Birdscapes: A Pop-Up Celebration of Bird Songs in Stereo Sound

Author : Miyoko Chu Edition : Pop Number of Pages : 18 Publisher : Chronicle Books List Price : $60.00 Amazon Price : $38.71 Used Price : $36.93

Amazon.com Review

"Pop-up books aren't just for kids anymore! This multimedia experience transports you to seven natural habitats in North America and immerses you in the birds and their songs. --Greg Butcher, director of bird conservation, National Audubon Society

"Birdscapes is a delight for the eyes and the ears--a tour of North America's bird-rich ecosystems, rendered as seven lavishly detailed, three-dimensional landscapes, and brimming with choruses of authentic bird songs and calls." --Scott Weidensaul, author of Living on the Wind and Of a Feather

An Interview with Miyoko Chu, Director of Communications at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Q: When did you first become interested in birds?

A: When I was 11, my father and I rescued some pigeons from a poultry truck in San Francisco's Chinatown. I spent a lot of time in the backyard coop, watching the pigeons as they courted and raised their young. It was amazing to realize all this drama was playing out with wild birds everywhere, too, and to have the opportunity to study it.

Q: What's your favorite bird song and why?

A: My favorite song is that of the Scott’s Oriole, featured in the desert scene of Birdscapes. Hearing that clear, bubbling melody in the desert is an unforgettable experience.

Q: What was the best thing about working on Birdscapes?

A: It was exciting to go from the ideas and bird lists for each soundscape to seeing and hearing this three-dimensional product as it emerged from the minds of the artists, editors, and sound engineers. It was incredible to see the artists' sketches transform into complex and ingenious pop-up scenes, and to experience how precise recordings for each bird were blended to evoke the soundscape.

Q: Have you visited all of the seven different bird habitats featured in Birdscapes?

A: Of the seven habitats, I'm most familiar with the desert, where I studied birds during 1995-2000, and the eastern deciduous forest, which is right outside my office window. I have visited the Great Plains and Pacific evergreen forests. I have not been to the Arctic, a southern swamp, or a seabird colony. In writing those scenes, I benefited from the insights of my colleague Gerrit Vyn, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s audio production engineer, who selected the recordings, including some that he had recorded on recent expeditions to these habitats.

Q: Which habitat in Birdscapes did you enjoy writing about the most and why?

A: Actually, there were two that I enjoyed the most--for completely opposite reasons! I loved writing about the desert because I had spent so much time there, and remembered the sights and sounds so vividly. And it was great fun to write about the seabird colony because that was something I had never experienced before—and I was completely surprised by what I learned. Whether an individual seabird's voice or thousands, the sounds are awe-inspiring, and the birds have such an interesting lifestyle as they all cram on to a bit of rock for the breeding season.

Q: Are you a daily birder or a weekend birder?

A: I'm an opportunistic birder! I'm always watching and listening for birds around my house and neighborhood. But in between work and spending time with my family, my focused birding these days happens irregularly, on the spur of the moment. My office at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology overlooks Sapsucker Woods, so I sometimes slip outside to look for birds after getting an email alert about a good migration day, or when I notice people outside my window pointing up at the trees.

Q: Do you have any suggestions for beginning birders?

A: Invest in a pair of binoculars and practice becoming comfortable with them. It will open up a whole new world, enabling you to see many more birds than you may have even realized were around you before. Spend time getting to know the different kinds of birds you see, the reasons for their behaviors, and the many kinds of sounds they use throughout the year.

Excerpts from Birdscapes

Click on each image below to see a larger view of the page.

More to Explore

Bird Songs: 250 North American Birds in Song

Customer reviews

NICE BUT MISSING SOMETHING by .. LindaC (PA, USA)
I bought this book for my husband, we are interested in birding. It turns out it probably will be better for our grandchild, as a good introduction to bird habitats. It's got everything the other reviewers said. But there are things missing: like, any idea of which birds are which and make which sounds. There are no instructions or identification of any of the birds or sounds, that we could find. If I am missing something here, please let me know! I bought this book at BJ's club for $35 plus tax. I will have to look elsewhere for bird identification, probably will get a DVD.

Birdscape by .. N. Autrey ()
This product is not worth the $40. It is intended for children but too
easily damaged. The "pop-up" does not work well.

Wonderful bird pop up book great bird sounds! by .. D. O'Gara (St Peter MN)
Purchased this for My Granddaughter (5) who is crazy about all wild life.She gets so excited when we sit down and the bird sounds start.We enjoy trying to match the sound to the bird. We all enjoy listening to the sounds, it is as if you are right next to the bird,the pop up's are wonderful, we discover something new everytime we open it!

Great book! by .. Mary L. Gere (Jersey Shore)
This book is awesome! I read about it in Oprah Magazine and ordered it right away. It is great for bird-lovers, plus it is entertaining. I highly recommend it.

My love of Grandchildren & Birds by .. Peter D. Bradley (Columbus, Ohio USA)
Birdscapes: A Pop-Up Celebration of Bird Songs in Stereo Sound
My grandchildren and I find this to be a wonderful book to learn about and hear birds. I babysit two of my ten grandchildren and we can spend time with this book almost every week. I recommend it for adults too, who have an interest in birds.

The Amazing Pop-Up Geography Book (Amazing Pop-Ups)

Author : Kate Petty Number of Pages : 14 Publisher : Dutton Juvenile List Price : $24.99 Amazon Price : $14.13 Used Price : $13.63

Product Description

Customer reviews

The Amazing Pop-Up Geography Book is AMAZING! by .. Denise C. Fernandez (East Coast, USA)
My 7-year old daughter enjoyed all the information contained under the flaps and on the beautifully illustrated pages. The colors are vibrant and the choice of fonts make the book appealing to any reader. Mom and Dad love it, too!

The amazing pop-up by .. Daisy Garcia (Brooklyn, ny United States)
i bought this book for my 7 year old kid and he was amazed with it, now he wants to share it with his teacher and his classmates!!!

Not just amazing, but great!! by .. R. Rollins ()
I really like this book. It is fun for my son because it is a pop-up, but at the same time it is also informative.

Great learning center by .. LI Teacher (Long Island, NY)
I am an elementary school teacher, currently teaching 4th grade. I ordered this book as a review of the various geographic elements in review for the NYS Science and SS assessments. Although this is not a book you can read together as a class (there are just too many small details to cover) I highly recommend this for a small group or independent work station. In order to fully utilize the book, I created questions that covered the various topics on each page which guided the students to explore the book and search for the answers. It is a fabulous learning tool and all of the other teachers who have seen this book keep asking me where I got it!!!!

A Big Hit! by .. J. Dugger ()
My newphew enjoys books, but this one was a homerun. My sister tells me that he is completely fascinated with this one. He is 5, but there is so much information in the book, I could see older kids enjoying it as well.

Peter Pan: A Classic Collectible Pop-Up

Edition : 1 Number of Pages : 14 Publisher : Little Simon List Price : $29.99 Amazon Price : $18.07 Used Price : $17.97

Product Description

Customer reviews

Peter Pan popup book by .. Janet E. Ridall (Missouri, USA)
The popups are incredible--how do they do that? Great fun for 'children' of all ages.

Wonderful Gift by .. Karen ()
Gorgeous book! The pop-ups are a work of art- entertaining for both children and adults.

tinker bell is a hit! by .. Karin J. Martin (Oregon)
I bought this book along with the movie "Peter Pan". My grandson is 3 years old and enjoys showing me the pictures in the book as they show up in the movie. For example, flying over the city in the movie and the pop up are so similar that he gets very excited to have the picture in hand! I would recommend watching the movie with the picture book. I skip over a lot of the paragraphs in the book as I believe it to be a bit lengthy.

Gotta love Sabuda books by .. Zannie M (USA)
Everything I've seen with Robert Sabuda's name on it is just lovely. The pop-up books are so intricate and interesting, and this is no exception. I do find that I have to remind myself to read the text because I'm too entertained by the pictures-- but I think that's all right.

Pop-up review by .. Colleen Kaminski ()
I not only shop at Amazon all the time but I also make sure to get the pop-up books by Robert Sabuda because neither one will disappoint. I am always amazed by the surprising elements in each of Robert Sabuda's books. I was first introduced to his books from a teacher in the school where I teach. I've bought a book each year for my granddaughter ever since. You'll never go wrong buying from Amazon as well as buying Robert Sabuda's books. Each year is better than the last.

The Pop-Up Book of Phobias

Author : Gary Greenberg Edition : 1 Number of Pages : 22 Release Date : 1999-10-20 Publisher : HarperEntertainment List Price : $29.95 Amazon Price : $8.49 Used Price : $10.42

Product Description

Brought to life by outrageously macabre artwork and startlingly innovative pop-ups, The Pop-up Book of Phobias is an engineering marvel and cult classic in the making--an offbeat holiday treasure sure to become this season's most talked-about gift book.

Customer reviews

Pop up book collector by .. Christine Ann Peacock-Eng (San Jose, CA)
I found this pop up book to be not only educational but interesting. Not intricate in it's details but still a great learning tool for teens and adults alike!

Scared the hell out of me by .. NedMuffin (Cambridge, UK)
Most people are afraid of something, unfortunately my phobia is pop-up books. This is a shame because, judging by the cover, this looks like a highly entertaining book.

I passed this round my family who tell me that the pop-up Frenchman (complete with beret, baguette and body odour) scared the hell out of Uncle Adolf, our familial Francophobe, whilst the monster phallus on page 7 was so large it almost took my Sister's eye out - definitely not for those of a phallophobic persuasion. Happily, she isn't one of them, judging by the size of her belly!

My 5-star rating is thus entirely based on their positive feedback as my rare condition (the correct medical term being pop-a-bookaphobia) renders my critical faculties useless in this particular case.

Very creative! by .. J. Lindberg ((Wisconsin, USA))
I purchased this book to use as a prize for actors at our Haunted House. It was perfect for all ages.

Inventive, Creative, and a little Macabre! by .. Janella L. Hartsell (Springfield, MO United States)
We gave this as a gift to a family member who is a therapist. He absolutely loved it. We sat around and looked at it together and got lots of laughs out of it. The unique perspective of the artist, portraying anything from clowns to germy bathrooms (don't worry, the toilet isn't TOOOO gross if you know what I mean....) There is one page that makes you feel as if you are standing on top of a very tall building........it's very macabre, very hilarious, very intelligent, and yet not the least bit disrespectful of those who actually have the fears. There's one that opens up to a microphone and an audience all staring at you. On the podium is a "to do" list that has everything checked off EXCEPT "write speech." Absolutely hilarious. A must-give gift for anyone you know in the psych. profession.

Fun! by .. LaurenMarie (CA United States)
This book is a lot of fun! It's short but entertaining and the spider one really creeped me out!

Elements Of Pop Up: A Pop Up Book For Aspiring Paper Engineers

Edition : Pop Number of Pages : 18 Publisher : Little Simon List Price : $37.99 Amazon Price : $25.07 Used Price : $19.00

Product Description

Here at last is the definitive book on how to make a pop-up. Every aspect of the creation of a pop-up, known as paper engineering, is clearly and thoroughly covered. All types of parallel folds, angle folds, wheels, and pull tabs are accurately detailed verbally and visually, flat and in dimension. Also included is a history of pop-ups and a step-by-step photographic essay on how a pop-up is made from start to finish. This guided tour is perfect for aspiring pop-up creators, paper engineers, students, and appreciators of this unique art form.

Customer reviews

Nice by .. Tanya ()
My teacher had this book and I wanted to get this book for later reference. This book teaches you how to make pop-ups. great for design students in school and those that want to learn how to make there own pop-up books.

Easy enough for my 10-year-old (and even me) by .. Patty Chan (Sacramento, CA)
My daughter and I love this book! It is fun, easy and has all the basic and secondary elements of pop-up I was looking for. We have made unique cards and journals such a pop-up tent in Yosemite with hand drawn scenery, a thank you card of a cylindrical water bottle, a zoo, a circus, and people popping forward. Suggestion: cut out magazines and old greeting cards if you're self-conscious about your ability to draw (like I am). Looking forward to making more.

Impressive format -- better content needed! by .. P. Gonyea ()
When you first pick up this book, you'll be impressed. Inside are numerous small working examples of many pop-up techniques and volvelles (rotating disc image mechanisms). Alongside each sample is a short formula for designing your own, i.e. "the angle folds AB and CD are equal". At the back of the book is a storyboard demonstrating the highlights of designing a pop-up for commercial production.

The book could be vastly improved by providing step-by-step directions for each technique along with pitfalls to avoid. The authors provide a link for a web site where the templates used in the book can be downloaded. They are not intuitive, and no further instructions are given. An analytical and creative person will be able to design their own pop-ups based on the ones in the book -- but it takes time & lots of trial-and errors.

When I started using this book, only 3 of my first 15 tries were successful. But by using this book in combination with 2 or 3 others, I'm now finally enjoying the gratification of designing my own pop-ups.

AWESOME! POP UP BOOK by .. Janet S. Bentley (Hotter than where?, AZ)
This book has it all. It is very complete. If you are at all interested in pop up, for fun, scrapbooking or cardmaking- this is the book to get!

Great book plus author's website has bonus dies to download by .. Elizabeth Mcalister (Georgia)
I love this book. It's an excellent learning tool. The almost explosive front pop-up incorporates all the elements in the book, then each one is explained and demonstrated separately. I particularly liked the noise making pop-up, which had a saw-toothed mechanism. In visiting the author's web site I found he had dies (pdf models to cut out) for the elements in the book under "surprise". I think, considering the hand made nature of the book, and production costs, its price is not unreasonable. Another good book for learning paper engineering in which you construct the models is Paper Engineering for Pop-Up Books and Cards