This Book Is a Planetarium: And Other Extraordinary Pop-Up Contraptions

Product Information

Recommended ages 7+. Under-5s will not be admitted – Ted's Space Adventure is suitable for younger children. Starting just 100 kilometres above our planet, space stretches further than we can imagine, and only now are we starting to unravel some of its many mysteries.

What can paper do? That’s an interesting concept when you think about it. With pop-ups, it’s possible to create constructions that not only fit in a book but also use their shapes to amplify sound or mechanisms that make it possible to reveal hidden secrets like stars and encrypted messages. It’s all in this book! Kelli Anderson managed to design five solid pop-up spreads that really function as a speaker or instrument. Paper Engineering Go on an amazing guided tour of the galaxy with this stunning big-format book, and explore the solar system, the Milky Way and the universe beyond.' - The Week Junior' This is why I’ve been remaking the function of tech with something that most people consider trash: paper. By stripping technology bare of its complication and interfaces, I want to make a place where people can contemplate the wonders of the physical realm.Then, you end up with a disgustingly soft/crappy handbuilt pop-up. It doesn’t close… or even open, really BUT THERE’S A GLIMMER OF HOPE. Like an addict, you keep going. If you've enjoyed Matthew Reinhart's A Pop-Up Book of Nursery Rhymes and Robert Sabuda's Encyclopedia Prehistorica Dinosaurs: The Definitive Pop-Up, then you'll love This Book is a Planetarium.

The book was designed to showcase the potential of the material world—while making a case for the inherent educational value of lo-fi experiences. This review originally appeared in the May 2018 issue of "Technical Communication", https://www.stc.org/techcomm/2018/05/....

What can paper do?

A completely unique and incredibly cool pop-up science book for adults and kids who love design, interactive art, and paper toys, This Book is a Planetarium is a single volume that turns into: Pop-up books begin life with the author ripping apart other people’s pop-up books as a form of love, homage, and study (many friends at The Moveable Book Society have confirmed this.) What a beautiful book! A brilliant book filled with beautiful pictures and fascinating facts about our universe. It steps through different parts of space as if you are walking through a museum, so you 'walk' through seven galleries including Looking at Space, The Solar System, The Sun, The Night Sky, The Stars, Galaxies and The Universe. This is an interesting book for adults and children alike, whether you have a specific interest in space or not. It would make a fantastic gift for an older child who is passionate about space or a brilliant addition to any classroom environment when learning about space through science or topic. Younger children would definitely enjoy looking at the pictures while older children could use it as part of their independent work/research.' - Lucy Newton, Reading Zone

The presenter will describe everything before it happens, giving plenty of time for you to prepare for any changes in light levels, imagery or sounds. These shows are presented live by a Royal Observatory astronomer with several adaptations from our normal planetarium sessions, including:

Pop-Up Winter Wreath

The first thing that catches your eye are the beautiful illustrations, they are quite simply stunning and will instantly entice readers of any age into the book. It's rather like being drawn into a magical world with colour, mystery and excitement. The reader's taken on a whistle stop tour of the universe and provided with concise descriptions of the planets within the solar system, as well as comets and meteors, from the Big Bang right through to the fate of our universe. This book is a worthwhile addition to any astronomer's library, ideal for leafing through on a cloudy evening to let the mind wander into the mysteries of our universe.' - Sky at Night