Amazing Pop-up Books for Kids and Grown Ups

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the publication of L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz, master paper engineer Robert Sabuda has created a pop-up version of Dorothy's adventures in Oz that fans will find irresistible. He modelled his depictions of Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the rest of the gang after W. W. Denslow's original art and added a third dimension that would have rocked Denslow's -- and Baum's -- world.

Bestselling pop-up artist and engineer Matthew Reinhart, a self-confessed Star Wars fan, has designed a 30th Anniversary Commemorative Edition that comes packed with a variety of exciting features -- intricate pop-ups and fold-outs that explode right out of the page at you, light sabers that really light up, and well-thought-out interactive look at the popular movie franchise.

David A. Carter is an author, illustrator and one of the best-known contemporary paper engineers. He is the mastermind behind the powerful Bug phenomenon that began in 1988 with the publication of How Many Bugs in a Box? Since then he has created a series of Bugs books with combined sales of nearly six million copies. His work, One Red Dot, was a New York Times best-seller and was highly praised by Newsweek and Entertainment Weekly magazines. He is also the author of the popular Blue 2.
Read more about David Carter.

Jan Pienkowski, an award-winning illustrator of children's books, takes the art of the pop-up book to a new level of ingenuity and intricacy with Botticelli's Bed & Breakfast, a witty visual treasure hunt and tour of a fictitious bed & breakfast supposedly run by Botticelli. The book is meant to be opened up completely and tied end to end to reveal a 360 degree view of all the rooms. Fifty-six great artworks by the masters are scattered through the ten old -- sometimes haunted -- rooms of his creation and it's up to the reader to find them all, using the accompanying mini-book as guide.

Similar in fashion to the book I showed you above (Botticelli's Bed & Breakfast), Victorian Doll House comes to life once this book is unfolded. When you tie back the ribbons, the house stands on its own, revealing great decorative details, authentic-looking pop-up period furniture, and press-out play dolls and accessories. Eight elegant rooms are decorated Victorian style with hanging chandeliers, a piano, a tea set, a rocking horse and many other charming surprises. Doors, closets and drawers can actually open and close and store (tiny) things in them.

On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong announced the success of the greatest journey in human history. Now this stunning pop-up book full of original NASA photographs brings to life the groundbreaking mission that conquered the Moon and inspired the world.

Acclaimed author Richard Platt focuses on humankind's dreams of traveling to the moon, the technology needed to reach the moon and sustain the astronauts in space, and the moon landing itself. Re-creating the excitement of the expedition are extraordinary pop-ups depicting a rocket, the lunar module, a spaceship, and a spectacular spherical moon, while booklets and flaps offer readers a wealth of intriguing facts.

A work of art in itself, The Architecture Pack is a highly sophisticated version of the beloved pop-up book that offers a unique, cross-cultural, three-dimensional tour of architecture through the centuries. By flipping the elaborately engineered pages, we learn what architects do, how they do it, and all about the great buildings of the world from antiquity to the present. It's packed with information and hands-on activities, models, fold-outs, pop-ups, and 3-D glasses; readers can even fold out a miniature version of the Colosseum in Rome or a French Gothic cathedral. There are discussions on the development of the dome, new materials and shapes, sculptural buildings such as those of Gaudi and Le Corbusier, and skyscrapers.

Image courtesy of I Dream for Architecture

Prepare to be amazed. From the lenticular cover that changes with the angle of your hands all the way to the Z, ABC3D is as much a work of art as it is a pop-up book. Each of the 26 three-dimensional letters move and change before your eyes. C turns into D with a snap. M stands at attention. X becomes Y with a flick of the wrist. And then there's U...Boldly conceived and brilliantly executed with a striking black, red, and white palette, this is a book that readers and art lovers of all ages will treasure for years to come.

Marion Bataille is a French graphic artist and illustrator and ABC3D is her first published book.

More than 600,000 people visit Graceland every year, making it one of the most popular tourist destinations in the United States. With Graceland: An Interactive Pop-Up Tour, you'll go behind the velvet ropes for an all-access tour of the Elvis Presley Estate. The book starts with a foreword by widow Priscilla then moves room by room through the Memphis mansion.

Chuck Murphy is one of the most celebrated paper engineers in the country, with more than 60 books to his credit.

Image courtesy of The Elvis Shop

Known worldwide as the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980) had an incredible directing career that spanned five decades and more than fifty films. He earned numerous awards, inspired countless publications and festivals, and spawned a new era in suspense cinema.

I learned how to make pop-out spirals and other complicated shapes and so much more with this book. (Check out our pop-up wedding invitation below!). Even if you've never transformed a piece of paper into something else in your life, don't be scared. With constant practice, this book will turn you into a paper-folding genius in no time.