The first verses of five classic Christmas carols - O Christmas Tree / Silent Night / Hark! The Herald Angels Sing / We Three Kings of Orient Are / Ding Dong! Merrily on High - are illustrated with pop-up scenes from Francesca Crespi in this lovely holiday book for children. The pop-ups themselves are fairly simple, usually arranged in a scene along the top or bottom of each two-page spread, although two carols - Silent Night and We Three Kings of Orient Are - also have a tab that allows the reader to manipulate a star/circle. The final spread has a bell being rung by two choir members...

An enjoyable, interactive holiday book, one perfectly suited to young carol lovers, Ding Dong! Merrily On High: A Pop-up Book of Christmas Carols is a book I have long been meaning to track down, so I'm glad my inter-library loan for it finally came in. The paper engineering here is simple but effective, and the artwork appealing. I was surprised to see that the verse used for O Christmas Tree was not what I was used to. It reads "O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree! Thou tree most fair and lovely," rather than what I was used to: O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree! How lovely are thy branches." I was unaware that there were multiple versions of this song in English translation. I am familiar with the German original, and am not sure where this alternate version comes from. Leaving aside that puzzle, this is a book I would recommend to all young carol lovers, especially those that appreciate more interactive, pop-up style books. ( )