America the Beautiful: A Pop-up Book - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0689847440 ISBN 13: 9780689847448

Publisher: Little Simon, 2004

Synopsis

A breathtaking celebration of America’s most iconic landmarks and patriotic symbols, masterfully engineered by Robert Sabuda from the beloved anthem “America the Beautiful.”

Master paper engineer Robert Sabuda has interpreted the classic American anthem “America the Beautiful” in dazzling dimension. From the Golden Gate Bridge to Mount Rushmore to the Statue of Liberty, America has never looked more spectacular. This stunning keepsake masterpiece will be shared and admired by generations to come; indeed it is a national treasure in and of itself.

About this title

About the Author

Robert Sabuda is one of the most innovative and inventive children's book creators and is known worldwide for his amazing pop-up paper engineering. His books include Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The Twelve Days of Christmas, The Night Before Christmas, The Winter's Tale, Peter Pan, Beauty and the Beast, to name but afew, have garnered numerous awards and have made the New York Times bestseller lists on many occasions. He lives in New York City.

Reviews

K Up–New and astonishing feats of paper engineering lurk within the bulging covers of Sabuda's latest creation. Here, taking the first verse of our other national anthem as his text, he flies viewers from the Golden Gate Bridge, over waves of grain beneath a spinning windmill, past Mount Rushmore, Mesa Verde, a Mississippi river boat, and the National Capitol, to Lady Liberty–then, within a small inset booklet, pairs the Twin Towers, a swinging Liberty Bell, and other American symbols to the rest of the stanzas. Aside from the aforementioned bridge, plus an occasional foil highlight, the pop-up effects are an undecorated white that gleams like those "alabaster cities" against the generally solid color fields on which they are set. The very last line, which contains a reference to America's "whiter jubilee," has an odd ring to it these days, and some of the pop-ups are so complexly folded that they'll rip if their spreads aren't opened carefully: still, each opening will elicit gasps, and the poem's soaring imagery has never been better served.–John Peters, New York Public Library
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Gr. 2-4. Sabuda's pop-up "America the Beautiful" presents stately paper sculptures of icons of the American landscape, rendered primarily in marmoreal white. The engineering is a bit creakier than it was in his Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (2003), and the large, complex constructions--especially Mesa Verde, whose contours may be less familiar than, say, the adjacent pop-up of Mount Rushmore--would have benefited from variations of color and texture. Nonetheless, this will add a welcome flourish to election- and inauguration-themed displays. Metallic embellishments on the cover and throughout will dazzle children, as will finely wrought details such as the tiny Abraham Lincoln statue visible through the columns of the Lincoln Memorial, and an inset minibook containing all verses to the song (and, of course, its own tiny pops). For contrast, pull out Chris Gill's color-drenched America the Beautiful [BKL My 1 04] or Barbara Younger's story of the song's origins, Purple Mountain Majesties (1998). Occasional bits of plastic and string make this unsuitable for children under five to use without adult supervision, but children younger than the target audience, as well as grown-ups, will also enjoy browsing. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Little Simon
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0689847440
• ISBN 13: 9780689847448
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Sabuda Robert
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 16