PAPER WORLD

Explore the final frontier and lift a whole lot of flaps.

The magic and mystery of outer space is compellingly conveyed in this oversized lift-the-flap book. Each turn of the page reveals a scenic vista of blacks and deep blues punctuated with pinprick stars and colorful orbs that are the planets in our solar system. The well-organized text is divided into short, browsable sections; young readers will learn about the sun, the moon, stars, planetary bodies, galaxies, asteroids, comets, and more. A section on the Big Bang uses a graphic timeline to distill the otherwise complex cosmological theory. The final two sections look at space exploration, with clearly delineated subheadings announcing such subtopics as “Becoming an Astronaut,” “Space Walks,” “Space Stations,” “Probes on Mars,” and more. The small bites of information are presented in a matter-of-fact fashion. The narrative moves from topic to topic with ease and flow and effectively builds from concept to concept. The sturdy flaps will hold up to even the most excitable readers. This is the rare novelty book that delivers the goods, drawing children in with fascinating material and sustaining their attention with die cuts and inventive 3-D cut-paper illustrations.

A wonderfully informative journey through the universe and a real treat for artistically inclined readers.