The Life of Martin Luther: A Pop-up Book

Paper engineer Traini follows The Birth of Jesus with a low-key pop-up staging of the story of Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation. The pages open vertically to create pop-up vignettes that show Luther’s promise to become a monk while caught in a dangerous storm (“The storm died down—and Martin Luther kept his promise”), his sharing of his 95 theses, and the distribution of his writings via the printing press. Traini’s cheerful cartooning keeps the mood upbeat, even when Luther’s beliefs caused him trouble—the book alludes to his stance on indulgences but otherwise doesn’t delve into the assertions that brought him into conflict with the Catholic church. Ages 3–8. (Feb.)