Publishers Weekly - August 28, 2017

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY ■ AUGUST 28, 2017 126

Review_CHILDREN’S

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Pop-ups and More

Butterflies

David Hawcock. Universe, $19.95 (20p) ISBN 978-0-7893-2764-2

Seven butterflies and moths (plus one caterpillar) spring from the pages of this attractively designed pop-up from paper engineer Hawcock; the small trim size and an acetate window on the cover, through which a monarch butterfly can be seen, bring a jewel-box quality to the book. The insects almost seem to hang in midair, and their subtle movements suggest flight—especially in the case of a feathery peacock butterfly that turns, bobs, and weaves as the pages separate.

Half-flaps to the right of each spread lift to reveal facts about butterfly and moth characteristics, life cycles, metamorphosis, and more, written in a formal but accessible tone (“During flight, butterflies’ and moths’ forewings and hind wings are held together so that they function as one wing”). Budding lepidopterists take note. Simultaneously available: Tropical Fish. All ages. (Sept.)

Main Street Magic

Ingela P. Arrhenius. Chronicle, $16.99 (22p) ISBN 978-1-4521-6157-0

As readers make their way through a town’s bakery, fish
market, and other attractions, they can lift multiple flaps to
discover hidden animals and people—despite the title, the
book seems less about magic than mischief. The opening
patisserie scene is a charmer: the
shop’s doors swing open widely in
gatefold flaps. After turning the page,
readers can find a mouse tucking into
a woman’s purchases—a box of maca-
rons. Visual and verbal puns appear
throughout Arrhenius’s crisp, clean
cartoons (“Purrr-ty Purrrfect” reads
the caption beside a freshly coiffed cat
at the salon), though some of the references and narration can
feel a bit advanced for the target audience (“Beware of the
museum guard and his flashlight! Or is he a kindred spirit?”).

Even so, there’s much to discover in each stylish scene. Ages

2–4. (Sept.)

Night and Day: A Big Book of Opposites

Julie Safirstein. Princeton Architectural Press, $19.95 (15p) ISBN 978-

1-61689-650-8

Brightly colored, rough-edged silhouettes of objects and
animals highlight a range of opposing words in this large-
format book. Flaps, pop-ups, and other interactive elements
help clarify each term and sometimes introduce secondary
concepts. Four ladybugs sitting on flaps take readers from
“left” to “right” on one spread; lifting those flaps uncovers the
number of spots on the bug, both as a numeral and in fingers
on a hand. A large tree unfolds when another spread is opened,
separating “night” from “day” on the left and right pages
while also putting distance between the tree’s branches
(“high”) and its roots (“low”). And a slider allows readers to
move a blue dot—“alone” at the top of a page—down to
where other shapes are clustered “together.” A handsomely
designed and produced introduction to basic but important
concepts. Ages 3–5. (Oct.)

Autumn: A Pop-up Book

David A. Carter. Abrams Appleseed, $14.95 (12p) ISBN 978-1-4197-

2535-7

Carter follows Winter and Spring with a third seasonal title,
which uses gentle free verse to pull readers forward: “Autumn
days bring a chill in the air,/ colorful leaves float gently from
trees,/ and the fields are full of life.” Plants and animals, all
labeled, dot the scenes pictured in
the accompanying images—a
cluster of pop-up squash, a tree
whose yellow leaves dangle from
strings, and late-season wild-
flowers that seem to grow as the
pop-up takes shape. Questions
directed at readers (“Who sings a
beautiful song?/ Who hunts from
the sky?”) encourage engagement as night falls in the moun-
tainous landscape. It’s an impressive introduction to a busy
season, both for the animals preparing for winter and because
of the bounty of food awaiting harvest. Ages 3–5. (Aug.)

The Greatest Opposites Book on Earth

Lee Singh, illus. by Tom Frost. Big Picture, $18.99 (16p) ISBN 978-0-

7636-9554-5

Paper engineer Singh and illustrator Frost use a variety of circus acts—as well as flaps and other interactive elements— to show off various opposites, starting with a tent flap that swings from “closed” to “open” to let readers in to the show. In some of the subsequent scenes, one of three clowns who all look the “same” gets a pie to the face, leaving him “different”; a “few” acrobats stacked on top of each other expand into “many” in a paper doll–like chain; and a trapeze artist appears to swing from “near” to “far” with the lift of a flap. Colored in bold shades of vermilion, teal, and mustard, Frost’s images have a bold, graphic quality that evokes vintage circus posters.