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Knick Knack Paddywhack
Caldecott Medal winner Paul O. Zelinsky's first moving-parts book since the best-selling "Wheels on the Bus" is a beauty. To the verses of "This Old Man," an ingenious visual narrative follows a young boy as he ventures outside. Along the way, children can push tabs, turn wheels, or lift flaps to see ten different old men pop out of hiding to play Knick-Knack. Children (and critics) agree that "Knick-Knack Paddywhack!" takes the interactive book to a new level of imagination.
? Smithsonian magazine Notable Book for Children 2002
? Parenting magazine Book of the Year
? Newsweek magazine Top Pick for Kids
? New York Times Best Illustrated Book for 2002
? Smithsonian magazine Notable Book for Children 2002
? Parenting magazine Book of the Year
? Newsweek magazine Top Pick for Kids
? New York Times Best Illustrated Book for 2002
8 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2002
1 person is currently reading
94 people want to read
About the author
Paul O. Zelinsky
79 books88 followersBorn 1953
Paul O. Zelinsky grew up in Wilmette, Illinois, the son of a mathematics professor and a medical illustrator. He drew compulsively from an early age, but did not know until college that this would be his career. As a Sophomore in Yale College he enrolled in a course on the history and practice of the picture book, co-taught by an English professor and Maurice Sendak. This experience inspired Paul to point himself in the direction of children's books. His first book appeared in 1978, since which time he has become recognized as one of the most inventive and critically successful artists in the field.
He now lives with his wife in Brooklyn, New York. They have two grown daughters.
Among many other awards and prizes, he received the 1998 Caldecott Medal for his illustrated retelling of Rapunzel, as well as Caldecott Honors for three of his books: Hansel and Gretel (1985), Rumpelstiltskin (1987), and Swamp Angel (1995).
(Source: http://paulozelinsky.com
Paul O. Zelinsky grew up in Wilmette, Illinois, the son of a mathematics professor and a medical illustrator. He drew compulsively from an early age, but did not know until college that this would be his career. As a Sophomore in Yale College he enrolled in a course on the history and practice of the picture book, co-taught by an English professor and Maurice Sendak. This experience inspired Paul to point himself in the direction of children's books. His first book appeared in 1978, since which time he has become recognized as one of the most inventive and critically successful artists in the field.
He now lives with his wife in Brooklyn, New York. They have two grown daughters.
Among many other awards and prizes, he received the 1998 Caldecott Medal for his illustrated retelling of Rapunzel, as well as Caldecott Honors for three of his books: Hansel and Gretel (1985), Rumpelstiltskin (1987), and Swamp Angel (1995).
(Source: http://paulozelinsky.com
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
March 12, 2009
This is a great book - all of the day care kids love it. It has great illustrations and fun moving parts! Unfortunately, I don't think it will last very long - kids are hard on books like this.
October 7, 2017
Reading Log
Title: Knick Knack Paddywhack
Author: Paul O. Zelinsky
Illustrator: Andrew Baron
Genre: Toy Book, Nursery Rhyme, predictable text
Theme(s): Nursery Rhyme, Interactive text
Opening line/sentence (type directly from text):
“This old man, he played one, he played knick knack on my thumb.”
Brief Book Summary (2-3 sentences in your own words):
The book is the same as the song “This Old Man” and the reader can sing along with the book. The illustrations that go along with the story are very interactive, and by pulling on tabs or flipping flaps, the reader can actually see the old man playing paddywhack.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1 (cut & paste, details below):
Diane Foote (Booklist, Nov. 1, 2002 (Vol. 99, No. 5))
“This well-imagined, cleverly constructed book will keep children busy for hours, examining the intricate workings and humming the familiar nursery rhyme-counting song. Richly colored, full-page spreads feature a boy and his dachshund getting up, tying shoes, and going outdoors for some fun, while tiny "old men," each one different, peek out from behind the boy's hand, inside his shoe, around the door, out of a hive, inside his backpack. On the second to last spread, old man number 10 can be found concealed beneath tiny flaps on the next-to-last spread, revisiting all the hiding places of his predecessors, which also show all 10 men "rolling home" down a hill as the little boy laughs uproariously. The minuscule old men actually peek, roll, and move, thanks to a variety of pull tabs and flaps. The paper is sturdy, but the pull tabs sometimes stick, and very young children will need an adult's help to work them without destroying them. Libraries may want to restrict this to small-group storytime.” Category: Books for the Young--Nonfiction. 2002, Dutton, $18.99. PreS-Gr. 3. Starred Review
(PUBLISHER: Dutton Children's Books (New York:), PUBLISHED: c2002)
http://www.clcd.com.ezaccess.librarie...
Professional Recommendation/Review #2 (cut & paste, details below):
Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz (Children's Literature)
“Zelinsky uses the old counting song, This old man as the text to deliver double pages of cleverly designed manipulative devices that animate ten different old men through different scenes. There are tabs to pull, wheels to spin, flaps to lift, some including pop-ups, and handles to slide. The pages are filled with naturalistic painted fun. Men are having a great time riding all manner of vehicles rolling home; while the young boy hero of the story gets up and prepares to take his dog for a walk across the pages. The first old man pops up as the boy is lying down in his pajamas, and rolls home on a bicycle. The second man arises from a shoe the boy has tied; the third from his knee, rolling home on a unicycle followed by a dog with bone, the fourth rides away on a skateboard. And so it goes. The dog finally gets his bone on the grand finale page, where the boy claps his hands and all the men and numbers perform together. The music for the song appears on the back cover.”
http://www.clcd.com.ezaccess.librarie...
Response to Two Professional Reviews (3-4 sentences in your own words)
Like the professional reviews stated, the moveable features in this book are captivating for children. One great point in the review is that the story may be best restricted to storytime in libraries because it seems easily destructible, and I thought the same thing when I was reading the book. The illustrations are beautiful and the book is really easy to sing along to, so it would be great for students to sing to in music class.
Evaluation of Literary Elements (3-4 sentences in your own words):
I would not use this book in my classroom very often, if at all. I think music teachers would love to use this as a read aloud, and I could use it as an introduction to nursery rhymes, but I think children would get really excited about the moveable features and the book could easily get damaged. I would want children to be able to hold and read the books I that I use in class, and I would not want to keep it out of their hands, so therefore, I probably wouldn’t read it at all. I know that these books are meant to be played with, but it is better for parents to purchase it for their children instead of having all the children get quick turns with it or to keep it from them all.
Title: Knick Knack Paddywhack
Author: Paul O. Zelinsky
Illustrator: Andrew Baron
Genre: Toy Book, Nursery Rhyme, predictable text
Theme(s): Nursery Rhyme, Interactive text
Opening line/sentence (type directly from text):
“This old man, he played one, he played knick knack on my thumb.”
Brief Book Summary (2-3 sentences in your own words):
The book is the same as the song “This Old Man” and the reader can sing along with the book. The illustrations that go along with the story are very interactive, and by pulling on tabs or flipping flaps, the reader can actually see the old man playing paddywhack.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1 (cut & paste, details below):
Diane Foote (Booklist, Nov. 1, 2002 (Vol. 99, No. 5))
“This well-imagined, cleverly constructed book will keep children busy for hours, examining the intricate workings and humming the familiar nursery rhyme-counting song. Richly colored, full-page spreads feature a boy and his dachshund getting up, tying shoes, and going outdoors for some fun, while tiny "old men," each one different, peek out from behind the boy's hand, inside his shoe, around the door, out of a hive, inside his backpack. On the second to last spread, old man number 10 can be found concealed beneath tiny flaps on the next-to-last spread, revisiting all the hiding places of his predecessors, which also show all 10 men "rolling home" down a hill as the little boy laughs uproariously. The minuscule old men actually peek, roll, and move, thanks to a variety of pull tabs and flaps. The paper is sturdy, but the pull tabs sometimes stick, and very young children will need an adult's help to work them without destroying them. Libraries may want to restrict this to small-group storytime.” Category: Books for the Young--Nonfiction. 2002, Dutton, $18.99. PreS-Gr. 3. Starred Review
(PUBLISHER: Dutton Children's Books (New York:), PUBLISHED: c2002)
http://www.clcd.com.ezaccess.librarie...
Professional Recommendation/Review #2 (cut & paste, details below):
Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz (Children's Literature)
“Zelinsky uses the old counting song, This old man as the text to deliver double pages of cleverly designed manipulative devices that animate ten different old men through different scenes. There are tabs to pull, wheels to spin, flaps to lift, some including pop-ups, and handles to slide. The pages are filled with naturalistic painted fun. Men are having a great time riding all manner of vehicles rolling home; while the young boy hero of the story gets up and prepares to take his dog for a walk across the pages. The first old man pops up as the boy is lying down in his pajamas, and rolls home on a bicycle. The second man arises from a shoe the boy has tied; the third from his knee, rolling home on a unicycle followed by a dog with bone, the fourth rides away on a skateboard. And so it goes. The dog finally gets his bone on the grand finale page, where the boy claps his hands and all the men and numbers perform together. The music for the song appears on the back cover.”
http://www.clcd.com.ezaccess.librarie...
Response to Two Professional Reviews (3-4 sentences in your own words)
Like the professional reviews stated, the moveable features in this book are captivating for children. One great point in the review is that the story may be best restricted to storytime in libraries because it seems easily destructible, and I thought the same thing when I was reading the book. The illustrations are beautiful and the book is really easy to sing along to, so it would be great for students to sing to in music class.
Evaluation of Literary Elements (3-4 sentences in your own words):
I would not use this book in my classroom very often, if at all. I think music teachers would love to use this as a read aloud, and I could use it as an introduction to nursery rhymes, but I think children would get really excited about the moveable features and the book could easily get damaged. I would want children to be able to hold and read the books I that I use in class, and I would not want to keep it out of their hands, so therefore, I probably wouldn’t read it at all. I know that these books are meant to be played with, but it is better for parents to purchase it for their children instead of having all the children get quick turns with it or to keep it from them all.
Read
March 21, 2024Knick-Knack Paddywhack is a folklore book that has been passed down from generation to generation. This book is adapted from the Counting Song as well! This library edition is perfect for kids because it has moving parts to help tell the story!! In the book on the last spread when all the men are home, there is a tab that moves all the men playing an instrument. In addition, when the old man plays “knick-knack on his door”, the door opens to the next page, showing the man outside. This is another great way to engage the reader. The plot of this story is as the numbers get higher, there are more old men appearing as well as always giving the dog a bone. This is a great way to inform young readers about counting! This is a catchy read-aloud that will have you repeating all day!
September 17, 2013
"Knick-Knack Paddywhack" by Paul Zelinsky is a fabulous pattern/predictable book. Its terrific illustrations caused this book to be my favorite picture book I read. The words on the page are simply the song "Knick-Knack PaddyWhack" that almost all children learn at a very young age. Even if children did not know the song before reading the book, however, it would still qualify as a pattern picture book. I had a lot of fun looking at the pictures, and moving the pop up's on every page. If I enjoyed this story as an adult, I know children will too. The illustrations make this book and even more enjoyable. Since it is a predictable book, it is easy to understand and comprehend. I think this is a book every teacher should have in their classroom.
February 21, 2016
This was a very interesting book. It's a pop up/moving parts book that is based on the old counting song Knick-Knack Paddywhack. The boy who seems to be singing the song goes through his day and all of these old men pop up doing random things that are a part of the song. The illustrations are cool and they all seem to be very colorful. The interactive parts of the story are also an added bonus. You'd have to be very careful however, because those interactive parts are very fragile and a child could easily break it, ruining the book. This would be a fun book to read to kids to help them with basic counting or just to use as a fun interactive book to read to kids at story time.
Read
September 17, 2013I would highly recommend this book for any child. There is a repetitive song throughout the book that children can sing along to, which would make this a great book to read aloud to a classroom. There are many popups and tabs that can be pulled witch could easily be done by a person reading the book. It might be easily broken in a classroom however. The song counts from one to ten and each number has a rhyme to it. The images in this book seem to be done with water color and are made with very vibrant colors and they use a lot of them. It easily attracts the attention of a reader.
October 10, 2011
This is the read aloud book that I chose for class on October 3rd. Knick Knack Paddywhack is one of the most known songs/poems so I thought it would be a cute read aloud for an elementary classroom. It is a pop up book, so as you read you must mess with the pages of the book. It offers a fun and unique way to read the book, but it was often at times annoying. I felt that it distracted me. The illustrations were great and I think that children would love to read it and manipulate the pop outs.
December 23, 2014
A perfect gift for the 5 and under set. It's a beautiful, detailed lift the flap/pull the flap book that's also extremely entertaining. We had this when my 12 year old was young - it was totally destroyed, but I just found a copy for my current 2 year old, and he's constantly asking me to read it to him. It is somewhat delicate, so better not to leave it alone in a child's hands. Totally recommend.
April 4, 2011
This was a birthday present for Dan's second birthday. It is a beautifully illustrated and constructed lift-the-flap book of "This Old Man," one of Danny's favorite songs last year. We had to store it out of reach, because the boys constantly fought over who got to move the figures. Some adorable details, such as pictures on each page that rhyme with the number of the verse.
April 4, 2011
This was a birthday present for Dan's second birthday. It is a beautifully illustrated and constructed lift-the-flap book of "This Old Man," one of Danny's favorite songs last year. We had to store it out of reach, because the boys constantly fought over who got to move the figures. Some adorable details, such as pictures on each page that rhyme with the number of the verse.
December 31, 2011
This was a birthday present for Dan's second birthday. It is a beautifully illustrated and constructed lift-the-flap book of "This Old Man," one of Danny's favorite songs last year. We had to store it out of reach, because the boys constantly fought over who got to move the figures. Some adorable details, such as pictures on each page that rhyme with the number of the verse.
October 16, 2013
Another pop-up winner! I discovered this book last year. This is one book my grandchildren all want to read again and again and again. The crazy part is explaining to a child what a paddywhack is. Fabulous illustrations throughout this book but the last 3 pages are my favorite.
To see my review on this book: http://xoxograndma.blogspot.com/2013/...
To see my review on this book: http://xoxograndma.blogspot.com/2013/...
February 18, 2010
Excellent! It's a "moving parts" book, where you pull tags to see pictures move. It's intricate and detailed with lots of things to look at on each page - as interesting to adults as it is to kids. The quality is far above average for your normal moving pictures book.
May 22, 2021
I felt like the moving parts were almost too much and were confusing. I love flaps and moving pieces but I think on this one simplifying would have been better, the less is more concept would have been a good standard for this book to follow
December 25, 2007
Give yourself this delightful book - have given this as a gift over and over. LOVE his illustrations! A master!
October 1, 2011
Awesome!
Read
October 27, 2011moving parts
December 23, 2011
This is a great version but I can just see all the tabs being ripped out with use.
July 23, 2012
Paul Zalinsky's pop-up books are just wonderful.
December 5, 2014
i like this interactive book and its very cute because kids can sing along while puling and reveling the different parts.
January 21, 2016
I loved the illustrations and the moving parts, but my son was somewhat 'eh' about it and it seldom comes off our shelves; now that he is seven I'm passing it along to another child.
April 22, 2012
Zelinsky is a genius. I can't imagine the work that went into engineering this all properly.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews