Novelty Books

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
	• Peep hole books
	• Pull tabs and pop-ups
	• Other novelty books

Lift the Flap Books    
(for board books with flaps, see Books for Babies and Toddlers)

Pass the Parcel by Annie Kubler and Sue Baker (Child's Play) Based on the favourite game of pass the parcel, each character in turn finds the parcel and the reader helps them tear off a layer by opening the double flap. Inside is a parcel of a different shape until finally the final layer comes off and out pops mouse. The bright, clear pictures and the flaps appeal to the very young while older children can enjoy spotting and naming the different shapes. Buy from Amazon

Peekaboo Friends by Lucy Su (Frances Lincoln) All babies like playing peep-bo and the flaps in this book lets them do it over and over again as they help Robbie find his toys. There's a little piece of each toy showing to encourage children to guess who's there before they lift the flap. Buy from Amazon

Where's Spot? by Eric Hill (Puffin) This is the classic lift the flap book. It's a simple story about a search for a lost puppy with flaps to lift to check the different hiding places. There's a lovely  moment  when you're sure he must be under the carpet because there's a puppy-shaped bump but lifting the carpet reveals a tortoise. For 0-5. Buy from Amazon

Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell (Puffin) The zoo are keen to help a child who asks for a pet and send him a succession of crates. Each one is a flap to lift which reveals a highly unsuitable animal until finally one arrives with a pet that's just right. For 0-5 Buy from Amazon

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.

Look's! There's Elmer by David McKee (Andersen Press) A cleverly designed book where the reader helps Bird play a game of hide and seek with Elmer, the patchwork elephant. Each peephole shows a tantalising glimpse of what could be Elmer but all but the last one turn out to be something else. 0-5 Buy from Amazon

Guess who my mummy is by Anni Axworthy Guess what I'll be by Anni Axworthy Guess what I am by Anni Axworthy Guess where I live by Anni Axworthy (Walker)

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.

Hen 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
Robert Crowther's Most Amazing Hide-and-seek Alphabet Book  by Robert Crowther (Walker)

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.   Buy from Amazon

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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. 

Goodnight Piggy Wiggy by Christyan and Diane Fox (Little Tiger Press) Here cleverly designed fold out pages add extra excitement to Piggy Wiggy's dreams of what he will be when he grows up. The bold, bright pictures are perfect for the very young but sufficiently unbabyish to appeal to older ones as well, especially boys. 0-6 and special needs Buy from Amazon

The 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.

The Jolly Postman by Janet and Allan Ahlberg The Jolly Pocket Postman by Janet and Allan Ahlberg The Jolly Christmas Postman by Janet and Allan Ahlberg (Viking Children's Books)

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