Robert Sabuda

Robert Sabuda was born March 8, 1965, in Wyandotte, Michigan. He was raised in Pinckney, Michigan. His father was a mason and a carpenter, providing Sabuda with an appreciation for precise construction.{{cite web |title=Artist Profile: Robert Sabuda - The NCCIL |url=http://www.nccil.org/experience/artists/sabudar/index.htm |website=National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature |access-date=March 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160328114940/http://www.nccil.org/experience/artists/sabudar/index.htm |archive-date=March 28, 2016}} His mother worked as a secretary for the Ford Motor Company and brought home manila folders that Robert would use to create art projects such as pop-up cards and books.

He attended Pratt Institute in New York City, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in communications design in 1987.

Sabuda's interest in paper engineering was sparked in childhood by reading a version of Cinderella illustrated by Vojtěch Kubašta.{{cite news |last1=Grimes |first1=William |title=Wizard Who Made Art Jump Off the Page |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/31/arts/design/pop-ups-from-prague-celebrates-vojtech-kubasta.html |access-date=March 19, 2023 |work=The New York Times |date=January 30, 2014}} He created his first pop-up book at age eight.

His career in book illustration began with an internship at Dial Books for Young Readers while attending Pratt.{{cite web |title=Authors & Illustrators |url=https://www.candlewick.com/authill.asp?b=Author&m=bio&id=4843&pix=y |website=Candlewick Press |access-date=March 19, 2023}} Initially working as a package designer, he illustrated his first children's book series, Bulky Board Books, in 1987. He began gaining professional recognition in 1994 when he designed his first pop-up books for children, The Christmas Alphabet.{{cite web |last1=Kirch |first1=Claire |title=Four Questions for... Robert Sabuda |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/68913-four-questions-for-robert-sabuda.html |website=Publishers Weekly |access-date=March 19, 2023 |date=December 10, 2015}}

Within the books he has designed, Sabuda has used techniques including:

• faux stained glass (Arthur and the Sword, 1995)
• batik (Blizzard's Robe, 1999)
• papyrus-textured illustrations (Tutankhamen's Gift, 1994)
• murals (Saint Valentine, 1992)

Sabuda works from his studio in New York City and is involved in a wide variety of projects that involve movable paper. Sabuda has been awarded the Meggendorfer Prize for Best Paper Engineering three times by the Movable Book Society.{{cite web |title=Awards |url=https://movablebooksociety.org/awards/ |website=Movable Book Society |access-date=March 19, 2023}} He is a multiple No. 1 New York Times best-selling children's book creator and has over five million books in print published in over 25 languages.{{cite web |last1=Button |first1=Liz |title="Believe" : Author Robert Sabuda on the Art (and Sale) of Pop-Up Books |url=https://www.bookweb.org/news/believe-author-robert-sabuda-art-and-sale-pop-books-571358 |website=American Booksellers Association |access-date=March 19, 2023 |date=26 February 2019}}

Book critic Ted Chapin described Sabuda as a "prolific master of the pop-up book" and "something of an artistic and engineering genius" in The New York Times.{{cite news |last1=Chapin |first1=Ted |title='America the Beautiful,' and 'Liberty's Journey': From Sea to Shining Sea |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/14/books/review/america-the-beautiful-and-libertys-journey-from-sea-to-shining.html |access-date=March 19, 2023 |work=The New York Times |date=November 14, 2004}} A 2011 article in The Wall Street Journal said Sabuda is "a master at making books come to life" and referred to him as "the reigning prince of pop-up books."{{cite news |last1=Alter |first1=Alexandra |title=Robert Sabuda: The Reigning Prince of Pop-Up Books |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970204831304576597200764936760 |access-date=March 19, 2023 |work=Wall Street Journal |date=October 1, 2011}} Sabuda's versions of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (2000) and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (2003) have been particularly praised, with graphic designer Steven Heller saying of Alice that "the intelligent paper trickery on each spread is, well, awesome."{{cite news |last1=Heller |first1=Steven |title=CHILDREN'S BOOKS; Ready for Her Close-Up |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/16/books/children-s-books-ready-for-her-close-up.html |access-date=March 19, 2023 |work=The New York Times |date=November 16, 2003}}

Sabuda married Nasdaq technologist James Talvy on June 25, 2016.{{cite web |title=Biography |url=http://www.robertsabuda.com/biography.html |website=Robert Sabuda |access-date=March 19, 2023}}

1. {{cite book

| last1 = Garrett

| first1 = Randal

| last2 = Heydron

| first2 = Vicki Ann

| year = 1986

| title = The Gandalara Cycle I

| publisher = Bantam Spectra

| isbn = 0-553-25942-3

}}

1. {{cite book

| last1 = Sabuda

| first1 = Robert

| year = 1987

| title = Fire Engine (A Bulky Board Book)

| publisher = Modern Publishing

| isbn = 0-87449-233-5

}}

1. {{cite book

| last1 = Sabuda

| first1 = Robert

| year = 1987

| title = Helicopter (A Bulky Board Book)

| publisher = Modern Publishing

| isbn = 0-87449-234-3

}}

1. {{cite book

| last1 = Sabuda

| first1 = Robert

| year = 1987

| title = Magic Carpet (A Bulky Board Book)

| publisher = Modern Publishing

| isbn = 0-87449-235-1

}}

1. {{cite book

| last1 = Sabuda

| first1 = Robert

| year = 1987

| title = Tugboat (A Bulky Board Book)

| publisher = Modern Publishing

| isbn = 0-87449-236-X

}}

1. {{cite book

| last1 = Coco

| first1 = Eugene Bradley

| last2 = Sabuda

| first2 = Robert

| year = 1988

| title = The Fiddler's Son

| publisher = Green Tiger Press

| isbn = 0-516-09421-1

}}

1. {{cite book

| last1 = Coco

| first1 = Eugene Bradley

| last2 = Sabuda

| first2 = Robert

| year = 1988

| title = The Wishing Well

| publisher = Green Tiger Press

| isbn = 0-88138-112-8

}}

1. {{cite book

| last1 = Lowe

| first1 = Steve

| last2 = Thoreau

| first2 = Henry David

| last3 = Sabuda

| first3 = Robert

| year = 1990

| title = Walden

| publisher = Philomel Books

| isbn = 0-399-22153-0

| url-access = registration

| url = https://archive.org/details/walden00lowe

}}

1. {{cite book

| last1 = Whitman

| first1 = Walt

| last2 = Sabuda

| first2 = Robert

| year = 1991

| title = I Hear America Singing

| publisher = Philomel Books

| isbn = 0-399-21808-4

| url = https://archive.org/details/ihearamericasing00whit

}}

1. {{cite book

| last1 = Whitman

| first1 = Walt

| last2 = Sabuda

| first2 = Robert

| year = 1991

| title = Earth Verses and Water Rhymes

| publisher = Atheneum

| isbn = 0-689-31693-3

}}

1. {{cite book

| last1 = Sabuda

| first1 = Robert

| year = 1992

| title = Saint Valentine

| publisher = Atheneum

| isbn = 0-689-31762-X

}}

1. {{cite book

| last1 = Lowe

| first1 = Steve

| last2 = Columbus

| first2 = Christopher

| last3 = Sabuda

| first3 = Robert

| year = 1992

| title = The Log of Christopher Columbus: The First Voyage: Spring, Summer and Fall 1492

| publisher = Philomel Books

| isbn = 0-399-22139-5

| url = https://archive.org/details/logofchristopher00colu

}}

1. {{cite book

| last1 = Owen

| first1 = Roy

| last2 = Sabuda

| first2 = Robert

| year = 1993

| title = The Ibis and the Egret

| publisher = Philomel Books

| isbn = 0-399-22504-8

| url = https://archive.org/details/ibisegret00owen_1

}}

1. {{cite book

| last1 = Levy

| first1 = Constance

| last2 = Sabuda

| first2 = Robert

| year = 1994

| title = The Tree Place and Other Poems

| publisher = Atheneum

| isbn = 0-689-50599-X

| url = https://archive.org/details/treeplaceotherpo00levy

}}

1. {{cite book

| last1 = Sabuda

| first1 = Robert

| year = 1994

| title = Tutankhamen's Gift

| publisher = Atheneum

| isbn = 0-689-31818-9

}}

1. {{cite book |last1 = Sabuda

|first1 = Robert

|year = 1995

|title = Arthur and the Sword

|publisher = Atheneum

|isbn = 0-689-31987-8

|url = https://archive.org/details/arthursword0000sabu

}}

1. {{cite book

| last1 = Davol

| first1 = Marguerite W.

| last2 = Sabuda

| first2 = Robert

| year = 1997

| title = The Paper Dragon

| publisher = Atheneum

| isbn = 0-689-31992-4

}}

1. {{cite book

| last1 = Sabuda

| first1 = Robert

| year = 1999

| title = Blizzard's Robe

| publisher = Atheneum

| isbn = 0-689-81161-6

}}

1. {{cite book

| last1 = Sabuda

| first1 = Robert

| year = 2003

| title = Uh-oh, Leonardo! : The Adventures of Providence Traveler , 1503

| publisher = Atheneum

| isbn = 0-689-81160-8

}}

1. {{cite book

| last1 = Sabuda

| first1 = Robert

| year = 1994

| title = The Christmas Alphabet

| publisher = Orchard Books

| isbn = 0-307-17627-4

}}

1. {{cite book

| last1 = Sabuda

| first1 = Robert

| year = 1994

| title = The Mummy's Tomb: A Pop-Up Book

| publisher = Golden Books

| isbn = 0-307-17627-4

}}

1. {{cite book

| last1 = Sabuda

| first1 = Robert

| year = 1994

| title = The Knight's Castle: A Pop-Up Book

| publisher = Golden Books

| isbn = 0-307-17626-6

}}

1. {{cite book

| last1 = Beach

| first1 = Thomas (pseudonym)

| year = 1994

| title = Creepy, Crawly Halloween Fright

| publisher = Troll Associates

| isbn = 0-8167-3395-3

}}

1. {{cite book

| last1 = Sabuda

| first1 = Robert

| year = 1995

| title = Help the Animals of North America (A Pop-Up Book)

| publisher = Reader's Digest

| isbn = 0-89577-665-0

}}

1. {{cite book

| last1 = Sabuda

| first1 = Robert

| year = 1995

| title = Help the Animals of Asia (A Pop-Up Book)

| publisher = Reader's Digest

| isbn = 0-89577-667-7

}}

1. {{cite book

| last1 = Sabuda

| first1 = Robert

| year = 1995

| title = Help the Animals of Africa (A Pop-Up Book)

| publisher = Reader's Digest

| isbn = 0-89577-668-5

}}

1. {{cite book

| last1 = Williams

| first1 = Nancy

| last2 = Sabuda

| first2 = Robert

| year = 1995

| title = A Kwanzaa Celebration: A Pop-up Book

| publisher = Little Simon

| isbn = 0-689-80266-8

}}

1. {{cite book

| last1 = Sabuda

| first1 = Robert

| year = 1996

| title = The Twelve Days of Christmas: A Pop-Up Celebration

| publisher = Little Simon

| isbn = 0-689-80865-8

}}

1. {{cite book

| last1 = Sabuda

| first1 = Robert

| year = 1997

| title = Cookie Count: A Tasty Pop-Up

| publisher = Little Simon

| isbn = 0-689-81767-3

}}

1. {{cite book

| last1 = Sabuda

| first1 = Robert

| year = 1998

| title = ABC Disney Pop-Up

| publisher = Disney Press

| isbn = 0-7868-3132-4

}}

1. {{cite book

| last1 = Sabuda

| first1 = Robert

| year = 1999

| title = The Movable Mother Goose

| publisher = Little Simon

| isbn = 0-689-83149-8

}}

1. {{cite book

| last1 = Sabuda

| first1 = Robert

| year = 2000

| title = The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: Pop-Up

| publisher = Little Simon

| isbn = 0-689-84014-4

}}

1. {{cite book

| last1 = Thomas

| first1 = Pamela

| last2 = Sabuda

| first2 = Robert

| year = 2000

| title = Brooklyn Pops Up

| publisher = Little Simon

| isbn = 0-689-84019-5

}}

1. {{cite book

| last1 = Moore

| first1 = Clement Clarke

| last2 = Sabuda

| first2 = Robert

| year = 2002

| title = The Night Before Christmas Pop-up

| publisher = Little Simon

| isbn = 0-689-83899-9

}}

1. {{cite book

| last1 = Sabuda

| first1 = Robert

| year = 2003

| title = Alice's Adventures in Wonderland: A Popup Adaptation

| publisher = Little Simon

| isbn = 0-689-84743-2

}}

1. {{cite book

| last1 = Sabuda

| first1 = Robert

| year = 2004

| title = America the Beautiful

| publisher = Little Simon

| isbn = 0-689-87421-9

}}

1. {{cite book

| last1 = Sabuda

| first1 = Robert

| year = 2005

| title = Winter's Tale: An Original Pop-Up Journey

| publisher = Little Simon

| isbn = 1-4169-0787-4

}}

1. {{cite book

| last1 = Sabuda

| first1 = Robert

| year = 2010

| title = Beauty & the Beast: A Pop-up Book of the Classic Fairy Tale

| publisher = Little Simon

| isbn = 978-1-4169-6079-9

}}

1. {{cite book

| last1 = Sabuda

| first1 = Robert

| last2 = Rosen

| first2 = Michael J.

| date = September 2011

| title = Chanukah Lights

| publisher = Candlewick Press

| isbn = 978-0-7636-5533-4

}}

1. {{cite book

| last1 = Sabuda

| first1 = Robert

| date = October 2013

| title = The Little Mermaid

| publisher = Little Simon

| isbn = 978-1-4424-5086-8

}}

1. {{cite book

| last1 = Sabuda

| first1 = Robert

| date = October 2014

| title = The Dragon & the Knight

| publisher = Simon & Schuster Childrens Books

| isbn = 978-1-4711-2311-5

}}

1. {{cite book

| last1 = Sabuda

| first1 = Robert

| date = December 2015

| title = The White House: A Pop-Up of Our Nation's Home

| publisher = Orchard Books

| isbn = 978-0-545-54089-6

}}

1. {{cite book

| last1 = Sabuda

| first1 = Robert

| year = 2016

| title = Sea Island Pops Up

| publisher = Librum Artifex

| isbn = 978-0-692-59241-0

}}

1. {{cite book

| last1 = Sabuda

| first1 = Robert

| date = September 2016

| title = The Christmas Story

| publisher = Candlewick Press

| isbn = 978-0-7636-8326-9

}}

1. {{Cite book

| title = Ten Horse Farm

| last = Sabuda

| first = Robert

| publisher = Candlewick

| year = 2018

| isbn = 978-0-7636-6398-8

| location =

| pages =

}}

1. {{Cite book

| title = Believe: A Pop-Up Book of Possibilities

| last = Sabuda

| first = Robert

| publisher = Candlewick

| year = 2019

| isbn = 978-0-7636-6397-1

| location =

| pages = 24

}}

1. {{Cite book

| title = Love

| last = Sabuda

| first = Robert

| publisher = Candlewick

| year = 2021

| isbn = 978-1-5362-1037-8

| location =

| pages = 24

}}

1. {{cite book

| last1 = Sabuda

| first1 = Robert

| year = 2005

| title = Christmas Alphabet Cards: Collectible Tin Set

| publisher = Running Press Kids

| isbn = 0-7624-2554-7

}}

1. {{cite news

| last1 = Sabuda

| first1 = Robert

| date = December 20, 2003

| title = Op-Art; Tired of Shopping? Build a Gift

| newspaper = New York Times

| url = https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0A17F63F5B0C738EDDAB0994DB404482

| access-date = January 24, 2006

}}

1. {{cite news

| last1 = Hedges

| first1 = Chris

| title = In Him, Storyteller Meets Architect

| newspaper = New York Times

| date = December 9, 2003

| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/09/nyregion/public-lives-in-him-storyteller-meets-architect.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm

| access-date = January 24, 2006

}}

1. {{cite news

| last = Carvajal

| first = Doreen

| title = Boing! Pop-Up Books Are Growing Up; Flaps, Foldouts and Complexities Attract Adult Eyes

| newspaper = New York Times

| date = November 27, 2000

| url = https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F50A13FA345E0C748EDDA80994D8404482

| access-date = January 24, 2006

}}

1. {{cite news

| year = 2006

| title = New York Times Children's Bestseller List

| newspaper = New York Times

| url = https://www.nytimes.com/pages/books/bestseller/

| access-date = January 24, 2006

| ref = nyt-bestseller

}}

1. {{cite news

| last = Chapin

| first = Ted

| date = November 14, 2004

| title = 'America the Beautiful,' and 'Liberty's Journey': From Sea to Shining Sea

| newspaper = New York Times

| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/14/books/review/14CHAPIN.html

| access-date = January 24, 2006

}}

1. {{cite news

| last = Heller

| first = Steven

| date = November 16, 2003

| title = Ready for Her Close-Up

| newspaper = New York Times

| url = https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9405E2D81539F935A25752C1A9659C8B63

| access-date = January 24, 2006

}}

1. {{cite news

| last = Marcus

| first = Leonard S.

| date = December 8, 2002

| title = Children's Books

| newspaper = New York Times

| url = https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9800E0DF1338F93BA35751C1A9649C8B63

| access-date = January 24, 2006

}}

1. {{cite news

| last = Tzannes

| first = Robin

| date = May 22, 1994

| title = The Littlest Pharaoh

| newspaper = New York Times

| url = https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0DE7DA1039F931A15756C0A962958260

| access-date = January 24, 2006

}}

1. {{cite web

| title = Robert Sabuda.com

| url = http://www.robertsabuda.com/

| access-date = January 24, 2006

}}

1. {{cite web

| title = Meet the Artists – Robert Sabuda : Biography

| work = National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature, USA

| url = http://www.nccil.org/experience/artists/sabudar/index.htm

| access-date = January 24, 2006

}}

1. {{cite web

| title = Meet the Artists – Robert Sabuda : Critical essay

| work = Betty Carter, National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature, USA

| url = http://www.nccil.org/experience/artists/sabudar/index.htm

| access-date = January 24, 2006

}}

{{reflist|colwidth=28em}}

• {{ISFDB name|id=Robert_J._Sabuda|name=Robert J. Sabuda}} (bibliography is only as an illustrator for speculative fiction works)
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vp8HZHnAhQk "Robert Sabuda"] 19-minute video from the PBS series Reading Rockets discussing the author's inspirations and techniques (2011)

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sabuda, Robert}}

Category:1965 births

Category:Living people

Category:American people of Polish descent

Category:American children's book illustrators

Category:Pop-up book artists

Category:People from Wyandotte, Michigan

Category:People from Pinckney, Michigan

Category:Pratt Institute alumni