And then came Zelinsky’s Knick Knack Paddywhack! I have never seen such elaborate and creative paper engineering! There are the expected flaps in abundance. But try to imagine a bee keeper dancing with a “5.” (“He played knick-knack on my hive.”) Can you picture 13 separate rolling actions (“These old men came rolling home.”) with the pull of one tab? Can you imagine ten separate orchestral gestures with the operation of just one tab?
My favorite is also the most delicate. When this old man played seven and launched into heaven, try to picture father time riding a “7” through the tree and into the sky diminishing in size as he goes. Amazing!
Clearly this is not the book to throw into the ward nursery. Unsupervised, it would only survive about 1 child viewing. But if you have a child with a lively imagination who is willing to enjoy a book with parental supervision, you should buy a copy of this book. In fact maybe you should buy two and keep one where it can enliven dozens of adult viewings.
Paul O. Zellinsky (2002). Knick-Knack Paddywhack! A moving Parts Book. New York: Dutton Children’s Books.