cover image The Fantastic Fairy Tale Pop-U

The Fantastic Fairy Tale Pop-U

Ron Van Der Meer. Random House Books for Young Readers, $16 (10pp) ISBN 978-0-679-83869-2

Van der Meer ( The Art Pack ) may be one of the most innovative of paper engineers, but this latest 3-D enterprise falls somewhat flat. Four spreads open to pop-up settings: a gingerbread house, with a window revealing a witch feeding Hansel as Gretel stokes the fire; Sleeping Beauty's tower; Cinderella's hearth (the castle is in the background); Little Red Riding Hood's granny's cottage. Each is handsomely painted and features a pull-tab or two; Sleeping Beauty's tower is shuttered with flaps that lift. This elaborate presentation, however, doesn't lead anywhere and does not in itself sustain reader interest. Although a pamphlet tucked into a pocket on each spread tells the relevant fairy tale, these texts are pedestrian and the production values low. It's a little like seeing the sets for a lavishly staged opera and being handed a libretto, only to be told there's no performance. Ages 4-8. (Aug.)