Picture Book Thursday: Pop Ups

Pets Go Pop!
Written and illustrated by Bob Staake
Little Brown Kids
Ages 4-8

Pop-Up House of Inventions

Written and illustrated by Robert Crowther

Candlewick Press

Ages 5-11

Earthly Treasure

Written by Kate Petty

Illustrated by Jennie Maizels

Dutton

Ages 6-10

Pets Go Pop!

If you're planning on teaching about pets, you need to get a hold of this book. With a Dr. Seuss like text and over-the-top pop-up animals, your students will get a kick out of the comic goings on. My favorite is a bystander reading a copy of The Catcher in the Rhino. Oh, it even comes with an activity poster that makes a nice addition to your classroom.

Pop-Up House of Inventions

This title is so loaded with interactive pop-up flaps and folds, I'm certain I haven't found them all. A suit of clothes hanging in a closet, a moving shower curtain, and a cookie sheet of gingerbread men in the oven are just a few of the interactive features that even I was having a blast with. Combine these with facts like, "Romans used candles as early as the 1st century A.D. They were made of animal or vegetable fat, and sometimes hungry soldiers would eat them" and you have a hit. A super book to use when teaching about changing technologies.

Earthly Treasure

I've never been one to get excited about teaching about rocks and minerals. Then again, I didn't have a fun pop-up book like Earthly Treasure as a resource. One pop up scene depicts what a house would be like without metal, while another page features an erupting volcano, complete with lava. If this book doesn't get kids excited about rocks and minerals, I don't know what will.

Activity

OK, so this activity is a tad obvious, but I'll make it a bit more intriguing. Pick a theme and have students create a pop-up card. Bind five or six of the cards together to make classroom pop-up books.