Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Here at last is the definitive book on how to make a pop-up. Every aspect of the creation of a pop-up, known as paper engineering, is clearly and thoroughly covered. All types of parallel folds, angle folds, wheels and pull tabs are accurately detailed verbally and visually, flat and in dimension. Also included is a history of pop-ups and a step-by-step photographic essay on how a pop-up is made from start to finish. This guided tour is perfect for aspiring pop-up creators, paper engineers, students and appreciators of this unique art form.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

School Library Journal Review

Gr 3 Up-Two eminent paper engineers offer a nearly encyclopedic gallery of moving effects, with more than 50 different working models. They are set-when appropriate-on flaps, making the inner workings visible, and include precise design and assembly notes, all sandwiched between a partial history of pop-ups and an artist's-eye view of the production stages of this popular art form. A commanding safety note warns children away from craft knives, and though most of the effects require dexterity and patience to reproduce, the authors have flagged easier projects. All of the models, even the spectacular, full-spread opener, are constructed of white, undecorated stock, but the authors urge aspiring paper engineers to expand the possibilities by experimenting with combined effects or even inventing new ones. Despite some sketchy peripherals-the opening history stops with Jonathan Miller's The Human Body (Viking, 1983)-this book is not only a work of art in itself, but also a practical manual that takes a huge step past Barbara Valenta's Pop-o-mania (Dial, 1997). A link from the authors' and publisher's Web sites leads to reproducible, flat patterns for every tab, tube, cutout, wheel, and cam.-John Peters, New York Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Horn Book Review

(Intermediate, Young Adult) Aptly titled, this book is more than a how-to manual on pop-ups. The ambitious undertaking also explains the geometry and physics of paper engineering, describing the difference between 90¦ and 180¦ techniques and explaining the usefulness of kinetic energy. Portions of the text may even be over the heads of some adults, but the examples are presented so clearly that pop-up aficionados will be tempted to jump right in with paper, scissors, and glue before trying to understand all the explanations. The genius of this book is the way it has been engineered to show samples of nearly forty different folds, tabs, boxes, and wheels-all tipped on or folded with a stabilizing tab so that the normally hidden mechanics can be seen and understood. For those who are especially eager to get started without reading the explanations, certain structures have been labeled with a yellow star marked ""easy."" The dramatic first opening reveals a large white monster, semi-abstract, which pops up far above the brightly-colored base page and uses nearly every technique explained later in the book. Flaps folded in on either side of this spread are full of information, including ""A Brief History of Pop-Ups"" and the much-needed glossary. This is followed by seven spreads of examples and explanations, while the final spread includes a list of materials needed and an illustrated step-by-step description of how a professional pop-up card is created. Suggesting a host of curricular tie-ins, the book will of course be devoured by those mechanically minded children (and adults) who have been bitten by the pop-up bug. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.

Author notes provided by Syndetics

David A. Carter was born March 4, 1957 in Salt Lake City. Utah. He attended Utah State University where he studied art and illustration.

David worked several years as graphic designer and a paste up artist. While working at one job he learned the fine art of Paper-Engineering and Pop-Up bookmaking. He created his first book How Many Bugs in a Box? and has created more than 50 pop-up books since.

David lives in California with his wife and daughters where he grows vegetables and native plants and does volunteer work.

(Bowker Author Biography)