Gallop!: A Scanimation Picture Book (Scanimation Books)

I saw this book in a shop while on vacation. Once home I ordered it for my grandson (18 mos) for part of his Christmas. I am always on the lookout for unique books for my grandchildren. Books with beautiful artwork, heartfelt stories, tactile pages, etc. This book starts a whole new genre in our "library"--animation!

My 3 year old daughter received this book as a gift from grandma, and I have since purchased multiple copies of this book and the Swing! book (companion book with sports theme) and have given it as a gift to children from infancy to age 3. It is very cool. Yes, the text leaves a lot to be desired, but it makes up for it with the pictures. I highly recommend both books. The cards, which are based on this book, are also neat, and come with stickers so that you can personalize them for a variety of occasions.

The good points of this book are simple:


1.This is a very original approach for a children's book. Instead of cartoon characters, pop-up pages or buttons for sounds, the book operates by just opening the cover, literally.

2.The text is large enough and simple enough to start toddlers reading early.

3.The pictures are cute and captivating. My son loves this book and interacts with it directly.

4.The animal sounds below the picture that you read are cute, but not baby speak.

5.The pages open with ease and are manipulated with no strain unlike many other 'thick-page' books like this.


Overall this is a very clever book and the absolute simplicity of it makes it that much better.

I saw this book at a friend's house, and had to get a copy for myself. I work with children, ages 2-3 years, and this has been a wonderful book for them. They are fascinated by the moving pictures and it is a great introduction to several animals. I'm sure older children (or adults!) will enjoy it as well. It's with me on all of my home visits.

Joann

The kids get a kick out of this moving picture book. I bought an extra copy for my next toddler birthday party. Good sturdy pages and common words for beginning readers.