The 12 Days of Christmas: A Pop-Up Celebration

Reigning prince of paper construction Sabuda has fashioned the classic carol into a crisp, 3D holiday greeting, somewhat similar in style to his Christmas Alphabet (1994). Each spread contains festively colored background panels sprinkled with white text and featuring two spectacularly intricate, snow-white pop-ups; one takes center stage and the other is hidden beneath a gatefold flap. In a welcome update, Sabuda's witty take on the tune's verses depicts ""four calling birds"" as emerging from a cuckoo clock and ""eleven ladies dancing"" as ballerinas pirouetting inside a child's musical jewelry box. The design is sturdy enough to withstand repeated readings, provided that it's treated as a book, not a toy. All ages. (Oct.)