Abc3D

Pop-up books don't work that well for children. It is a rare child who can be trusted alone with one, and they all want to use them by themselves -- who wouldn't? There is no coolness like the coolness of a pop-up book. For someone who writes, they can be the avatar of the goal -- to have things leap off the page for the reader. When you reduce what makes pop-up books amazing to the least common denominator, you have ABC3D. Here, magically alive, moving and turning and changing, are the operative agents of literature -- letters. They have depth and shape. They have character. ABC3D makes you remember all over again how and why you first fell in love with words. You can get it for a kid who's at that point in their life, and sit with them to enjoy it -- or you can get it for you. Really. You can.

This book shows you that thinking outside the "box" can truly be illustrated so inventively here that not only will any age enjoy it, but it makes you reflect. This small book is a great coffee table book, great for a small group show n tell and great just to relax with from time to time. What I enjoyed about the book is that seeing the transformation of the letters in various formats makes one think about life's options. When you look at something, letters or anything else , how many different ways can it be reinvented- repurposed, effectively and creatively. I enjoyed how the letters are morphed so that they have a fluidity and a beauty to them. I think this book is great for the elementary teacher who is teaching penmanship to add a little whimsy to learning. Great for the art teacher or fashion instructor whose trying to get the students to look at other creative options. If your are creative I think it could even be used as the back drop for a good bed time story for parents to use with kids to show them creativity as well. If your not into being creative visually, the book definitely will show you that if you put your mind to it, you've got so many more options than the old standards. Look around in your world and see it differently.

This book is simultaneously one of the best pop-up books ever created as well as one of the best tools for children to learn their ABC's. It all starts with the hologram on the front cover, which depicts letters of the English alphabet. I spent several minutes moving the book around and looking at the cover from all angles. While the letters A, B and C are obvious; there are hints of many other letters. As you move through the pages, each of the letters of the alphabet will pop up. However, that is only the first aspect of the display. In some cases, as you spread the pages farther out, something moves to change the initial letter into the next one. For example, the letter E is altered into the letter F by having the bottom horizontal segment retract. A similar action causes the letter X to be transformed into the subsequent letter Y. This book is truly a work of art and it is also eye-catching and educational. While written primarily for children it is so novel that it kept my interest for some time as I slowly moved the pages to determine how the changes were implemented.

My husband opened up this book and immediately became protective of it! He wanted to keep it just for himself. Our 3 and 5 year old daughters couldn't wait to see it. But, this is really a book for ages 6 and up. ABC3D is not a child's ABC book by any means. It needs to be handled delicately and some of the letters are not easy to see for a child under 5. My children couldn't discern the u, j, and i. For me (as an adult), the U was really eye catching. It is a book of art that would best be enjoyed by adults and older children for the simplicity of its designs.