The King Tut exhibit that has been travelling the country has just arrived in NYC. I saw the exhibit a few years ago in Philadelphia~it was wonderful. I have always been fascinated by Tutankhamen and the stories that surround him. It has been 30 years since he has been in New York. I can't believe that, I remember going to see the original exhibit and really being amazed by it. I spoke about today's book in passing when I wrote about my love of pop-ups by Robert Sabuda. This is one of his non-pop-ups and it is beautiful.
Tutankhamen's Gift by Robert Sabuda is the perfect book to read to kids to explain Egyptian history and the worlds fascination of King Tut. It is one of my favorite books. A must have to be enjoyed by all.

Reference Sunday: Encyclopedia Mythologica: Gods and Heroes by Matthew Reinhart and Robert Sabuda

Back at the beginning of this blog I highlighted Robert Sabuda and his wonderful pop-ups because he is a great favorite of mine.  Before I left a previous job I got the chance to meet both Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart.   It was a real thrill for me. They are really nice and warm people.   They were just publishing Encyclopedia Prehistorica Dinosaurs: The Definitive Pop-Up.  It was a wonderful to meet them and talk about how they work together.   We even discussed the next book they were working on which was Encyclopedia Prehistorica: Sharks and Other Sea Monsters.   I remember telling Mr Sabuda how my cousin had been killed by a shark in California in a documented case.   He was really interested in my story and wasn't just being polite.   Which is another reason I really like him. 

Now they have written and illustrated Encyclopedia Mythologica: Gods and Heroes~ they have done a spectacular job of writing about the myths from Egyptian, Greek, Norse and even the Far East cultures.   The spreads are awe inspiring as usual.    This is a great book for anyone who loves mythology and history.   It is also a must have for the collectors of Pop-ups~I know quite a few people who are going to love this book.   This is not just for children but for all....Reinhart and Sabuda have done it again!

Robert Sabuda---King of Pop Ups

I have always loved Robert Sabuda pop-ups. The thing about Robert Sabuda is that he is also a talented illustrator in his own right. Once he started with Pop-Ups though he never looked back. He started relatively simply, one of his first Pop-ups was The Christmas Alphabet ~ a book of pop-ups using the letters of the alphabet mostly in white. Beautiful~but simple! My personal early favorite was his Cookie Count~I used to tell my nephew Daniel that this was a special book and that he could only look at it with me. Everytime he came over he asked to look at the "special" book. He was always amazed at it. Robert Sabuda also did one of the very first Kwanzaa books called A Kwanzaa Celebration~ which was great to read during story times!

My all time favorite is The Wonderful Wizard of Oz! It just amazed me how he could be so faithful to the story and the original illustrations with these incredible feats of paper engineering!

One of his most recent Pop-Ups is Peter Pan~another marvel!

Oh and my favorite non Pop-Up? Tutankhamen's Gift....I always liked King Tut. ;)