Cars - A Pop-Up Book Of Automobiles by Robert Crowther
| Cars - A Pop-Up Book Of Automobiles by Robert Crowther | |
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| Category: Children's Non-Fiction | |
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Reviewer: Keith Dudhnath
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| Summary: An enjoyable pop-up book that any young car fan will love. Slightly less geeky people will find some of the pop-ups and tabs a bit samey, but Cars packed with information. | |
| Buy? Maybe | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 12 | Date: November 2009 |
| Publisher: Walker | |
| ISBN: 978-1406312270 | |
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Robert Crowther tells the story of the car, from Cugnot's steam engine, Trevithick's road locomotive and Benz's Motorwagen, right through to the record-breaking Thrust SSC and to future cars, like the biodegradable Eco One. There are plenty of pop-ups and pull tabs to bring it all to life, and it's packed with detail.
Young fact-lovers will devour Cars - it tells them everything they'd want to know about the automobile, from how the engine works, to how they're made and how they've progressed over the years. There are plenty of facts and figures woven throughout the text, but it's all in bite-sized chunks so that any slightly less confident readers won't feel swamped by it. The writing style is clear and direct, so very young car geeks won't feel left out - in fact, young car nuts of any age and ability will find much to satisfy themselves here.
The illustrations are clear and simple. The cars all look like they should, but they don't quite have the sleek sexiness that would wow petrolheads. All the pop-ups and tabs work fine, but there are an awful lot of tabs to pull cars from left to right, and it loses some of the excitement after a bit. The final page with the detailed racetrack, grandstand, garage and start/finish line is hugely impressive, but the rest of the paper engineering in Cars has been seen before. All pop-up books are immediately great fun, but I can't help imagining what it could have been.
That won't spoil anyone's enjoyment of Cars - it does exactly what it says on the tin. It will appeal to a wide range of children, drawn together by their love of all things on four wheels. They'll pore over it for hours and days, playing with it, reading it and loving it. The slightly less geeky amongst us will enjoy a quick flick-through, then pass it on to someone who'll get a lot more from it. Worth a look.
My thanks to the publishers for sending it to Bookbag.
The Smash! Smash! Truck by Aidan Potts takes a look at recycling and the vehicles involved, and will appeal to those who enjoyed Cars. If you prefer planes to cars, Take a Flight by Peter Kent is great fun. If you want automotive fiction, little 'uns will love The Flying Diggers by Ian Whybrow and David Melling.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Cars - A Pop-Up Book Of Automobiles by Robert Crowther at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Cars - A Pop-Up Book Of Automobiles by Robert Crowther at Amazon.com.
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