Jan Pietnkowski reaches new heights in artistry and paper engineering with his exquisite book The First Noel, which will be treasured by children and adults alike. The cover, with its silhouettes of the holy family, gives only the slightest clue as to the treasures inside this Christmas carousel pop-up book.
The Book's Pop-up Design
When you untie the red bow holding the book closed and open the book so wide you can tie the backs of the covers to one another, you will have a beautiful pop-up carousel book, with five separate scenes related to the birth of the Christ child, each composed of several layers of white silhouettes against a red background. This type of pop-up book is also known as a star book because when it is open, a star shape is created at the top (see the photo of the open book). It is a marvel of paper engineering. "The First Noel" is both a piece of artwork and a Christmas story, a story told more with the illustrations than with the text.
The Scenes
Each of the five scenes tells part of the story of the Nativity. The text in each scene consists of just one sentence retelling part of the Bible story. The five scenes consist of the following:
- Scene One: An angel appears and tells Mary she is to be the mother of Jesus.
- Scene Two: Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem.
- Scene Three: Jesus is born.
- Scene Four: An angel appears before the shepherds.
- Scene Five: The Wise men bring gifts to the Christ child.
The Artist Jan Pietnkowski
Jan Pietnkowski was born in Warsaw, Poland in 1936. After moving from Poland to Austria, to Germany, and to Italy durning the war, his family settled in England. According to Pietnkowski, "My first attempt at paper engineering was making a paper castle for my father, when I was seven."
Jan Pietnkowski was awarded the Kate Greenaway Medal in 1972 for his silhouette illustrations in The Kingdom Under The Sea (compare prices) by Joan Aiken. He won a second Kate Greenaway Medal in 1980 for Haunted House (compare prices), a pop-up book. In addition to his pop-up books, he is known for the Meg and Mog series that he created with Helen Nicoll. There is now a Meg and Mog animated television show in England, based on the series.
Guide Recommendation: A Gift for the Whole Family
Although it was published by a children's books publisher, The First Noel is not just a children's book. This unique Christmas pop-up book would make a terrific gift for the entire family. You can read the story of the first Christmas as a family, then set the star book on display and enjoy it for the entire Christmas season. "The First Noel" was published in 2004 by Candlewick Press.
(ISBN: 0763621900)
