Advances in Pop-Up Books

For years the Pop-Up books (and flap books and other oddments) were among the most popular books in the young area of the library. But they were so fragile. They would circulate a few times and then self-destruct. Either the pop-up part would no longer fold back nicely onto the pages or parts would be torn and lost. Or -- they would look ugly with the pull tabs sticking outside the pages of the book.

But recently a new, hopefully better, version of this type of book has been showing up in our library.

The newly reissued Maisy Goes to Bed (Lift the flaps! Pull the tabs!) by Lucy Cousins is a good example of this better type of book. Candlewick is now using heavier paper, creating a sturdier book.

But the most important step of all that publishers are doing is the change in the pull-tab. Instead of it being a straight out pull that is difficult to push back into the book, the tab now bends, creating a handle. And the pages seem looser, making it much easier to push and pull on the tab -- easier to put the tab Back Into The Book!

Librarians everywhere thank you, Candlewick.
(and thank you to all the other publishers who are now using this system.)

Another review of this book is at the Oh Boy, Books blog.
-wo