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Thrashing Through The Fluffy Bits

February 27, 2009




Cam said he had this book when he was little. It’s one of the ones where you flip the pages to create different animals and different wordings too. I’m not sure when it was published, there is no date on it – but there is a price 5S 0D inside the cover… in case that gives you a hint! There is no ‘Liger’ in this book. But there are heaps of other entertaining animals. My kids really like it. And this book got me thinking.

I’ve been thinking about tricky books like this. You know the type I mean, pop-up books, flip books, books with interchangeable flap-type pages, lift the flap books, scratch and sniff books. Those books were my very favourite ones when I was growing up.

I liked the ones with felty pages. I liked the ones with the fluffy pages. I liked mirrored pages. I liked stained-glass plasticky pages. I even liked bath books. Truly. I liked the idea of reading (even dipping it) in the bath, although the stories were always light on or badly translated. I liked the way when you squeezed bath book pages they sucked in air and squeaked like a toy. I liked the way they never got sucked down the plug hole too.

Cloth baby books were also excellent (in my book). You know, the stitched-together ones with the faded, floppy pages and zig-zag edges? Yes. I liked those a lot. I also liked tiny little miniature books in tiny little boxes. I liked the books where you had to thread things through the pages. I liked books with holes in them – like The Very Hungry Caterpillar. The Jolly Postman was just my cup of tea, in fact, the more bells and (postman’s) whistles the better.

Now, with my own kids – especially Ari, I see the same kind of gimmicky-book-love. He loves those books that come in their own boxes – with a pen shaped like a vampire bat or a cloak of invisibility or a spy camera or treasure maps. The bigger the book – the fatter the box, the thicker the pages, the more he wants it. And if it has a button and makes a noise – well, that’s book-Nirvana, as far as he’s concerned. If it’s wrapped in plastic – it’s perfect.

And if you asked me, secretly, out of Ari’s earshot, about gimmicky books, I would now tell you that I don’t like these sorts of books any more. I’ve changed. I’ve turned my back on the fluff and glitter and scratch and sniff. I’m a gimmick-book-snob. Totally up myself in fact. I laugh in the face of flaps and fold-outs. I scoff at flashing lights and buttons and velcro closures.

I want a nice simple book, you know, a spine, pages, that kind of thing. No fancy fonts. No colourful cover. No ‘trendy’ illustration. Keep it simple is my book-osophy now. It’s all about the reading – not the ra-ra. For me, anyway.

I totally GET Ari’s gimmick-love, I really do. It’s just that I’ve moved on from all that. I’m all about the content… and if I’m honest, there were only a couple of gimmick books amongst the hundreds that actually followed through with a lovely, well written story.

I think that’s what life is about too – thrashing through the gimmicks, fluff and flappy bits – to enjoy the genuinely great stuff. Sometimes I still want a bit of glitter or bedazzling. I’m only human. That’s when I buy one of those tween magazines with the nail polish shrink wrapped to the cover. But most of the time, I’m all about the good stuff.

Were you/are you a gimmick book lover? Do tell….

xx Pip

9 Comments

  • Reply flowerpress March 6, 2009 at 7:56 AM

    Wow, this book tweaked a long forgotten memory! The border round the page changed on each matching page too. I was noticing things like that already back then.
    I was going to say Jolly Postman too, such a beautiful book, but also Dear Zoo where they post an animal and its ‘not quite right’ until the end.
    A flap book.
    p.s. I do love the lovely message you have at the top of your comment box! I must work out how to do that 🙂

  • Reply Amy (badskirt) March 6, 2009 at 1:32 AM

    Hi there! I’m a little late, but I’ve posted photos of my Carousel book for you!

    http://badskirt.blogspot.com/2009/03/gimmicky-books.html

  • Reply jo March 1, 2009 at 12:54 AM

    I used to love reading to my kids the "Jolly Christmas Postman" & I'm sad now because I don't know where it is.

  • Reply Ange Rothwell February 28, 2009 at 1:27 AM

    My boy’s mad for old Golden Books at the moment, but for a while there, he was into anything with a popup aspect to it. Which has meant that there are a number of books in the pile with their popups to be reattached. He’s 2.5, he just likes a good story these days. Preferably about aeroplanes or animals.

  • Reply lucyrogue February 27, 2009 at 11:35 AM

    Gimmicky books were the best! My sister and I used to make our own. We made some (highly plagorised) very cute Clag and crayon versions of The Jolly Postman, and numerous lift the flap and pop up books.

    My favourite one to look at was a magic window book where you moved a tab and the picture changed. It’s here…

    http://www.lamdhabooks.com.au/large%20pix/9933.jpg

    Does anybody else remember that?

    Isn’t it fantastic that our kids are still impressed by gimmicky books? I would have thought they’d appear dull next to a wii or a DS, but the child’s imagination and sense of wonder remains strong.

  • Reply Amy (badskirt) February 27, 2009 at 8:31 AM

    I have a wonderful book from my childhood. “popup” isn’t the right word, but it was a whole little carousel of book goodness. I’m out of town, but I’ll try to post photos when I’m back. You can find the description here:
    http://www.movablebooksociety.org/popupbooks/BookH/H31.html

    I promise I’ll show you soon!

  • Reply Rachel February 27, 2009 at 4:58 AM

    I have a thing not so much for gimmicky books, but for books that aren’t necessarily rectangular and flattish, if you see the difference. I’ve made cubic books, and books which roll up like scrolls, and while they’re fun to look at (and a challenge to make!), I keep returning to rectangular and flattish books for everyday, and leaving my trick books on the shelf to impress people with my mad book making skillz.

  • Reply jill February 27, 2009 at 4:58 AM

    i’m not sure if this could be classed as totally gimmicky but i had the wonderful, full of endless goodness “Richard Scarry’s Things to Make and Do”. it totally lived up to it’s name – my sisters and i pulled that thing apart making everything in there, it took us years.
    his pop up books were amazing as well. got to love the lowly worm.

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