PEEPS INTO FAIRYLAND: A REPRODUCTION OF AN...

PEEPS INTO FAIRYLAND: A REPRODUCTION OF AN ANTIQUE PICTURE BOOK by Ernest Nister (Putnam’s Young Readers Group: $14.95; 22 pp.; all ages).

During the 1890s in England, publisher and artist Ernest Nister pioneered the three-dimensional pop-up book. By experimenting with colors, revolving wheels and folded cardboard, he was able to create drawings that lived , to the delight of readers everywhere. In one such project, “Peeps Into Fairyland,” he illustrated five stories, two of them by the beloved children’s author of the day, E. Nesbit.

Now we can glimpse the Victorian era at its fairiest with this sturdy reproduction of Nister’s original work. The stories are printed on yellowed paper with tiny line drawings and scripted titles. In renovating the pop-ups, Jean-Francois Podevin used as many as 12 pastelish colors to create the faded look of an antique.

Traditional tales (“Jack and the Beanstalk”) and others by M. A. Hoyer and F. E. Weatherly are used. A Fairy Queen teaches children to behave in “Naughty Noel,” a sample of Nesbit’s fantasies from the early 1900s, which were forerunners to the Mary Poppins’ adventures.

The publisher lists this volume for all ages, but for practical purposes, it should not be left alone with toddlers--their ability to disassemble things would turn this to scrap in a matter of seconds. Also, few preschoolers will sit still long enough to hear out five minutes reading per page. Early readers can be trusted with the pop-ups, but because of the minuscule print, they will merely glance at the stories.

Those who will most appreciate Nister’s exquisite detail and nostalgia for Victorian times are adults. Today’s children--weaned on TV, videos and fast-paced picture books--will never sit still for it.

GIANTS OF LAND, SEA & AIR: PAST & PRESENT by David Peters (Sierra Club/Knopf: $12.95; 74 pp.; age 4-up). A giant format (10x13) with fold-out pages shows 71 of the largest creatures to have ever lived, all in full-color paintings. Each page has a man and woman jogging or swimming-in scale-alongside the animals to show proportions. Detailed definitions and evolutionary time chart.