Customer Reviews

The Pop-Up Book of Phobias

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When I lent this book to a psychologist down the hall, I asked him to put it in a paper bag if he needed to leave it in my waiting room. Why?

This is one of the funniest books I have read, but if you actually have phobias, you have to be in the "right place" in your recovery to appreciate the humor.

I would recommend it for adolescents and adults who find that humor helps them step back and laugh at their anxiety, phobias or obsessiveness. This book consists of paper pop-up depictions of phobias including fear of dentists, fear of heights and fear of snakes. The person who worked on this book has clearly been through it himself. I can't imagine any other way that someone could get this so vividly. Open a page, and your worst fear literally jumps right in your nose. Not for young children or those who are especially sensitive.

I would have given it five stars if he had done a page on thunderstorms. Maybe there will be a second edition.

Carol Watkins, M.D.

Psychiatrist

This pop-up book is sure to be a winner - the spiders and snakes seem to leap out of the page at you. Well-conceived and beautifully executed, it even had something for my homophobic Uncle Sandy.

Absolutely brilliant. I stumbled across this gem on a tip from Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America. You can count on feeling woozy with laughter or from recognition of your phobia! Mr. Greenberg, et al., have crafted a witty, nicely-illustrated and superbly-designed treasure of a book. The well-engineered pop-ups range from the quite elaborate to the very simple--with equal, yet remarkable, effectiveness. I look forward to anything Mr. Greenberg should produce in the future. I highly recommend it for anyone with or without phobias, in fact I've sent it to a couple of neurosis-laden friends, already. Kudos to the authors (and thanks!).

OK, I admit it: I'm a pop-up book "junkie." I'm particularly attracted to cleverly constructed "sculptures," but rarely do I find the stories that interesting. Most pop-ups are written for children, after all. Still, I have a couple of favorite authors (Chuck Murphy and Robert Sabuda).

Imagine my delight in discovering _The Pop-Up Book of Phobias_. Extraordinary sculpture, good descriptions of the various phobias; VERY well done, indeed! The spider (in the Arachnaphobia section) is particularly juicy; the dentist's drill actually "spins" toward you as you open the page. I highly recommend this to anyone who, like me, appreciates the artistic aspects of pop-ups. You won't be disappointed.

I am an environmental educator that frequently does a program on animal phobias. I decided to purchase this book as an ice-breaker before the program. It suits the bill perfectly. Each page makes you experience for yourself the feelings that people with these phobias must feel. Everyone loves looking at this book and asks me where I got it. It doesn't have more than a paragraph on each phobia, so you wouldn't want to buy this if you need a resource book. Just plain fun.

I love pop-up books. This one is phenomenal. If you want to be surprised, stop reading and order the book. Otherwise, read on to find out some highlights.

The book starts with a dentist's drill complete with whirling bit leaping out at you. A few pages later you are unable to completely open the book you and find you are in the back of a crowded elevator. The arachnophobia page greets you with large spider and may give you a shutter when you realize it is crawling up your bed toward you. Next you come to fear of heights. I can't bring myself to tell about this one. It is just too good. The book ends with the phobia of those who fear their own end. I am sorry I really can't make myself tell more details. It is just too fabulous to spoil the fun.

Picture yourself teetering over the edge of a city skyscraper overlooking the traffic below, or sweating bullets in front of an audience, totally unprepared to deliver a speech. Whatever your fear, this book actually makes you feel that you are there. So stunningly creative that other pop-up books fail to measure up. Not to mention, its unassuming cover will fit nicely among the clinical titles in any library. A frighteningly wonderful gift for the neurotic in all of us.

Colorful, fun and witty, this book will have you laughing at your fears and everyone else's. Equal parts of academic definitions, humor and art add up to an original coffee table book. Leave this out as an ice breaker at your next party. Not meant for kids, but not something you'd have to hide from them either. A unique gift for your favorite psych major or social worker.

We were very pleased both with the originality of the artwork in this book, as well as the excellent construction. This book rates on the level with many of the Sabuda books.

One of the cleverest books I've ever seen. The claustrophobia pages that don't open fully are a master stroke. Apart from its humour value - if you don't suffer from the phobias featured, of course - it's an extraordinary feat of book production in the physical sense. Getting all those bits to line up...wow!