Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Hide and Seek
Novelty Book
For ages 6 to 8
Abrams, 2012 ISBN: 978-1849761017
People of all ages enjoy search-and-find books. Often such books are full of detailed illustrations that are crammed with cunning characters and features. Over the years illustrators have used a wide variety of illustrative methods to create search-and-find books that are unique and interesting.
David Carter, being a master paper engineer, has decided to take the search-and-find experience to a new level. He has created a book full of three dimensional search-and-finds, pop-ups which are colorful, magical, and quite unique.
When you open the book the first scene you are presented with looks a bit like a garden. Black ivy-like tendrils spider up into the air and yellow and blue flowers bloom. We are invited to look for “Five black spots, four blossoms blue and a T that is white.” In addition we need to look for a heart, an arabesque, a smile, a black Q, and a reflection “of you.” Some of the items are easy to find, while others are a little trickier.
The next spread is quite astonishing. It looks like a modern art installation, a black beam puzzle decorated with colored circles. In this spread some of the things we need to find are on the sculpture, while others are on the page itself.
In addition to the pop-ups, some of the pages have other novelty features. There are flaps to lift, a dial to turn, and a tab to pull.
In this wonderful title the text, novelty features, and artwork come together to give readers a singular book experience.
