Tokyo Pop-Up Book - by Sam Ita (Hardcover)

About the Book

This adventurous pop-up book whisks kids on a whirlwind tour of Tokyo's most famous landmarks! It cleverly pairs cultural and geographical information with artful paper engineering and an exciting storyline. Full color.

Book Synopsis

*Winner of the Moonbeam Children's Book Award*

Embark on an exciting manga pop-up adventure through Tokyo--the world's largest city!

Follow Chico, a young American boy, and his mischievous cat Neko as they navigate the streets and famous sights of Tokyo. On arriving in Tokyo, while visiting the city's famous Senso-ji Temple, Chico nods off due to jetlag. Neko gets bored and decides to go sightseeing on her own. Then, the race is on--as a panicked Chico chases his cat across the city! In the process, they pass through Tokyo's most iconic landmarks, each with its own interactive and manga pop-up fun:

• POP-UP Senso-ji in Asakusa--Tokyo's ancient Buddhist temple, where the adventure begins.
• POP-UP A rousing Sumo match still in progress.
• POP-UP Bustling Shinjuku Station, where riders get stuffed into subway cars by professional "pushers."
• POP-UP Tokyo Skytree tower, the tallest structure in Japan, where poor Neko has a very close call!
• The base of iconic Mt. Fuji, where the adventure has a happy conclusion!

Educational and entertaining in equal measure, this delightful manga pop-up book will be treasured by young and old readers alike. It makes a fantastic gift or carry-on for anyone planning a visit to Japan.

Review Quotes

"...the coolest book ever...Each full-page spread that follows shows a typical scene from Tokyo...from bright lights, to temples, a sumo match, train station, onsen, and more...Sam Ita has done a very good job with the Tokyo Pop-Up Book, indeed, he is a paper engineer to design all the details and have so many pop-up elements on each page that truly shows Tokyo at its finest." --Castle View Academy blog

"If you enjoy pop-up books, you will love the scenes in this book. I was very impressed with the details and the vibrant scenes on each page. Plus, there are so many things to see throughout the book that it really is so much more than a book to read." --In Our Spare Time blog

"The majority of the pages are edge-to-edge, filled with art, pop-ups, and Neko the Cat. It is fun to keep up with the adventure and sit here looking at the pop-ups to see what is happening in the scene taking place." --TheDailyFandom.com

"The most beautiful pop-up book we have ever seen! Explore Tokyo in the coolest way." --The Baby Spot

"Yet again, Sam Ita takes the pop-up book genre to a new dimension! His skillful blend of graphic story-telling and paper engineering makes Tokyo Pop-Up Book his most innovative and playful book yet." --Matthew Reinhart, author of Cinderella: A Pop-Up Fairy Tale and Star Wars: A Galactic Pop-Up Adventure

About the Author

Sam Ita studied graphic design at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn before following his passion for paper engineering. He draws inspiration from comics, origami, and machines, applying his craft to publishing, advertising, animation, display, and toy design. His pop-up book creations include Christmas Tree In-a-Box, The Odyssey, Moby Dick, and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Frankenstein and his origami kits include Flying Dragons Paper Airplanes and Next Generation Airplanes Kit.