Spooky House

by Chris Mould

Beyond the rickety gates at 76 Pumpkin Lane lies Tombstone Hall - a pop-up haunted house! Read the spine-tingling story, play with the gruesome characters and discover ten terrifying rooms brought to life with pops and flaps.

8 pages, Hardcover

First published September 20, 2007

About the author

Chris Mould is the illustrator of Captain Beastlie’s Pirate Party, written by Lucy Coats. Chris went to art school at the age of sixteen. During this time, he did various jobs, from delivering papers to washing-up. He has won the Nottingham Children’s Book Award and been commended for the Sheffield. He loves his work and likes to write and draw the kind of books that he would have liked to have on his shelf as a boy. He is married with two children and lives in Yorkshire.

Chris Mould spends his working day in one of the prestigious art studios at Dean Clough Mills in Halifax. His studio is clearly marked with a skull and crossboned warning as to what might lie within.

Chris is not confined to book illustration. He has worked for the RSC, the BBC, the FT and many other famous initials, aswell as film development work for Aardman Animations which included character and environment development work on the film Flushed Away.

When away from his studio, Chris spends most of his time with his wife Sue and his two daughters Emily and Charlotte.

Reviews

[Mathew · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Beyond the rickety, overgrown gates at 76 Pumpkin Lane lies Tombstone Hall..' so begin this zany yet highly ambitious pop-up which you see on the Hardcover image. There is little story here but the chunky hardback introduces us to the cast of 76 Pumpkin Lane and then draws the brief narrative to a barred door. Upon opening it, the cast themselves can be found, ready to pulled out, stood up and engage with some imaginative boog-a-looing* on the following page.
Once out, you turn the page and are invited to erect one huge haunted house with a host of rooms and flaps to explore. I admire the book for its ambitious structure and have always enjoyed Chris Mould's illustrations which remind me very much of Victor Ambrus.

*Boog-a-looing may be a made up word and I don't think I should write reviews late at night

[James Benham · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazingly intricate pop-up book. Although there is little story, it is an incredibly interactive resource with a detailed haunted house, complete with characters you can place in the house. I imagine even reluctant readers could spend a lot of time with this. I spent longer than I care to admit looking at all the different rooms and their respective themes. Very imaginative and engaging.

[Maria Basile · Rating 5 out of 5]

Il più bel libro pop up che io abbia mai visto. Molto dettagliato e colorato, con all'interno anche dei personaggi che si possono posizionare a piacere nella casa