The 12 Days of Christmas Anniversary Edition: A Pop-up Celebration

Robert Sabuda is to pop-up art what the International Grandmaster is to chess, and it isn't for nothing that he's described on the back of this book as a "paper engineer." As the title suggests, this whimsical, old-fashioned, elegant book embodies the Traditional Song of Abundant Giving--each verse of "The 12 Days of Christmas" is illustrated with a different pop-up creation. Some are relatively simple, such as the partridge (made of just two pieces of hinged paper) that opens its wings above some pears. Still, there is something unexpectedly bold about how the bird literally flies out over the top margin of the page. Other pop-ups are more characteristically bravura creations: the "Ten pipers piping" are crafted explicitly as decorative paper cut-outs, but the scissors that cut them are part of the pop-up, too. Perhaps the most complex of the set is "Eleven Ladies Dancing." Interpreted as an old-fashioned music box, the 11 ladies dancing are little ballerinas, and the music box is complete with drawer, back-mirror, and winding key. Sabuda's masterful The 12 Days of Christmas is full of nostalgia for the magic of childhood celebration--kids and adults alike would be happy to receive this book as a holiday gift. (Ages 3 to 103) --Richard Farr