The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: A Commemorative Pop-up

Rating:
Summary: "Magical experience"
Review: I collect children's books that are "special" and added this book to my collection as one of my favorites! The experience of looking through the pop-ups can only be described as a "magical experience". The illustrations are done in a nostalgic format with vivid colors. The first page really grabbed me...when you open it up a tornato rises up in a whirling motion and goes completely off of the page. There is fine detail (look under the house in "Munchkinland" and you will actually see the wicked witches feet underneath). Emerald City pops up and actually glitters before your eyes (you would swear it was really made of emeralds)! Oz's hot air balloon rises out of one page and spins in suspension. This is more of a collector book and I would not recommend putting it in the hands of a young child to do with as he/she pleases! It is just too beautiful! But, you would definately have fun viewing/reading the book to a young child...and a child of seven or eight would probably be old enough to care for it! There are also several small pop-ups within the sections you open up and read that are quite charming! There is quite alot of story to read within small sections of the pages, or within flaps that open up. But; if you are a collector of "Oz" memorabilia, or love creative pop-up books... this book would be a great addition to your family!

Rating:
Summary: There's no place like a Robert Sabuda pop-up!
Review: I just have to disagree with the folks who say this is not a book for children...this is THE book for children! If you are looking for a book to give this holiday season that rates 100% on the "oooh-ahhhh!" meter, this is the one. Any child, in particular a reluctant reader, will be dazzled and fascinated by the Emerald City jumping to life in the middle of the book, the whirling balloon and spinning tornado. The artwork warrants accolades even without the magnificent engineering, and there is enough text to make this pop-up perfect for older kids as well. This book does great honor to the Wonderful Wizard, and will be as treasured in your home as a pair of ruby slippers. Whether or not this book actually survives the twister of children's handling, you'd be a real wicked witch not to share it with your favorite munchkin.

Rating:
Summary: Works of Art
Review: Sabuda's work is not just a book, it is a collection of sculptures. We also got "Alice in Wonderland", and both books are just so impressive, and surprisingly well made for pop-up books, especailly since the pop-ups are so intricate, and detailed, you kind of expect them to fall apart. But so far they stood up well to our four year old. Fantastic, magical books!

Rating:
Summary: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Review: Reading is most certainly a wonderful gift and skill and the pop-up books Robert Sabuda publishes are simply Fantastic!!! We bought this book and Alice's adventures in Wonderland because we saw them publicized on "Regis & Kelly" and they are simply put-the best Hardcover books in our entire library. My wife and I pride ourselves on our library and being able to provide for our 3-month old's intellectual desires and these 2 new additions by-far will give her many years of joy well into her adulthood. The pop-ups are vividly drawn and constructed and the spark of interest they created in our daughter are well worth the few pennies it cost to purchase these masterfully created works of art!!

Rating:
Summary: Gorgeous
Review: Great book. Great price.

My only comment is that the cyclone did not swirl around as the book is opened and I'm not sure I can fix it (wrap the string around the tiny post.)

I had the same problem with a similar mechanism in Sabuda's Christmas cookie book, but the mechanism was more accessible and I was actually able to fix it.

I wish they'd tried to create the cyclone with a different mechanism. The swirling concept is a nice idea, but it does not work. I would have been just as happy with a non-swirling cyclone made of paper that just popped out of the page.

This is why I gave it only 4 stars. That said, I love the book!

Rating:
Summary: best pop up ever!
Review: This is a beautiful book with lots of intricate pop ups. You do need to be sure to open and close each page slowly to be sure the pages dont tear because of the detail of the pop ups. They are reinforced very well, with thick card board and good glue, but I can still see a tear happening if opened too quickly. You can only expect to have to use special care though with such a detailed book. This is a "look only" book for children but will bring them lots of enjoyment. This is not like any other pop up you have ever seen. It is not only a book, it is art as well. I would not worry about injuries as one other reviewer noted, she mentioned about an injury her child almost endured on page 240... there are only 16 pages in this book. You will not be disatisfied with this purchase!

Rating:
Summary: "My best book ever"
Review: My 6-year old great-niece adores this book and its companion, Alice in Wonderland. The pop-ups are like live theatre scenes and just beautiful - magical in fact. Resist the temptation to give them too early. Miranda's 4-year old brother was NOT allowed to touch - just look - not because of "won't-share-ism" but on their mother's say-so, because he was too young to handle the pop-ups with the care they needed.

Rating:
Summary: Another amazing Sabuda work of art!
Review: I started with Alice in Wonderland, and I now have the America Pop-up and Wizard of Oz Sabuda books. Like I said in the title, they are all amazing works of art.

Alice in Wonderland was fantastic, and got me hooked.

Thought since OZ was an earlier work it wouldn't be as good, Was I wrong! This is amazing, the moving tornado "blew me away."

I don't know how they reproduce these books. And now I see a dinosaur book is coming out!

Only complaint is that the objects were stuck to the pages, and one of the smaller pop-ups got a slight tear as I figured out how to open the page.

Rating:
Summary: WOW!
Review: This is impressive! Something really great for Wizard of Oz enthusiasts to keep for years. Don't buy it intending it for small children to handle independently, though. The amazing detail is somewhat fragile. But don't be afraid to get it and hang onto it until they're old enough to be careful with it. It's really incredible!

Rating:
Summary: The Best Pop up book ever!
Review: Sabuda is a genius. There are popups inside of popups in this book. Each page has a large popup tableau, then on the sides are more popups in sub-books that contain the text. I would recommend this book to kids ages 5 and up. And I do mean 'And Up', since as an adult this book still blows me away.

One thing that boggles my mind is how Sabuda's books are created. I'd like to tour the 'factory' or whatever. Because for the amount of time it took to create each copy of the book the cost is TRIVIAL.