Francesca Crespi

The first verses of five classic Christmas carols - O Christmas Tree / Silent Night / Hark! The Herald Angels Sing / We Three Kings of Orient Are / Ding Dong! Merrily on High - are illustrated with pop-up scenes from Francesca Crespi in this lovely holiday book for children. The pop-ups themselves are fairly simple, usually arranged in a scene along the top or bottom of each two-page spread, although two carols - Silent Night and We Three Kings of Orient Are - also have a tab that allows the show more reader to manipulate a star/circle. The final spread has a bell being rung by two choir members...

An enjoyable, interactive holiday book, one perfectly suited to young carol lovers, Ding Dong! Merrily On High: A Pop-up Book of Christmas Carols is a book I have long been meaning to track down, so I'm glad my inter-library loan for it finally came in. The paper engineering here is simple but effective, and the artwork appealing. I was surprised to see that the verse used for O Christmas Tree was not what I was used to. It reads "O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree! Thou tree most fair and lovely," rather than what I was used to: O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree! How lovely are thy branches." I was unaware that there were multiple versions of this song in English translation. I am familiar with the German original, and am not sure where this alternate version comes from. Leaving aside that puzzle, this is a book I would recommend to all young carol lovers, especially those that appreciate more interactive, pop-up style books. show less

This is a splendid telling of the birth of Jesus; the illustrations are sweetly simple, but the glory of the moment in time is captured magnificently. The book is landscape oriented and ties closed; once inside, the first few spreads open like theater curtains revealing the scene within. The final spread (my favorite) opens this way as well revealing the Magi giving their gifts to the Christ child.

This is a three-dimensional Advent calendar that opens to a five-pointed star shape "carousel" and can be fastened in either open or shut position with ribbon ties. The illustrations are beautiful and the artist makes imaginative use of Advent calendar windows to reveal elements layered behind the façade of the scenes.