Encyclopedia Prehistorica: Dinosaurs
By Robert Saburda & Matthew Reinhart
This Dinosaur book is one of my favorites! It’s beautifully crafted with fine, fine detail that is really meant to be slowly enjoyed. The small folds on the side are also pop ups, beautifully colored and created. I really love this book for so many reasons. Not just because I love dinosaurs, and the information in them. But because it really does pull the reader into this magical world where you can see these colorful and majestic creatures for real.
My favorite page? The meat eaters page where the T-Rex is literally jumping off the page, ready to eat you! Take that Jurassic Park!
Midnight Creatures: A pop up Shadow Search
By Helen Friel
The beauty of this book is the strange and otherworldly feeling you get when you pop it open. The reader is meant to bring a flashlight (a very strong flashlight) and wait until dark. There, you will open the book and shine the lifht on the pop up, displaying a word of animals projected onto your blank wall.
So different and so beautiful.
I’ll be honest that my flashlight isn’t strong enough to do the book justice (I’ll be getting a new one) and my daughter is too young to really appreciate it (she’s only 2). But my husband and I love the book and enjoy esearching for the different animals projected on the wall. My only complaint is that the book doesn’t stay open and upright well so it take sa little finagleing to get the projection right.
But it’s so unique and stimulating, I hardly mind.
by Petr Horacek
This is a super fun and lovely illustrated children’s book, one of my daughter’s favorites. Animal Opposites shows two animals, side by side, different and lovely. Some pop out, some don’t. All are joyfully colored by pencil with a lot of fun moving parts, like the ape who stands upright when the page is opened. Or the kangaroo that seems to bounce when you turn to its page. We’ve read this book so many times, I had to buy a second copy because the first disintegrated in my hands. (It doesn’t help that the baby wanted to touch touch touch every single animal and yes, there goes the ape. And there goes the butterfly, and nope. that was broke too.)
Overall it’s a simple and fun pop up book that I enjoy reading to her as much as she enjoys seeing.
The Color Monster by Anna Llenas
One of my child’s favorite book, the Color Monster follows the poor monster whose emotions are all jumbled up. You help him sort his emotions by color. The illustrations are whimsical and beautifully done, especially calm and sad. I love what this book offers. It is so unique. Every little person I give this too adores it!
By Robert Sabuda
Another classic come to life. The first page is the eye opener, a huge huge castle that is almost too big for this one book to contain. I don’t think it’s as impressive as his dinosaur one (because I love dinosaurs THAT MUCH!) but it’s so beautiful and delicate, it made the list. The colors are deep and vibrant, jumping off the page. My only thought is that some of the pages don’t close down as well, there’s just so much going on and so much paper that has to be folded properly sometimes it gets stuck. But the lavish beauty of the book and the attention to detail is stunning.
Do you have any that I’ve missed! Comment below! 🙂 I love pop up books and would love to see more!
Kimberly majored in Songwriting and currently works full time in the music industry. When she's not listening to music, knitting or writing, you can find her outside reading her favorite genres: Young Adult, Adult Fiction, Mystery, and Romance.
