Review: Little box off the horrors and the countdown with Christmas

Babies Love Books! Title: Little Box of Horrors and Countdown to ChristmasIllustrator: Kees MoerbeekPublisher: Child's Play, $21.95RRP eachFormat: Pop-up cubeISBN: 9780859538428 / 9780859538442For ages: 3-6Type: Interactive bookAbout: I defy anyone - living or otherwise - to yawn over a pop-up book. The original 3D, these papery constructions hoik the imagination up by the boot straps and bring texture and form and delight as each wondrous vista unfolds. We loved them as kids, we love them as adults, and what's not to love about a pop-up book that start! s as a cube?Flippety, roly poly, tumbling and totally toddler-cool, these adorable 'books' - actually entitled the Roly Poly series - begin life as a cardboard block with an intriguing 'pull me now quick' arrowed tab. Go on - pull it - you won't be able to resist. And when you do, Christmas (or bugs) will tumble out.If an adult or a ten-year-old can glean this much pleasure from these Roly Poly books, imagine the heart pumping reactions from babies and toddlers. Countdown to Christmas, once said tab is tugged, unfolds like a staircase, revealing a grandoise numeral - the number 10 - and a sweet little pop up Christmas tree, resplendant with 10 shiny decorations, and a cardboard cube backdrop of a toasty fireplace.Unroll again and the number nine appears on the next 'step', along with a jolly of elves (is 'jolly' the collective term for elves? it is now) in candy-striped stockings. Continue on unrolling and very soon you have a complete tumbled-open staircase of cubes with p! op up festiveness everywhere. A sight and touch-fest.Little Bo! x of Hor rors similarly unrolls, but this time it's a catalogue of creepy colour horror - a wicked purple witch, a mad green monster, a ghastly blue ghost, all the way down to the grand finale (don't look if you don't like bugs).With loads of potential for suspense and drama, these gorgeous 'books' are absolutely perfect for toddler storytime and will also delight babies, though only hand them over to older toddlers lest you want a precious pop-up reduced to drool-covered pulp! (Yes, they look that edible.)For more in the Roly Poly series, click here.These books are available online - Little Box of Horrors and Countdown to Christmas
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