ABC3D is created by French artist Marion Bataille, also author of 10 and Numero. She’s known for her simplistic but effective style and minimal use of colors. ABC3D is one of the most popular pop-up books on Google and YouTube right now. Probably because it’s a pleasant mix of art and paper engineering packed in a small but striking book. A perfect introduction for those unfamiliar to the world of pop-up books. The lenticular cover invites you directly to open up the book. Then, you’ll won’t close it until you’ve reached the letter Z. It triggers you to discover how every letter is presented and which technique is used, page after page. There are some books for children that count down from ten to zero but this is another book for a different audience. It’s rather for adults and demands more attention to the minimalist designs and outstanding paper engineering.
“One of the most delightful and innovative pop-up books I have ever seen.”
Robert Sabuda
Artwork
The minimalist use of the three colors palette makes this book a real work of art. Also, the usage of materials like plain matte paper mixed with reflective chrome and translucent pages contributes to the total style and appearance of this book. The font used for the complete alphabet is an extra bold sans serif font that fits well into the whole. The only printed parts used for the pop-ups are subtle patterns of white and red lines. The consistent use of color combinations adds even more style to it. For example, the few black pages used in this book, all contain white letters. The mostly white pages contain a mix of black and/or red letters. Together with the variation of techniques used, anyone can see that this book is composed with great care and feeling for material and color.
“Easily the most innovative alpabet book of the year, if not the decade… Beyond clever.”
The Washington Post
Used techniques
Except for some, most pop-ups are spread pop-ups with a different technique used for almost each page. Some letters are presented in beautiful 3D variants, while other letters seem flat but are very dynamic and complicated. When you take a closer look you’ll see a large variation of used techniques that brings this book to a whole new level of paper engineering. Some highlights are the letter “A”, that perfectly pops-in and out and has some beautiful diagonals. The letter “U”, a fragile and detailed pop-up that you rarely see in a published pop-up book and pop-ups like the letters “B”, “K” and “S” that use well-developed designs with techniques like rotation, expanding and sliding.
Merge
Some letters are working together to create the effect of transformation. Turn an “E” into an “F” by opening the spread and the “C” snaps into a “D” before you know it. It’s fun to do! Some spreads just feel like little puzzles that let you do some of the work to complete the alphabet. This brings extra interaction and dimension between the reader and the book. It’s beautifully made and gives you the feeling that you go through the alphabet as a journey, letter by letter.
The perfect gift
Everyone will be happy to receive ABC3D as a gift. It’s fun to read and will fascinate you every time you read it. It’s for all ages and genders and will be a nice addition (and show piece) for every collection or bookshelf. So put this book on your list in case you don’t know what to buy for christmas, birthdays, Father’s Day or Mother’s Day. You name it, this book is suitable for everyone and every occasion!
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More about the author: Marion Bataille
Order this book at Amazon: ABC3D
More pop-up books by French Paper Engineers
8.7
Must Have!
Our review
This amazing pop-up book is number 7 on our top 10 list.
