Robert Crowther's Amazing Pop-Up House of Inventions

I have a highly developed scientific method in place that allows me to determine whether or not a children's picture book title is going to be popular or not. Here is what I do: 1. I leave the book on top of my desk at work. 2. I wait. 3. If the book remains untouched, unexamined, and unattended for a day then it may be fine and dandy but it doesn't have that instantaneous oomph. If, however, I find my co-workers and library clerks picking it up and cooing over it for long periods of time, THAT, my friend, is a book worth watching. Option #3 was certainly the case the other day when I received a batch of books from Candlewick Press and I placed this book, Robert Crowther's Pop-Up House of Inventions on top of the pile. Within minutes everyone in the joint found it extraordinary. From its tiny hidden details to its fabulous fascinating facts, a novelty book this may be, but it's also going to win over a whole host of different kinds of readers. The only question left in my mind is where the heck we're going to catalog this thing. Turn the book in your hands. Hold it so that the spine is at the top and that when you open it you reveal the first scene properly. Immediately you are plunged into a fully stocked and operating kitchen. Every object has a tiny fact attached to it explaining when it was invented or at least conjured up. Multiple tiny flaps reveal even more facts and surprises. Lift up the rug and not only will you see a wad of chewing gum stuck to the floor but you'll also learn when gum was invented and how it was first marketed as "Blibber-Blubber Bubble Gum". Opening each door and lifting each flap the reader makes their way through other rooms in the house. And even if you look under something or behind it, you're sure to see your curiosity rewarded with more facts, more secrets, and more objects. Finally, after walking through a living room, bathroom, bedroom, and garage, you come to a listing of "Some Inventions That Changed the Way We Live". Chronologically you can learn about inventions aiding in Food, Heat and Light, Plumbing, and Communication through each important historical era. Exhausting and intensive doesn't quite do it justice. Generally the bane of every children's librarian's life is the pop-up book. If you have made the appropriate sacrifices to the picture book gods then maybe, just maybe, a pop-up book will circulate five times unscathed. Under normal circumstances, however, even the heartiest Maisy title will fall victim to the too strong jabs and pulls of the tiniest little tot. This Pop-Up House of Inventions could cut one of two ways. It may end up horribly mangled right from the start with its delicate little pullout DVD drawer, its tiny washing machine, and its multiple miniscule flaps. I like to believe, however, that the pop-ups found here are so small and the text so mature that it will only be of interest to children ages seven and up. That isn't to say that the occasional rug and cupboard door won't ge

This is a favorite with my sons, because there is so much to do and see inside.

Fantastic book! I had to read it a couple of times to make sure I found all the bits and pieces to pop up, open, turn or otherwise manipulate. Some of the dates I didn't believe straight away so I went online to verify the info in the book. The book appears to be correct.

This is a wonderful pop-up book, filled with lots of facts and details about inventions we all know and use. A treasure house of facts and fun.

Have you ever wondered how long the teabag has been around, or the envelope, the toothbrush, the pencil or the pillow? Do you know who invented the venetian blinds, the jigsaw puzzle or blue jeans? Robert Crowther answers these and hundred of other questions, about where you live, in his amazing pop-up book of home inventions. Each room in this house is meticulously created with great attention to detail and full of fun facts and trivia. This book will keep your youngsters occupied for hours at a time, as they lift, open and examine the items of each room and learn about some of the many inventions that changed the way we live. Terrific for kids and adults of all ages, Robert Crowther's Amazing Pop-Up House of Inventions is a winner!