Five years ago, in August 2008, I moved to Penn State from Montreal. Before coming, I spent my time, as usual, in the rare books room at McGill University, looking at their collection of early children’s books, particularly movable books. When I told my friend and mentor, Richard Virr, the curator of rare books, that I was coming to Penn State, he brought out several small books that looked like a chapbook, except for the accordion folds and movable flaps of words and pictures. There were four panels and when folded the four sections began with Adam, a lion, a young man, and an older man whose images transformed when the flaps were lifted up and down. The author’s name is inscribed in the border, as B. Sands, and the illustrator’s name is signed as J. Poupard.  The earliest one from 1816 is listed in the catalogue as follows:

Author                 Sands, Benjamin.

Title                    Metamorphosis, or, A transformation of pictures with poetical explanations for the amusement of young persons.

Published            New-York : Sold by Samuel Wood and Sons, 1816 (Philadelphia : J. Rakestraw).

We looked at the publisher information and decided it was fate that I was moving to Pennsylvania.