Amazon.com Review
Who can resist opening a door or lifting a flap just to see what's inside? No one. And that's why this seasonal, alphabetical pop-up book has become such a Christmas favorite. Beneath each lettered flap is an intricate three-dimensional paper cutout of a holiday-related object that starts with the same letter (
A for angel,
B for bell,
C for candle). The cutouts, emerging from colorful squares, are all made of crisp white paper--creating an origami elegance. Yet the paper sculptures are decidedly joyful and unpredictable, like the exploding shreds of paper beside the title "unwrap" under the letter
U. Robert Sabuda made his first pop-up book when he was 8 years old, but abandoned the art when he failed to figure out how to make the cyclone twirl in
The Wizard of Oz. Apparently, he's finally mastered the art of motion, since many of the pop-ups feature movements such as flight for the angel, and the tender joining of lips for the kiss of two reindeer. Sabuda has also mastered the art of whimsy, making
The Christmas Alphabet,
The 12 Days of Christmas, and
Cookie Count seasonal staples in households of children young and old. (All ages)
--Gail Hudson
From Publishers Weekly
A marvel of paper engineering, this paper-over-board alphabet book transcends the usual connotations of "pop-up." Four large flaps per spread-each representing a letter of the alphabet-open to reveal sophisticated 3-D images, some with parts that move in uncommonly inventive ways. Many of the pop-ups are obvious Christmas symbols: the Manger, a Nutcracker and a Poinsettia (the last-mentioned blooms majestically when the flap is lifted). Others have ambiguous-but resourceful-ties to the holiday: a Kiss is portrayed by two reindeer, face-to-face; and two frolicking snowmen are Friends. Representing the final letter is an obviously tuckered-out Santa ("Zzzzzzz"), asleep on his pillow. A yuletide gem. All ages.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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