Day 58: Gallop!

There are several books in this fascinating "Scanimation" series by Rufus Butler Seder:  Gallop!, Swing!, and Waddle!  If you've never seen them on display at your local bookstore or library, you've got to check them out.  Seder uses an exceptionally cool visual technique called scanimation to create images that move back and forth as you turn each page.  Dogs run, chimps swing, turtles swim, eagles soar... I know it doesn't sound like much, but believe me when I say that these books are mesmerizingly fun.  I honestly have no idea how scanimation really works, as it is apparently just an exceptionally clever overlay of stripes and still images, but it does.  And it's very, very cool.   There is bold, simple, colorful text to accompany each picture, but in my opinion, the book is really only worth reading for the images.   I don't think anyone picks these books up for their story lines anyway, though, so that's okay.  I find the choice of rhyming sound effects for each picture to be a bit odd at times, but my son likes saying them and thinks they are fun.  ("Can you gallop like a horse?  Giddyup-a-loo!  Can you strut like a rooster?  Cock-a-doodle-doo!")   One thing I do like about the text is that it is simple enough that budding readers will most likely be able to read it on their own... But back to the pictures.  They are simply fascinating to babies, children and adults, alike.  I honestly want to tear the pages open each time I read it to see how the images work, and am secretly hoping that one day one of my children will destroy a page enough that I can see inside.   Unfortunately for me, the books are actually quite sturdy and well-made, so I'll just have to keep resisting the urge to dissect them.  Fantastically magical, these are well worth a look!