Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
The Elmer Pop-up Book
Paper Engineer: Damien Johnston
Novelty Book Series
For ages 4 to 6
Andersen Press, 2014 ISBN: 978-0862646738
Elmer the patchwork elephant is out taking a walk and he is feeling so happy, so full of joy that he wants to sing and feels that he can “do anything.” Giraffe tells Elmer that she doesn’t think he can stretch. and certainly her stretching ability is pretty amazing. Snake and Flower are also quite good at stretching. Sure enough, stretching upwards is not something Elmer is much good at, but he can “stretch outwards. “
Further along, at the river, Elmer sees Crocodile, who has a mouth full of friends who are playing hide-and-seek. Elmer has to admit that he is not very good at hiding things in his mouth, though he can hide water in his trunk. He is not much good at flapping wings or swinging from trees either, but there is one thing that Elmer can do very well.
On every spread of this book there are flaps to lift and tabs to pull. There are also pop-ups on most of the spreads, which children will enjoy exploring. They will also have fun looking for the grumpy owl who appears on every spread and who is never cheerful, even when Elmer does something special for his friends. As they explore Elmer’s world, children will come to appreciate that everyone has something about them that is special. We all have gifts that we can be proud of and that we can share with others.
