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What are the Different Types of Pop-Up Books?

A Kaminsky
A Kaminsky

Pop-up books have been delighting children and adults alike for many years. They have been popular since the 19th century and continue to elicit smiles whenever they appear. Pop-up books make the reading experience a more three-dimensional one. Children may not know what a real castle looks like, so what is better than opening a book and having a beautiful paper castle pop up out of its pages?

Some pop-up books have only two or three large displays and tell abbreviated stories. These displays are usually very elaborate and detailed. These books are usually geared for slightly older children, and even adults if they deal with a true historical subject.

Pop-up books are designed for children.
Pop-up books are designed for children.

Other pop-up books have smaller scenes that pop up when opened, but they also add motion. A child reading a book of nursery rhymes may be able to pull a tab to see four-and-twenty blackbirds pop out of a pie, or to see the fiddlers' arms move as they play for Old King Cole. These books are for children of any age, and cause great delight as the child manipulates the characters in the book.

Most bookstores have a number of pop-up books to choose from, some featuring well-known characters.
Most bookstores have a number of pop-up books to choose from, some featuring well-known characters.

A third kind of pop-up book is the peek-a-boo book. These books feature small panels that can be opened to reveal different aspects of the story underneath. For instance, in a Halloween book, the child may open a panel that looks like a door to reveal a monster or witch underneath. The possibilities are endless.

Some of the best pop-up books include all of the above elements in their storytelling. They may have one elaborate pop-up scene, several smaller ones, panels to open and characters that move. The pop-up book provided an "interactive" experience long before the computer age.

Pop-up books are available online or in bookstores - wherever children's books are sold. They cover every conceivable subject, from nursery rhymes, to history, to a trip to the zoo, or even a Christmas at home! Some pop-up books also bring in other sensory features, such as scratch-and-sniff pages or textures on the pages, allowing the reader to feel the velvet on Santa's sack or the leather on his belt.

Pop-up books continue to be popular with children and are almost always a welcome gift. They allow an adult to read to a child, and the child to entertain himself as well.

Discussion Comments

pleonasm

@browncoat - There's nothing like a real pop-up book, I agree. But, the art form is evolving in other ways. There are quite a few different electronic versions of pop-up books available now.

You can design your own virtual pop-up books online which other people can then read.

Or you can buy books containing pictures that, when waved in front of a web-cam, bring up 3-D pictures and interactive maps.

It's a good way of keeping kids interested in reading.

browncoat

There are some real classic pop-up books for children. Robert Sabuda pop up books are some of the very best, and look like little pieces of art.

Pop-up books seem to be coming back into fashion lately, with a few pop-up books for adults being available. They are usually joke books, though, rather than focusing on the pleasure of seeing an intricate scene jump up from the page.

I have seen lessons available for people who want to learn how to make pop-up books, so maybe the art form will continue to evolve.

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    • Pop-up books are designed for children.
      By: WavebreakMediaMicro
      Pop-up books are designed for children.
    • Most bookstores have a number of pop-up books to choose from, some featuring well-known characters.
      By: ele
      Most bookstores have a number of pop-up books to choose from, some featuring well-known characters.