Book Summary

Rufus Butler Seder uses his artistic filmmaking abilities to make pictures appear to move in books. This is accomplished by placing a bunch of images on top of each other and using a clear film with black stripes to give the animated appearance. In the book, horses gallop, butterflies flap their wings, and monkeys swing from branches. The author asks the reader if they can do all these things. If so, then you're a star!

Content

This book is the appropriate length for the intended age group. It is also very engaging, as children will flip the pages over and over again to watch the animation.

Illustrations

The illustrations ARE the book, the words are perfunctory but also important. The concept of Scanimation makes the illustrations authentic, as no one else has made a similar book before using this type of artistry.

Format

This book is meant to be read lots of times. The cover immediately draws readers in, and as soon as the cover of the book is turned, the adventure begins. The rhyming sentence scheme at the end is the perfect length for the age group. The author also uses catchy phrases that mimic the sounds the animals might make while swimming, swinging, or galloping.

Overall Evaluation

This book works best when it is first read aloud and the students can see the pictures. Kids up to age 5 would enjoy this book. It works well with a diverse population, because limited background knowledge is required to enjoy the content. My kids had this book growing up and loved it.

For Future Professionals to Use With Children

Pre-readers can easily remember the catchy phrases and pretend to read along, even if they don't know the words. For this reason, this book would also work with SPED populations.