Babar's Moon Trip (1968)

 

Babar's Moon Trip was a pop-up book I had never come across before. It seems influenced a little by the space race and the American efforts to get to the Moon. 

They face problems like: not achieving escape velocity for the Moon, failure of stage separation, failure to adjust quickly to reduced gravity on the Moon, and a very short exploration time to obtain samples before their launch window :)

It is not really a "pure" pop-up book but rather has some pop-ups and various flaps and tabs you can pull (for action.) 

de Brunhoff, Laurent. Babar's Moon Trip. New York: Random House. (18 p.) 1968.

Tip & Top and The Moon Rocket (1964)

 

A charming pop-up book about a trip to the moon. Like other pop-up books it is hard to share how wonderful it is to see the rocket rise up or how the surface of the Moon is 3-d.  It is a reprint and was was originally Czechoslovakian but I don't know much more about the original book. 

Kubasta, V. Tip & Top and The Moon Rocket. London: Bancroft and Co. (7 p.) 1964.

Our Defenders (1976)

 

Even if a bit inappropriate, given politics, here is a cool Russian pop-up book. Not really space flight oriented but still interesting. Our Defenders was a book illustrating the Russian military including battlefield rockets. The images are stereotypical of Soviet times and an interesting choice for a children's book.

Mihalkov. Sergei. Illustrated by Beslik, A. НАШИ ЗАЩИТТНИКИ (Our Defenders.) Moscow: Baby Publishing (Mayysh) House. (16 p.) 1976. 

The Jolly Jump-ups Journey Through Space (1952)

 

Sorry for the delays in posting, I have been on a short vacation. So today is one of my favorite (and obscure) fictional pop-up books about space. A really beautifully illustrated 1952 book with some amazing text to accompany it, The Jolly Jump-ups Journey Through Space!

Clyne, Geraldine. The Jolly Jump-ups Journey Through Space. Springfield, MA: McLoughlin Bros. (12 p.) 1952.