Cinderella: A Pop-Up Fairy Tale [Hardcover]

Matthew Reinhart (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

A Classic Collectible Pop-Up™

Matthew Reinhart's resplendent retelling of Cinderella comes to life with intricate pop-ups, foil, ribbons, acetate, and amazing dimensional surprises. The stunning transformation of a pumpkin into a magnificent coach, a rat into a coachman, and Cinderella into a beautiful princess is pure magic.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A Q&A with Author Matthew Reinhart

Q: What book has had the most significant impact on your life?
A: Peter Spier's book Gobble, Grunt, Growl was my favorite as a child and as a young artist. The only words in the book were animal sounds, but the pictures really told the story. Mr. Spier is an amazing draftsman and while his creatures remained realistic, they all displayed such emotion and fun. He really knows how to set a scene of characters interacting without the use of a single word. All of his books share the same love of natural science, detail and whimsy. They inspired my drawings as a child and continue to now as a professional artist. I wish I could be half as good as him!

Q: You are stranded on a desert island with only one book, one CD, and one DVD--what are they?
A: The book: It would have to be a book with a lot of pictures and a lot of words! DK's Animal: The Definitive Visual Guide of The World's Wildlife could keep me occupied for a long time. The CD: That's tough, because I am constantly buying new music. I have current favorites like The Killers and Delerium, but being a long time Madonna fan, I would have to say her first self-titled album was her best. Its fun and fresh. The DVD: I would probably take one of the discs from The Simpsons: Complete Season 6. Its my favorite show on TV, and that was a brilliant season. I could watch over and over again!.

Q: What is the worst lie you've ever told?
A: Most of my lies are awful since I am such a terrible liar. My worst was back in 1st grade when my family lived in San Diego. My parents took me to the zoo every other weekend and I was a complete animal nut. So one day, I told my friend Rommel that I had a zoo in my backyard, complete with elephants, giraffes, and other wild beasts. He actually believed me! The silliest part of this lie was that I actually brought him over to see my "zoo," which did not exist. Rommell seemed unfazed when he caught my lie; children are pretty forgiving. I was one dumb kid!

Q: Describe the perfect writing environment.
A: To make pop-ups, I need lots of light, inspiration and thumping music! The studio where I make pop-ups is a simple office with large windows and filled with pop-up books in an old building in New York City. Thanks to satellite radio, we listen to all kinds of music (though I am partial to dance music). Being a child of the 80's, I also force my designers to listen to the 80's station almost everyday. We have a very casual, fun environment but are serious about the work we do. When I write, however, I need to be alone. I play quiet, soothing music in a small office at home. The office doubles as a toy room for my massive Transformers and Star Wars figure collections. When I have writer's block, I have plenty of toys to distract me!

Q: If you could write your own epitaph, what would it say?
A: "Thanks for the fun and don't touch my toys!"

Q: Who is the one person living or dead that you would like to have dinner with?
A: My grandpa George, since he died before I was born and everybody in the family loved him so much. He really wanted a grandson but missed me by a few years. I'd like to get to meet him just once.

Q: If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
A: I would like to be able to morph into any form I choose like Mystique from X-Men or Beast Boy from the Teen Titans. Kind of like a Transformer robot that can turn into anything!

Download, fold, and color a pop-up Cinderella of your very own. [pdf]

From Booklist

K-Gr. 2. Probably best known for his joint projects with pop-up maestro Robert Sabuda, such as their recent Encyclopedia Prehistorica: Dinosaurs (2006), Reinhart adds to his solo ventures with this splashy Classic Collectible Pop-Up in the series' signature format (spreads featuring a central pop and attached booklets containing text and further pops). As in many contemporary pop-ups, this creation's spectacularly clever paper engineering relies on the inherent force of page-turns, not reader-manipulated flaps or pull-tabs, to drive smooth animations. Readers of all ages will marvel at how the simple act of opening and flattening a spread can induce a rat's metamorphosis into a footman, the twirling of palace dancers, and the snug sliding of an acetate glass slipper onto Cinderella's dainty foot. Less impressive are the cartoonlike watercolors, which frequently give rise to wispy-edged elements that aren't sufficiently contained to survive the die-cutting process unmarred. One of the story booklets is also formatted in a way that will confuse new readers. Despite flaws, though, the exciting dimensional art and numerous bells and whistles--not least the pearly pink jacket--should dazzle both kids and collectors alike. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 12 pages
• Publisher: Little Simon; Pop edition (October 25, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416905014
• ISBN-13: 978-1416905011
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.4 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (59 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #16,918 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Matthew Christian Reinhart was born September 21, 1971 to Gary and Judith Reinhart in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The son of a farmer, his father Gary joined the Navy to become jet fighter pilot, and so the family moved around the country, from Florida to Texas to Illinois to California to Virginia and then South Carolina. Gary wanted to be more than a pilot (which was pretty amazing itself) so he went on to Dental School and studied to be an oral surgeon. Judith and Matthew followed along, and soon to be joined by his mischievous little sister, Erin. Often times, Gary's training took him to places they couldn't follow (even on aircraft carriers), so Judy took charge. Matthew's childhood was filled with good times and very happy memories overall, thanks to his family.
Art was always a tremendously huge part of Matthew's young life. Drawing pictures and making crafts were his favorite activities, in school and out. Matthew drew whenever and wherever he got the chance. His school notebooks often had more drawings than notes! He loved drawing and reading about all creatures and animals so much, he drew them everywhere! Dinosaurs, like about every kid on the planet, were his absolute favorite to draw and Matthew could rattle off the name of every single one before learning to add or subtract. As he got older, Matthew was captivated by the movie STAR WARS. The richness of the universe George Lucas created on the screen fueled his young imagination, inspiring countless sketchbooks filled with monsters, spaceships, and action heroes.
Like most high school graduates, Matthew wasn't completely focused on a career. He was unaware he could make a living being an artist. Like most doctors' children, his father convinced him to study biology to prepare for medical school. College life at Clemson University was busy and fun for Matthew, but he was never really satisfied. Medicine was not his true calling. Along with his required biology courses, Matthew snuck in a few art classes, and built up a bit of a portfolio. After graduating Cum Laude from Clemson, he took a year off before medical school and moved to New York, where he met Robert Sabuda and they began doing volunteer work together. Robert's book, Christmas Alphabet had just released to rave reviews, and persuaded Matthew follow his calling by attending Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. With his parents' blessing and support, Matthew enrolled as an industrial design (with a concentration in toy design) student the following year. Pratt was fantastic, eye opening experience for him, though his initial dreams of being a toy designer soon transformed into paper engineer- with the help of Mr. Sabuda. After working with Robert on books like "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz", "A B C Disney" and "Movable Mother Goose". Matthew made his first big break into the pop-up world with "The Pop Up Book Of Phobias". Other books followed, including both collaborations with Robert Sabuda, including their trilogy of "Encyclopedia Prehistorica" books and renowned illustrator Maurice Sendak on the New York Times best-selling "Mommy?", and also even solo pop-up projects like "The Ark", "Animal Popposites", "The Jungle Book", "Cinderella" and his dream-of-all-dream projects, "STAR WARS: Pop-Up Guide to the Galaxy", "The Pop-Up Book of Nursery Rhymes". His latest series, "Encyclopedia Mythologica", includes "Fairies & Magical Creatures" and the newly-released "Gods & Heroes". In honor of the 75th Anniversary of DC COMICS, Matthew has created a massive pop-up celebration titled "DC COMICS Super Heroes: The Ultimate Pop-Up Book", to be released in Fall 2010. He continues to work and live in New York City, cutting, taping and folding paper into intricate, moving sculptures.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning and better than imagined, November 23, 2005

By 

Heidi Anne Heiner (SurLaLune Fairy Tales.com) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cinderella: A Pop-Up Fairy Tale (Hardcover)

Cinderella picture books are everywhere since Cindy is the perennial favorite fairy tale. However, Matthew Reinhart illustrates the tale in a new dimension, the third one, in a way we've never seen Cindy before. He treats us to page after page of animated pop-ups, in the style that has made Robert Sabuda famous, not surprising since they are friends and have colloborated in the past.

Cinderella's head peeps from the fireplace, her stepmother's dress tightens as Cinderella pulls on her stays, the carriage sparkles silver with six white horses standing at attention, a black rat changes into a jolly coachman, the couples dance at the ball and Cinderella's finery vanishes at the stroke of midnight all as you turn the page. There's more than can be listed here and each of these intricate pop-ups have to be seen in action to be truly appreciated. I'm still going back and finding new details each time I turn a page.

The illustrations are loosely lined so the die cutting sometimes blurs the pictures, but there is too much magic in these pages for this to be a big concern. Of course, the book is not recommended for independent reading for children under five, but this is a book to be shared and loved together. It will be a bedtime favorite for countless little princesses.

My own library, overfilled with Cinderella books, doesn't begrudge the space needed to add this edition to its shelves. Hopefully we will get more fairy tales done in this style by Reinhart and/or Sabuda. Don't miss this one!

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A whimsical and larger than life spin on a classic fairy tale, November 17, 2005

By 

A Customer (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cinderella: A Pop-Up Fairy Tale (Hardcover)

For ages, people have been enchanted by the story of Cinderella. Told again and again throughout literary history by writers like Charles Perrault, Hans Christian Andersen, the Brothers Grimm and Walt Disney, this classic tale continually finds its way into the hearts and imaginations of children of all ages. In his latest work, illustrator and paper engineer extraordinaire Matthew Reinhart joins the ranks of these illustrious storytellers by breathing new life and a new kind of magic into a centuries-old story with CINDERELLA: A POP-UP FAIRY TALE.

Through Reinhart's painstakingly elaborate pop-up settings constructed on six spreads of the tale's most famous scenes, a whimsical and larger-than-life world unfolds, inviting readers into the fantasy realm of three-dimensional glass slippers and fairy godmothers. Elegant ballroom dancers twirl across their laps and nobles' steeds jump from the pages to create a truly mesmerizing and breathtaking experience. As if these weren't wondrous enough, several mini pop-ups open to reveal even more intricately detailed cardboard cutouts that move along with the pages, adding to the book's charm and appeal.

In this beloved fairy tale where good always overcomes evil and true love prevails, Reinhart offers a rich and stunning vision that will captivate and enthrall a whole new generation of readers for years to come.

--- Reviewed by Marisa Emralino

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MAGNIFICENT!, October 18, 2005

By 

Avalon "always reading in San Diego" (San Diego,CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cinderella: A Pop-Up Fairy Tale (Hardcover)

Matthew Reinhart's masterful work of art will totally amaze you. Each page is beautifully hand crafted to bring all the favorite scenes to life. The six pages have a fabulous full spread pop-up and small mini books with their own splendid pop-ups containing the very detailed story. It's hard to select a favorite page.
A perfect gift giving book for all ages. I highly recommend it!