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A quick look round any children's bookshop will reveal a variety of novelty items. There are flaps, split pages, holes, pop-ups and even, in a few cases, wheels. All of them are supposed to make the books more interesting for children but they have varying degrees of success.
Some are so complicated that they completely swamp the words and produce a toy rather than a book. Others work well but cannot overcome the problems of poor quality writing as no amount of novelty will turn a bad story into a good one. But in the very best ones, the words, pictures and novelty elements blend to produce a book which will children will want to look at again and again.
Lift the Flap
Books
(for board books with flaps, see Books for
Babies and Toddlers)
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Peep Hole Books
This popular format uses holes in some right hand pages to give
a tantalising glimpse of the next one and includes text to encourage children
to guess what's coming. It works well with cleverly planned stories and
is particularly useful in non-fiction books.
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 Guess
who my mummy is by Anni AxworthyGuess
what I'll be by Anni AxworthyGuess
what I am by Anni AxworthyGuess
where I live by Anni Axworthy(Walker) |
| :This series of non-fiction books combine
a peep hole game with bright, simple but accurate pictures to teach
children facts about animals. It increases the breadth of their knowledge
by including some more unusual creatures (beavers, reindeer
and flamingoes) and breaks away from convention by showing crocodiles
as good mothers. Guess what I am contains a rather fierce shark
who may frighten nervous children (but delight others). Children as
young as two could understand Guess who my mummy is while children
of 3-6 should enjoy the whole series. All the titles are suitable
for older children with special needs although some may feel the use
of the word "mummy" is too babyish. |
| Buy from Amazon | Guess who my mummy is Guess what I'll be Guess where I live |
Pull tabs and pop-ups
Pull tab and pop up books are great fun but also the least durable type
of novelty book They need protection from the onslaught of tiny fingers
so, if you want them to last, keep them for looking at with you.
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goes to Market by Mark Birchall (Andersen Press) Hen takes her shopping list with her but she still has decisions to make. Should she buy red flowers or blue? Apples or bananas? Young readers can pull the tabs to see which goods go into her basket and there are also flaps to lift to discover a secret on every spread. Ages 2+ Buy from Amazon |
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Crowther's Most Amazing Hide-and-seek Alphabet Book by Robert Crowther (Walker) |
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This classic pull-the-tab book is a lovely introduction to
the alphabet for any young child. Each letter has a tab to pull,
push or lift and each tab makes an animal beginning with that
letter pop into view. The animals are delightful, the art
work amusing and the paper engineering amazing. A book that children
from 0 upwards will be happy to look at again and again.
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Other Novelty Books
Some of the books which don't fit into any of the other categories are
also some of the most successful - perhaps because they are so different.
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Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle (Puffin) This very simple story takes a caterpillar from being an egg to being a butterfly and, in order to grow so much, he has to eat a great deal. Pages of different sizes and holes for small fingers to explore add extra interest to a story which is just right for the very young. |
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Ideal from 0-4 and available as a paperback or a board
book.
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Jolly Postman by Janet and Allan Ahlberg The
Jolly Pocket Postmanby Janet and Allan Ahlberg The
Jolly Christmas Postman by Janet and Allan Ahlberg (Viking Children's Books) |
| These three books all build on children's love of receiving
letters. The rhyming text tells how the Jolly Postman delivers the
post to characters well known from nursery rhymes and fairy tales
while some of the pages are envelopes which contain the actual letters.
So, in addition to enjoying the story, children can open the post
and read such delights as a letter of apology to the three bears from
Goldilocks or a get-well jigsaw for Humpty Dumpty. Books 3-6
year olds will enjoy looking at again and again. Buy from Amazon: The Jolly Postman The Jolly Pocket Postman The Jolly Christmas Postman |
