Inside the Villains

In delicate interactive paper flaps within a wonderfully oversize book, Perrin (At the Same Moment, Around the World) explores the true characters of three archetypal villains: a wolf, a giant, and a witch. Each fiend receives a gatefold's worth of background information: an introductory message ("I am the wolf. Everyone is afraid of me"), a well-known tale, and a trait sheet that details the baddie's strengths ("mastery of evil spells"), weaknesses ("digestive problems"), distinguishing features ("huge buttocks")--even its library. But the real pleasure is found in large lift-the-flap portraits of these mythical figures: The wolf's fur folds away to reveal Grandma's embroidered nightgown beneath it (pockets filled with octogenarian notions), which itself opens to skin level, where clever flaps show the contents of the animal's scarred stomach and wily mind. The giant's outerwear peels away to show what (or who) is hiding beneath his red hat and within his jacket's sausage-patterned lining. And a feather cape opens to reveal the witch's frock, her pocket's removable surprises, and the dreadful treasures she's stowed in her petticoats. In this book of detailed devils, which offers all the joys of paper crafts with none of their frustrations, the devil is most certainly in the details. Ages 7-8. (Sept.)