Book of the Week (45): "Cars" pop-up by Robert Crowther

Since my kid was one year old, he has been interested in wheels. Now that he is nearly four he can identify different makes of cars. What to me looks like ‘a big black car’ is enthusiastically identified as a Nissan Quashqai Crossover. The new pop up novelty book from Walker was therefore a great success. Although the book is aimed at a slightly older audience, as the amount of information about cars and their specs suggests, there are enough ‘hands on’ flaps and pop-up models to satisfy a younger child. Robert Crowther dedicates each double spread to a different type of car. The first spread charts the early history of the automobile from the 1885 Benz Motorwagen to the 1908 Ford Model T. Other spreads display Supercars, everyday cars through the decades, record-breaking cars, and future cars, including some intriguing eco-models. All of these are accompanied by 3D models, and pull-tags to get the cars moving across the page. The pièce de résistance, however, is the double-spread 3D model of a racetrack, including a wealth of information about Formula 1 racing, on which my son happily raced his own collection of toy cars. Fun, interactive and informative – I certainly learned a lot. Crowther also has similar books about trains, flight and ships, so there is something for every young transport enthusiast. Bon voyage!

Recommended by Noga Applebaum