Star Wars : A Pop-Up Guide to the Galaxy - Matthew Reinhart

Summary:  A big fat Star Wars pop-up book with lots of interesting Star Wars facts. (Summary - I made it up.  Image from www.craziestgadgets.com)

My Review:  I never buy pop-up books. My kids always mess them up -- they open them wrong, tear them to peices, and in minutes I'm left with a formerly expensive, non-functioning mess of paper that sticks out at odd angles.  So, pop-up books?!  No, thank you.  I have always been perfectly content to walk right by them.  That is, until my daughter saw this one.  Perhaps I should clarify...these are (two of) my daughters...bet you can't guess which one is a Star Wars fan.  

Holy moly!  This is the mother of all pop-up books that not only pops, but also gives information about the heroes, heroines, villains, supporting characters, planets, droids, fighters, etc. from the original series.  It doesn't just have one cool pop-up per page, it has about nine of them!  Each page has one big one and then several medium and smaller pop-ups off to the side.  Like this...

________________________________

I think if I tried to explain this further, I'd probably just mess it up, so if you have any Star Wars fans in your house, just click here for a video on the book and Matthew Reinhart's creative process.  Did you click?  If so, you have got to be slack-jawed in amazement.  

Along with giant pop-ups of the Millenium Falcon, Mos Eisley, and much more, the piece de resitance is a Darth Vader mask that allows you to glimpse Vader's face before the mask is sealed.  On the same page, and this is Sophie's favorite part, are smaller Luke and Vader pop-ups that hold their own glowing light-sabers.  Here's a picture (for those of you who didn't click on the video):

I'm not even a fan(atic) and I am so impressed by this book.  If you have a Star Wars fan in your house or family, this is a necessary purchase.   If you aren't swimming in Star Wars love, but still impressed by the pop-ups, don't despair!  Matthew Reinhart has quite a few others: 

Encyclopedia Mythologica: Gods & Heroes

Encyclopedia Mythologica: Fairies & Magical Creatures

Encyclopedia Mythologica: Dragons & Monsters

Encyclopedia Prehistorica : Sharks & Other Sea Monsters

Encyclopedia Prehistorica : Mega-Beasts

and more!

My Rating: 5 Stars

Sum it up:  A must have for the young Star Wars fan in your life!