy And The Camel With The Wrinkled Knees will reach ages 5 and up with its story of a kidnapped French doll and Raggedy and Andy's rescue. Includes the traditional Gruelle illustrations and is suitable for gift-giving.

I would give this book all 5 stars except that I was a little mislead by the info. I was looking for the original hard cover book. The one I had as a kid. I am not sure if it is still in print though. That being said, I actually was pleasantly surprised with this hard cover pop-up book. I don't think they left anything out and is the whole story. My boys REALLY enjoyed the pop-up pages. It is a very creative way to tell a story and keeps the attention of my 2.5 yr old. The story is wonderful told and very imaginative. I am looking forward to buying many more Raggedy Ann & Andy books!

The two reviews that gave only 4 and 3 stars left me feeling uneasy about this purchase...

The book arrived yesterday. Everything about it is WONDERFUL...the cover, the binding, the way the artist utilized Johnny Gruelle's artwork to create the pop-ups, the abridged story. I could hardly wait to open each page and spent much of the afternoon thoroughly enjoying the experience. I've since purchased all of the Simon and Schuster books, beginning with Raggedy Andy Stories: Introducing the Little Rag Brother of Raggedy Ann, published in 1993, that also arrived yesterday. It features 11 stories beginning with an introduction of how Raggedy Andy came to be.

What impressed me with both of these books is the quality of the artwork. Simon and Schuster acquired early printings of the books and digitally reproduced the artwork, even the artwork featured in the end papers. I searched more on Amazon today and found five more Simon and Schuster titles: Raggedy Ann Stories, 1993; Marcella: A Raggedy Ann Story, 1999; Raggedy Ann in Cookie Land, 2002; The Paper Dragon: A Raggedy Ann Adventure, 2003; and Raggedy Ann's Lucky Pennies, 2003.

To that group I added a book by a different publisher - (it's the first book that featured Raggedy Ann) - My Very Own Fairy Stories, Clerisy Press, 2000. All of these books feature Johnny Gruelle's writing and artwork.

My interest in pop-up books was rekindled by Robert Sabuda's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: A Commemorative Pop-Up, 2001 - (found a damaged copy of it in a thrift store for 69 cents!). I've since bought a new copy of it for me and two new copies of Raggedy Ann and Andy and the Camel with the Wrinkled Knees by Moerbeek, one for me, and one for our other set of grandchildren.

I've had some difficulty figuring out how to collect all of the Raggedy Ann and Andy stories, a total of 40 I believe. In the coming weeks I will review all of the books listed here in my review and will list the stories contained in each. And I look forward to seeing more books from pop-up artist Kees Moerbeek.