The Nativity: Six Glorious Pop-Up Scenes

by Francesca Crespi

When originally published in 1994, this elegant pop-up tableaux sold over 50,000 copies. Celebrate its miraculous rebirth with this beautiful three-dimensional presentation of the story of Christmas, complete with foil-stamped cover and golden ribbon tie.

A simple re-telling of the nativity story receives a strikingly handsome treatment, as special as Christmas itself. Every one of the six gilded and gloriously illustrated panoramas offers exquisitely crafted paperwork with windows that burst open to reveal such delicate, moving scenes as the Angel Gabriel attending Mary, the Holy Family in the manger, and the Three Wise Men worshipping the baby Jesus.

This timeless portrayal will once again become a necessary adornment under every tree.

Genres: Christmas, Picture Books, Childrens

12 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Eric Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated pop-up book that is among the best of its kind. the pop-up scenes are visually striking and painstakingly detailed. The story--chronicling the birth of Jesus--is a perfect way to introduce to your child the true meaning of Christmas.

[Danette · Rating 3 out of 5]

12/27/18 Read with Julia

[Emilia Einarsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very beautiful 💫✨️🩷

[Shanna Gonzalez · Rating 4 out of 5]

How do you engage preschoolers in an Advent ceremony? One way is to get this beautiful pop-up book, illustrated in Renaissance style, that tells the story of Jesus' birth in simple prose. The illustrations are quite pretty, and the pop-up pages are well designed. Many of them have pieces that move when tabs are pulled.

If biblical accuracy is important to you, you will want to know that the story has details that are different from what is written in Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 2:1-20. It shows Mary riding a donkey, where the Bible doesn't mention one; it has the angels singing when they announce Christ's birth to the shepherds, where the Scripture just describes them praising God; and it has the ox and ass breathing on baby Jesus to keep him warm. If this bothers you, you could just skip those parts or read the original scripture passages instead.

This book is best used with adult participation, since preschoolers will quickly destroy the fragile cutout pieces if left alone with it. It's surprisingly expensive on Amazon, but you can find it used at bookfinder.com.

[Juliana Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This stunning picture book tells the Christmas story in six pop-up scenes. The Angel appears from behind the clouds. No Room at the Inn shows Mary riding a donkey and Joseph ascending the stairs to the inn. The Stable slides opens two panels to reveal the Holy Family inside. The Shepherds is multilayered to depict the countryside outside Bethlehem and a spinning disk of angles playing musical instruments in the sky. The Wise Men stand in the forefront of the scene with a pull-out tab which moves the star across the sky in the background. And finally, The Gifts opens two side panels to a celestial view of the infant Jesus in his mother's arms surrounded by angels.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've recently come to enjoy pop-up books, a slightly fragile combination of art and toy. I bought this one to read with my granddaughter; in a year or so she'll probably get it for her own. The story of the Nativity is simply told with beautiful illustrations that children will enjoy. Not only for home use, but a good purchase for Sunday school teachers.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Pop-Up's are BEAUTIFUL!

[Teri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful artwork.