Product Description

First ever novelty book by a Hans Christian Andersen Award Winner. I went to the Animal Fair, The birds and the beasts were there...This pop-up interpretation of the well-loved playground rhyme is a fantastical extravaganza of illusion and surreal humour. See the crazy carousel in motion! Turn the wheel to discover the secrets of the haunted house! Look out for an elephantine sneeze! Full of Anthony's Browne's trademark surrealism and captivating detail, with the added thrill of ingenious tabs, flaps and wheels, you'll be amazed and excited, amused and delighted by the Animal Fair!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #497730 in Books
• Published on: 2002-10-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 16 pages

Review
Hans Christian Anderson Award winner Anthony Browne has taken the familiar children's song 'I Went to the Animal Fair' and given it a brilliant new interpretation in this pop-up book spectacular. His vibrant illustrations are already familiar to countless readers of classics such as Willy and Hugh, Bear Hunt and Piggybook, but here he excels himself with a dazzling display of visual delights. There are a myriad treats for curious young readers to discover - windows to peer through and doors to open; wheels to turn to watch the helter-skelter and the rollercoaster in action; the drama of the elephant sneezing. Martin Taylor's paper engineering is so beautifully crafted and subtly disguised beneath Browne's hectic illustrations that no child will unearth all of the book's secrets at one sitting,. But this is also a book for parents to relish while reading it with their children. There are sly pictorial references to his earlier books - the hero of Bear Hunt marches across the bottom of one page clutching his pencil, a gorilla looking suspiciously like Hannah's friend in Gorilla appears in a clown costume and some of the animals walking round the fair could have stepped from the pages of Zoo. Although Anthony Browne is most widely known for his illustrations, many of his books have a deeply serious message, and this one, though clearly aimed at young children, is no exception. There is a wonderful illustration of the animals riding a carousel consisting of people fixed to poles - a silent comment on man's exploitation of the animal kingdom, a subject which he explored more fully in Zoo. This book is destined to become a much-loved fixture on many bookshelves. Visually satisfying and with something new to discover every time, it will appeal to children of all ages; even those who consider themselves far too old for picture books will find plenty to entertain them. Ages 3-7 (Kirkus UK)

The Telegraph, 7th December 2002
'Illustrations by the great Anthony Browne and magnificent paper engineering.'

The Good Book Guide, November 2002
'The paper engineering is so beautifully crafted beneath the hectic illustrations that no child will unearth all of the book's secrets at one sitting.'