Here at the studio we’re always looking for new pop up books, and I have to say we’re very excited for Carol Barton’s newest book, The Pocket Paper Engineer, Volume 3: V-Folds! Ms. Barton has created many pop up books and instructional pop up books that I recommend to people who want to learn more about making pop ups.

This third volume deals with V-Folds and how to create and integrate them into your pop ups.  This book is filled with tutorials and has ten do-it-yourself projects that are inside the book!  You can check out more about this book and order it on Ms. Barton’s website.

Kit Lau: illustrator, designer, paper engineer, and friend of the studio!  Mr. Lau was extremely nice to send us copies of his books ‘Pop-Up China’ and ‘Hong Kong Pop-Up’.

His pop-ups are very atmospheric and you really get a sense of space.  Especially in ‘Hong Kong Pop-Up’, you go on a journey of different types of dwellings.  I loved the big walled city pop up with the crowded tall buildings and being able to look down into the center.  Mr. Lau also created an amazingly huge pop-up of the Great Wall of China!  It’s over 4 feet long when it’s open! Check out more of Kit Lau’s work on his website!

I’m always on the lookout for a clever, fun pop-up book. The Castaway Pirates (Chronicle Books, 2008), written and engineered by Ray Marshall and illustrated by Wilson Swain, is among my favorites.

The book’s jaunty rhyme is very funny and ends with a lucky twist, and the pop-ups and art  have unique styles. On his website, Ray Marshall posted a great explanation of how his book was made, from the original idea to the final production. If you’re curious about the process of making a pop-up book, I recommend it!

Human Body: An Interactive Guide to the Inner Workings of the Body by Steve Parker (Barron’s 2008) has fantastic photos, illustrations, pull-tabs, pop-ups and other interactive features (engineered by Alan Brown and Zerina White). There’s a lot to discover here for kids of all ages. I liked opening the skull with the brain inside!