CHILDREN'S
Released: Nov. 6, 2012
"A possibility for bedtime use, considering the soporific verse and routine (at best) "enhancements." (Novelty. 2-5)"
This insipid ovine litany pairs a monotonous, uninspired rhyme with poorly designed extras and bland scenes of clothed sheep at play.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Nov. 1, 2012
"A "jump" tale for the diapered set, startling on first go-through but scary-fun on subsequent visits. (Pop-up/picture book. 3-5)"
Mr. Croc takes a little longer to go to bed than first glances and pulls on the tabs might hint.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Nov. 1, 2012
"The "magic" is on display, but only fitfully, and even when it does work, it often comes off as labored. (Pop-up/nonfiction. 7-11)"
A literal spin through some common optical effects, from moiré patterns and illusory 3-D figures to shadow puppetry and mirror distortions.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 23, 2012
"The frequently distributed buns aren't all that's delicious in this exhilarating suite of variations on a classic. (Pop-up/fractured fairy tale. 5-9)"
A familiar old tale is taken for a terrific spin with more bears, three pigs, assorted woodland animals, space aliens, additional young cast members (including one in a red hood) and lots and lots of sticky buns.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 16, 2012
"A fragile but awesome tribute. (Pop-up/movie tie-in. 7-11, adult)"
Teeming with pop-ups capped by a wonderfully menacing Darth Vader wielding a glowing light saber, this companion to
Star Wars: A Pop-Up Guide to the Galaxy (2007) makes a memorable keepsake for fans of
The Phantom Menace film and its two sequels.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 1, 2012
"Impressive–but only at first glance. (Pop-up/nonfiction. 4-8)"
A lift-the-flap picture album of birds--memorable for its large, folio trim size at least, if not so much for artistic quality or informational content.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 25, 2012
"Not entirely trite, as it does feature a biracial couple, but overall, a bland, phoned-in follow-up to a more successful previous outing. (Pop-up/fairy tale. 6-8)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 25, 2012
"Like the song itself, this terrific miniepic bears, and demands, repeating. (Pop-up/nursery rhyme. 4-7) "
Slight of text but ingenious of art and paper engineering, this iteration of the familiar hand rhyme creates a storyline and a humming urban neighborhood in six pop-up spreads.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 11, 2012
"A quick planetary once-over, more suited to browsing than sustained study but with a level of detail likely to leave children intrigued rather than overwhelmed. (Pop-up/nonfiction. 6-9)"
Mountains, buildings and other landmarks--not to mention the entire Scandinavian peninsula--rise up dramatically as each single-continent spread opens in this dense but legible atlas.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 11, 2012
"A real pleaser for the diapered brigade: bright but not busy, unfussily interactive, predictable but never monotonously so. (Pop-up/counting picture book. 1-3)"
With faultless simplicity Horácek squires viewers from the titular giraffe, "[t]wo striped zebras" and "[t]hree speedy cheetahs" up to "[t]en swimming fish."
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 11, 2012
"An effervescent companion to Maisy's Show (2010). (Pop-up/picture book. 2-5)"
Budding musicians and singers can join in the rehearsals as Maisy gets her band and backup chorus together for a house concert.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 6, 2012
"Waddell properly trumpets the importance of sharp observational skills, but he doesn't provide budding detectives with much impetus to develop them. (Pop-up/nonfiction. 8-10)"
A superficial look at the basics of criminal forensics and investigation, addressed to young Sherlocks but more likely to draw soul mates of the great detective's resolutely sedate brother Mycroft.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 1, 2012
"More playful work from a rare master of abstract design, both rich enough and sturdy enough to support repeat visits. (Pop-up/picture book. 5-10, adult)"
The panjandrum of paper engineering offers six dazzling new constructs--each hiding a handful of small cutouts or printed shapes to find.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 1, 2012
"Children who enjoy watching colors at play may be drawn in, and the album also makes a rewarding technical study for developing artists. (Pop-up/picture book. 5-9)"
With help from flaps, slotted wheels and die-cut holes, a frog and, later, a clown named Kasper introduce a weepy snail to the wonders of color shades, blends and combinations.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Aug. 14, 2012
"Younger flapoholics are unlikely to absorb much of the content, and older lab rats will do better with more systematic surveys. (Informational novelty. 7-10)"
Lots of flaps and the occasional pull-tab or pop-up don't make these swift passes at chemistry any less superficial.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Aug. 7, 2012
"A quick fix for younger dinosaur devotees, from the co-author of the spectacular Encyclopedia Prehistorica (2005-2007). (Pop-up/informational picture book. 4-6)"
Making up in drama for what it lacks in numbers, this slender paperbound gallery of dinos features pop-up or pull-tab surprises on each of its five spreads.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Aug. 7, 2012
"Insipid. (Pop-up/picture book. 4-7)"
A candy-coated burst of high-fructose goo, saturated with pink and equipped with pop-ups on every page.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: Aug. 1, 2012
"Perhaps not the best choice for naptime or bedtime (bwa ha ha), but certain to elicit audience demand for multiple re-reads and sturdy enough to stand up to them. (Novelty picture book. 4-7)"
Tactile terrors await anyone intrepid enough to insert little hands into the raised pockets of this nighttime ramble.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: July 10, 2012
"A small gem, elegantly simple from patterned text to creatively engineered moving parts. (Pop-up/concept book. 2-4)"
A smiling square demonstrates eight pairs of opposites thanks to a sturdy array of pull-tabs, nested flaps and pop-ups.
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CHILDREN'S
Released: June 1, 2012
"Next to the magisterial pop-up Aesop's Fables of Kees Moerbeck et al. (2011), not to mention the plethora of livelier non–pop-up collections, an also-ran. (Pop-up/fables. 6-8)"
Seven fables are blandly retold, accompanied by unambitious pop-ups likely to spark only fleeting moments of attention from readers.
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