"He is totally absorbed in these complex intriguing pop-up images every time they are opened," a mother said of her 5-year-old son during the ongoing pop-up book exhibition at Reél Department Store in Shanghai.

The exhibition features 100 pop-up books, including one that's over 130 years old. Over 30 pop-up books are available to touch and read. Subjects range from fairy tales to science fiction.

Some of the pop-up books that can be found at the exhibition Photos: Courtesy of the event organizer

Some of the pop-up books that can be found at the exhibition Photos: Courtesy of the event organizer

Some of the pop-up books that can be found at the exhibition Photos: Courtesy of the event organizer

Some of the pop-up books that can be found at the exhibition Photos: Courtesy of the event organizer

Some of the pop-up books that can be found at the exhibition Photos: Courtesy of the event organizer

"When I visited the Louvre in Paris, I was impressed by the amazing paper art there and I bought some pop-up books for my daughter. On my return, I started to collect them," said Chen Ji, curator of the exhibition. "Pop-up books stimulate children's minds and attract them to the world of reading. The most amazing moment of a pop-up book is the moment you open it."

A highlight of the exhibition is the huge pop-up book I Love Shanghai, which when open is 5 meters wide, 2.5 meters deep, and has pop-ups that reach a height of 1.7 meters.

The book was made by Chinese-American photographer Colette Fu. She spent two months photographing the elements and creating a smaller version. A factory then spent two months manufacturing the large-scale version.

Fu brought six more of her pop-up books to the exhibition from her We Are Tiger Dragon People series, which depicts the multitude of cultures in Yunnan Province.

One of her exhibited books, Yi Costume Festival, tells the love story of an Yi couple. In pursuit of a girl, a jealous devil king tries to kill the girl's boyfriend. An old man teaches the young girl to crow like a rooster to call out the sun and drive the devil away. The girl saves her love and the villagers show their gratitude by wearing cockscomb hats, which are believed to bring luck, safety and happiness to their people.

"I first went to Yunnan in 1994 as an English teacher at Yunnan Nationalities University, which has students from different minority groups within the province. While in Yunnan, I discovered that my great-grandfather was a member of the powerful Yi tribe and governor of Yunnan during the transitional years of World War II. These experiences helped me find a new sense of pride and identity and encouraged me to put Yunnan cultural elements in my books," Fu said.

At college, Fu created two-dimensional collages displayed in large light boxes. "I was searching for a way to make my collages portable yet three-dimensional, and ended up in the children's section of a book store, where I was introduced to some elaborate pop-up books," she said. "This prompted me to construct my own books reflecting ideas about how we relate to our society today.

"I traveled to over 50 villages in Yunnan to take part in and document rituals, festivals and everyday living. I have also attended several weddings and funerals," she said.

In Fu's opinion, the most difficult part of making a pop-up book is creating a cohesive visual story that goes with the structural elements. "I use photographs and mistakes are expensive. It's always tempting to add more layers and more parts but sometimes complexity can take away from a story," she said.

Among all the exhibits, over 60 pop-up books come from the collection of Ann Montanaro, an American pop-up book collector, illustrator and paper engineer at the Movable Book Society. According to Montanaro, it usually takes about a year and a half to finish a pop-up book from design through to publication.

"Sometimes it takes multiple people to finish a pop-up book, including the story writer, illustrator and paper engineer, or it can also take only one person to do all the work. It depends on the book itself," said Montanaro.

David Carter is an American pop-up engineer whose book Bugs in a Box has sold 6.5 million copies worldwide. Carter said, "I see pop-up books as a form of entertainment for our brain. They can draw the reader into the book through true dimension and interactivity in a way that no other books do."

British pop-up engineer Ray Marshall believes that pop-up books, especially those with pull tabs and liftable flaps, are a great way to engage children.

"From within flat pages can appear an amazing scene. I believe this holds a child's attention longer than a flat picture book and also stimulates their imagination," Marshall said.

Both Carter and Marshall will share their pop-up stories and give lectures on how to make simple-structure pop-up books during the exhibition.

A pop-up bookstore can be found on Reél's fourth floor, offering a wide selection of pop-up books for sale.

Date: Until August 22, 10 am to 9 pm

Venue: Reél Department Store

芮欧百货

Address: 1601 Nanjing Road West

南京西路1601号

Admission: 60 yuan ($9.72) to 200 yuan

E-mail to popupbook@126.com for more details