Christmas Around the World: A Pop-Up Book »

Chuck Fischer's paintings hang in some of the finest residences in the world. His designs have been reproduced on china for Lenox and home furnishings, including wallpaper and fabrics in the permanent collection of the Cooper-Hewitt Museum. He is the author of three previous pop-up books—THE WHITE HOUSE, GREAT AMERICAN HOUSES AND GARDENS, and CHRISTMAS IN NEW YORK. He lives in New York City.

A Christmas market in a snowy German village, an intimate French street lined with holiday lights, the crèche in St. Peter's Square in Rome, a photo tour of Christmas across America – all of this and more comes to life in Christmas Around the World. With fourteen pages of stunning pop-ups, pullouts, and booklets about celebrations in France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Latin America, Russia, Scandinavia, and the United States – as well as a working Advent calendar and a charming three-dimensional Santa's sleigh – this interactive book is an irresistible gift for anyone who loves the rich traditions of Christmas. The book features 65 color illustrations, 60 photos, and 11 booklets, with a magnificent Christmas pop-up on each page.

Children's Literature

This movable book is something of an encyclopedia of Christmas celebrations around the world. The pop-ups are placed in the center of a 9" high by 20 " wide space when the double-page spreads are open. The pop-ups consist of three scenes of various ways Christmas is celebrated in different Christian countries, two movables that include images of globes, one collection of memorabilia from Victorian English Christmases, and one jump-up Faberge egg with no clear Christmas connection on the page of Russian Christmas Traditions. The images are in brilliant color and the movable actions are fascinating. Tiny booklets on both sides of the pages provide information about religious re-enactments, seasonal foods, in- and out-of-door festivities, decorations, and local holiday characters from the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, France, Russia, Scandinavia, Latin America, and the USA. Information on the back cover states, "60 Photos 65 Color Illustrations 11 Booklets;" however it is uphill work accessing the information due to the small size of the booklets and the difficulty of holding them open while reading. But those who have the book will doubtless manage it and learn new things about Christmas around the world. Reviewer: Eleanor Heldrich