Customer Reviews

America the Beautiful: A Pop-up Book

5 star:		(57)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Robert Sabuda has made me a pop-up book collector. These are not books, these are miniature architectural masterpieces and Robert Sabuda is the Lenonardo of this art. He is an artist certainly but he is just as good of an engineer to construct these amazements.

The first popup of the Golden Gate bridge uses a see-through plastic material which is something new in popup books, but why not, it works! Although I must say this book is a bit over the top in complexity. Each new Sabuda book is such an extravganza that I worry that he will exhaust his bag of paper tricks. So I wish him a long life so he can keep producing these books one per every year.

Ocassionaly the printing quality is not quite there (I bought 3) but I don't mind, all is forgiven. Just love this book. Magnificent.

Looking for a gift for a Democrat or a Republican in your life? This is the book.

WOW! Sabuda does it again. I don't know how these books are mass produced. Amazing detail down to Abe Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial, and the spinning wheels on the boat. Incredible.

Only complaint is the everything is whitepaper, except the backgrounds. Would have liked to have seen color on the pop-ups like his other books.

Robert Sabuda rocks the pop-up world once again with this grand and noble entry. Set to the lyric poem "America the Beautiful", the plain white pop-ups stand starkly against the backgrounds, the landmarks so well-known and loved by most Americans that they need no more illustration than an outline. WE know the Chrysler Building, the Statue of Liberty. Just as we don't need the musical accompaniment to the song to hear it in our heads as we read, we need no artistic concept of purple mountains majesties or sea to shining sea. Fill in the blanks yourself, that's what the white silhouettes ask us to do; for one man's fruited plains may not resemble another's. Sabuda allows our mind's eye to envision our own personal ideas of America. Stunning, so beautiful I'll be purchasing a copy for my daughter's 2nd grade teacher as a gift.
If nothing else moves you, the minibook with the silhouettes of Columbia, the Liberty Bell & the Twin Towers will bring tears to your eyes. Some memories are so overwhelming, they cannot be represented by a single image but must be suggested by a mere whisper of an outline.

There are pop-up books and then there are pop-up books by Robert Sabuda, who is not only the master of the genre, but who transcends it. What a thrill it is to open the newest of his books to find that he has once again produced a wonderful work of art. It's fun and whimsical...delicate and poignant...simple, yet amazingly intricate. Every page is a revelation, and each subsequent viewing brings new discovery. Here's a book about America that all Americans can love.

First, let me say that I am a HUGE fan of Robert Sabuda's. I love his Oz book and Alice in Wonderland book and King Tut book and other books. I have virtually all of them. I ordered this one expecting something wonderful.

If it was not Robert Sabuda and I didn't know what he is capable of producing, I would not have been so disappointed. But I was shocked that Sabuda would choose to skimp in this manner.

This could have been an absolutely BRILLIANT book. The cover is really neat and has touches of gold. But ALL of the fold-out art is just stark WHITE. There is NO color AT ALL except for the background. The result is FLAT and every page cries out for Sabuda's wonderful color schemes and production.

I do not know if this was done to cut cost, but his publisher should rethink this. I do not normally give bad reviews, and I am sorry but I will be returning this book - WHICH I NEVER DO!! I cannot "BARE" (bear) to look at it knowing what Sabuda is capable of and compare this last effort that missed the mark SO much.

I truly and sincerely hope that his publishers will redo this book in color even if it means jacking the price up. I will be the FIRST in line for such a book because the pop-ups are as usual very unique and intricate.

I know that I am not the only person by far who was HUGELY disappointed in this book. PLEASE redo this book with your brilliant colors.

I thought that this book was really great. Even if the pop ups were white they were so well built and with such great detail without even having color. Like the ferry boat on the Mississippi River that accually moves! Robert Subuda is so creative, it is amazing that someone could make pop ups so well. This was a great book and I recommend it to people 8 and up, because older children and adults would be the only ones to really appreciate that type of art. Overall this was my favorite book and should have won the Caldecott award!

I, too, disagree vehemently with the first reviewer in that the choice of white for the pop-ups with wrong for this book. Given that there is so much detail in each pop-up rendition, the choice of color would have been far too distracting. There was no "skimping" here - just good, artistic choice.
This is NOT a book for children under 10, unless they view this with an adult. Small curious hands will damage the pieces. Do not purchase this for a small child; purchase this for that child's parent!

I had purchased several of Sabuda's books for my grandchildren, the Cookie Countdown is amazing and what a surprise at the end! I have a friend who loves toys and gadgets and other mysterious things who was being given a fairly prestigious award for his work across the country. I got a copy of America the Beautiful as a gift for him because I knew he would love it. Both he and his wife were just amazed. He sat for hours opening and looking at each page. He still tells me he finds something new each time he looks at it. I knew he would love these books as much as I do and as much as my grandchildren do. Sabuda makes little works of art!

Agree with a couple of the other posters. This is a great idea/theme, and the pop-ups are, as usual, very intricate, but the lack of color is very disappointing. This doesn't compare to his other books.

This is the first of Robert Sabuda's beautiful books that I've seen. We have all come across Pop-Up books,Cards,and other things of this sort. More often they are children's books or greeting cards with one or two simple Pop-Ups. Sabuda takes this art form to an all together new level of excellence.Each of the 7 large Pop-Ups are a sight to behold. As you slowly open up the page, the scene magically unfolds,with each piece moving in a different direction and unfolds to create an amazing model. The only similar thing this reminds me of is those time delayed photographs that show a bud slowly unfolding its petals to create a beautiful flower. One can only imagine the thought process and technical expertise needed to accompolish this art.
One Pop-Up, titled The Great Plains ,totally amazed me when the vanes on the windmill rotated as it was opened.
There are also 4 small Pop-Ups included that,though mini-sized,are excellent as well. Particularly the Bald Eagle,essentially flaps its wings as it unfolds and is intriquing.
Some reviewers suggest the lack of color leaves much to be desired.Personally,I find that the whiteness adds to the majesty that the artist is trying to, and in fact, does accomplish.
Just for fun I checked out the artist's web site,and found he has created several other Pop-Up books. There is also great bibliographical information listed for anyone to check out if further interested in learning more or even wishing to take a stab of trying to create a Pop-Up of their own.
I would also suggest that once you have "looked at" all these models ;and that there is nothing to do but put the book away;that the book be left open at one of the models as a display.
I must admit that I have already purchased another one of Sabuda's books, "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland". Although
I haven't yet broken the seal and experienced these new Pop-Ups but I fully expect them to be as exciting as in this book.
Once I have had a chance to experience Alice and all in Pop-Up;I'll be doing a review on it too.