Encyclopedia Prehistorica Dinosaurs: The Definitive Pop-Up - Robert Sabuda, Matthew Reinhart

This book is fantastic, I would urge anyone to buy it. Never mind these pop up books for young chidren, this one is completely different. It is not suitable for children under 36 months as it is so delicate, it would suit primary school children of varying ages. There is so much information in the book about dinosaurs. It is good fact backed up by excellent pop ups and lift the flaps. Please don`t confuse it with other pop up books, except ones by the same people, it really is fabulous. Also, you don`t even have to be a child, I find the book fascinating.

Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart.
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Robert Sabuda grew up in Mitchigan. Reading was always an important part of his life and he realised early on that he was talented at art. His Father was a Mason and Carpenter so Robert learned to be creative with his hands. At school he was asked to design the bulletin boards and he used to surround them with paper collages. He gradually realised that he could make pop up figures. After studying art, he kept contacting childrens publishers and showing them his work to make himself known. He now makes a series of pop up books with his partner, Matthew Reinhart.

The Book.
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The book is called Dinosaurs, Encyclopedia Prehistorica by Robert Sabuda and Mattew Reinhart. It is a hard back book, very slightly smaller than A4 size with a dark green cover and very thick. It only has 6 double pages (12) but these pages are so intricate and full of information it is wonderful. The book is full of pop ups and has 35 in all throughout the book. There are at least 5 facts on each page about dinosaurs. The book states on the back that it is suitable for over 5 years old, the information is interesting and factual.

The Pop-Ups.
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I could talk for ever about the pop ups but I will just talk about the first page and then you can go out and buy the book and see for yourself. You open the page and up pops a big reddish brown dinosaur. This is impressive enough but there are also flaps to open, they tuck under a little corner to close again. The first flap reveals another pop up green dinosaur, rocks and a dragonfly with an explanation about the ancient earth and the triasic period. The next flap has a different type of dinosaur and then it folds over again and there are two men fighting for fossils. There is also text about each. It looks small this flap from the outside, but it reveals so much. It is difficult to explain but the two scenes are separate but under one flap, two pages within the flap. There is another flap revealing two dinosuars, one a meat eater and one a herbivore along with a description. This is one page and the detail is absolutely amazing, which continues throughout the book. The thought and preparation to make these pop ups must be extremely thorough and imaginative.

You really must see it to believe it, the large central pop ups rise about 15 inches above the page. Information.
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Whilst the book really is fascinating, colourful and magical with the pop ups alone, there is also a lot of explanation about the dinosaurs, the era and how they became extinct (theories on). There are examples of different classes of dinosaur, what they look like, their names, various functions. Whilst it does not contain as much information as a conventional encycopedia as it is not packed with loads of writing on each page, it is more than enough to learn and retain useful knowledge about dinosaurs. It is aimed at over 5 years and I consider it to be very comprehensive for this age group. It is even factual enough for adults to learn.

Other Books.
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There are many other books by Robert Sabura and Matthew Reinhart, all with the pop up theme. There are far too many to mention all of them, but here are a few.

The Jungle Book
Sharks
Castle
Cinderella
Winters Tale
ABC Disney
Anerica The Beautiful
Butterflies
Beetles
Animal Popposites
The Movable Mother Goose
The Pop Up Book of Phobias

The books can be viewed on www.robertsbuda.com where it is actually possible to see some of the pages.

Value for Money.
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This book is not cheap but it is worth every penny. The price on the back is £17.99. I paid less than that but I can`t remeber what. If you search on the internet you may find it cheaper, I bought it from a book club I think.

I must stress though that £17.99 for this book is worth it. It provides hours of pleasure and wonder.

As listed on the front of the book, it is a definitive pop up, astonishing to read, a complete treasure.

I completey agree and highly recommend.

My son told me off when writing the review as he didn`t want me to ruin the book, he loves it.