[Saturday Reads] Do You Read Pop-Up Books? Check Out “The Small World of Paper Toys”

Myra here.

Every Saturday we hope to share with you our thoughts on reading and books. We thought that it would be good practice to reflect on our reading lives and our thoughts about reading in general. While on occasion, we would feature a few books in keeping with this, there would be a few posts where we will just write about our thoughts on read-alouds, libraries, reading journals, upcoming literary conferences, books that we are excited about, and just book love miscellany in general.

The Small World of Paper Toys

Created by: Gerard Lo Monaco
Published by: Little Gestalten, Berlin, 2015
Review copy sent by publisher. Book photos taken by me.

I have never had much encounter with pop-up books even as a child, but I have always admired the feat of engineering that accompanies its seemingly 3-d aspect. The Small World of Paper Toys is such an accomplishment as Gerard Lo Monaco made use of blank spaces, carefully-chosen typography, and only a few catchy lines that would make this an easy read for young readers who would most likely beg their mothers to read this book again and again and again.

The colors, I sensed, are likewise deliberately selected with primary colors standing out against a backdrop of white allowing the eyes to rest – whoever designed the book layout is an experienced graphic designer. I appreciated the purposiveness in how the objects are put together – there is intelligent discipline here, but also a degree of childlike exuberance with the tractor and the noise its motor makes or the clic clic of the mechanical boat as it navigates around the white canvas.

These lively lumberjacks are my favourite, perhaps because of how they are juxtaposed against the backdrop of the trees behind them.

I especially liked this one as well with Monaco playing around with visual elements, making the 3-d elephant interact with the inert unidimensional elephant rider who fell down on the ground.

This is a gorgeous pop-up book that kids would enjoy reading and examining closely.

Do you read pop-up books, fellow readers? What are some of your favourites?