It's probably been a while since you've thought about pop-up books, and even longer since you picked one up. But one that was published in April is more than worth a look for kids of all ages.

The Grand Canyon

"America's National Parks: A Pop-Up Book" (W.W.West Inc.) includes gorgeous images of six of the country's national parks, illustrated by Dave Ember in the style of 1930s WPA posters, with paper engineering by Bruce Foster. The accompanying text Don Compton gives some details and history on the national parks, highlighting the must-see features of each of the locations.

The book is absolutely gorgeous. This picture I've included with this blog post doesn't even come close to doing it justice, and the details of the illustrations are something that can be studied over and over again. The worst thing about this book? It's making me want to plan lengthy trips to each of the parks, in order to see all of the beauty that's described. This book will definitely have a place on my living room coffee table for years to come.

According to a news release:

America's National Parks is available in two hand-assembled editions. The regular is $34.95, and $8.00 from every copy is donated to the NPCA (National Parks Conservation Association); and the Deluxe Limited Edition is $105, of which $80 is donated to the NPCA—but only when purchased from the official website www.nationalparkspopup.com. Only 1,200 copies of the Deluxe Limited Edition are being produced, each will be numbered and autographed by the paper engineer, illustrator and author, will feature the NPCA mission statement stamped in gold foil on the slipcover and an NPCA logo pop-up above the mission statement, all enclosed in a black cloth slipcase.

Not a bad price to pay to help with the preservation of the country's most beautiful places.


-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl