America the Beautiful: America the Beautiful

Book Overview

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.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0689847440
• ISBN13: 9780689847448
• Release Date: October 2004
• Publisher: Little Simon
• Length: 16 Pages
• Weight: 1.58 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.7" x 8.4" x 10.3"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

The Plain Plains

Robert Sabuda rocks the pop-up world once again with this grand and noble entry. Set to the lyric poem "America the Beautiful", the plain white pop-ups stand starkly against the backgrounds, the landmarks so well-known and loved by most Americans that they need no more illustration than an outline. WE know the Chrysler Building, the Statue of Liberty. Just as we don't need the musical accompaniment to the song to hear it in our heads as we read, we need no artistic concept of purple mountains majesties or sea to shining sea. Fill in the blanks yourself, that's what the white silhouettes ask us to do; for one man's fruited plains may not resemble another's. Sabuda allows our mind's eye to envision our own personal ideas of America. Stunning, so beautiful I'll be purchasing a copy for my daughter's 2nd grade teacher as a gift. If nothing else moves you, the minibook with the silhouettes of Columbia, the Liberty Bell & the Twin Towers will bring tears to your eyes. Some memories are so overwhelming, they cannot be represented by a single image but must be suggested by a mere whisper of an outline.

Can I give 6 stars?

Robert Sabuda has made me a pop-up book collector. These are not books, these are miniature architectural masterpieces and Robert Sabuda is the Lenonardo of this art. He is an artist certainly but he is just as good of an engineer to construct these amazements. The first popup of the Golden Gate bridge uses a see-through plastic material which is something new in popup books, but why not, it works! Although I must say this book is a bit over the top in complexity. Each new Sabuda book is such an extravganza that I worry that he will exhaust his bag of paper tricks. So I wish him a long life so he can keep producing these books one per every year. Ocassionaly the printing quality is not quite there (I bought 3) but I don't mind, all is forgiven. Just love this book. Magnificent. Looking for a gift for a Democrat or a Republican in your life? This is the book.

Wonderful work of art

There are pop-up books and then there are pop-up books by Robert Sabuda, who is not only the master of the genre, but who transcends it. What a thrill it is to open the newest of his books to find that he has once again produced a wonderful work of art. It's fun and whimsical...delicate and poignant...simple, yet amazingly intricate. Every page is a revelation, and each subsequent viewing brings new discovery. Here's a book about America that all Americans can love.