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Gallop! A Scanimation Picture Book
By Rufus Butler Seder
Workman Publishing
ISBN 9780761147633
$12.95
Grades PreK-1
In Stores

*Best New Books*

The second entry in Webster’s New World Dictionary for the word “gimmick” reads as follows:

“An attention-getting device or feature, typically superficial, designed to promote the success of a product, campaign, etc.”

This definition makes me wonder, “what constitutes a children’s literature gimmick?” Does anything besides the words printed on the page fall into the category of “attention-getting device”? A shiny cover? Flashing lights? What about pop-up books? Those are just one giant gimmick, right?

“Ahhem!” (The sound of someone clearing their throat)

“Excuse me…”

Wait. What’s that? Call me crazy, but I think I hear the voice of famous paper engineer Robert Sabuda…

Robert: Pop-up books are not a “gimmick”, my friend.

Scope Notes: Well, I think I agree, but why?

Robert: Because their gimmick defines their genre.

Scope Notes: Come again?

Robert: Let me break it down for you: the pictures pop up, hence the name pop-up books. Do you see a genre called “shiny cover books”?

Scope Notes: I think I’m getting it. If the “attention-getting device” in question is really, really cool, that does the trick.

Robert: No. A gimmick transcends its label when it moves beyond acting as a superficial add-on. It must become an integral part of the story.

Scope Notes: Okay, I think I have it. Thanks, Robert!

The gimmick in “Gallop! A Scanimation Picture Book” truly transcends. A perfect marriage of story and execution. Scanimation is a technology that makes pictures appear as if they were moving; a poor man’s animation, if you will.  Each page of the simple text asks the reader a new question about movement: “Can you gallop like a horse?”, “Can you swim like a turtle?”, and so on. Meanwhile, a Scanimation panel shows the reader each animal, fluidly moving in their own distinctive way as the page is turned. Indeed, “Gallop!” wouldn’t be as effective without this remarkable device. Sure to be a winner with youngsters far and wide, and a great choice for a holiday gift.

The third entry in Webster’s New World Dictionary for the word “gimmick” reads as follows:

“any clever little gadget or ruse”

I think from now on I’ll refer to this entry when discussing “Gallop!”, and leave the gimmickry stuff out of the conversation. It just doesn’t apply here.

Also Reviewed By: Readia: Children’s Book Reviews, Wizards Wireless, Edmund’s Saltmines

Find this book at your local library with WorldCat

Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow
by James Sturm
Illustrated by Rich Tommaso
Jump at the Sun (Hyperion Books for Children)
ISBN 9780786839018
$16.99
Grades 5-8
In Stores December 18, 2007.

*Best New Books*

There is something to be said for simplicity. Baseball is not what I would consider to be a simple game. No, the act of tossing a ball the size of an orange into a tiny imaginary square with any kind of power or accuracy sounds pretty complicated to yours truly. Call me crazy, but somehow I think that communicating the cultural landscape of an era of American history is just as tricky. Doing so in a simple, authentically powerful fashion is downright hard (and rare to boot). And how about trying to do that without, you know, using many words? In “Satchel Paige”, the author and illustrator have done just that. A graphic novel about America, segregation, baseball, and racism - all told with understatement through the life of Satchel Paige, a pitcher with a flair for the dramatic.

The story is told through the eyes of a nameless sharecropper from Tuckwilla, Alabama whose prowess on the diamond brings him into contact with the great flamethrower Paige. After besting Satchel at the plate, our narrator suffers an injury, forcing him to give up the game for good and head back to the farm.

Sharecropping with his family is difficult and exhausting work. Add to this that the land owners - Walker Jennings and his two sons - are dangerously unkind.

Fast forward 15 years. Satchel’s celebrity has exploded and his team is visiting Tuckwilla to play the local all-stars. It takes everything he has to attend the game with his son, but Paige’s performance breathes new life into our narrator and the citizens of Tuckwilla.

Simple words and illustrations guide the reader through the story. Additional information is provided at the back of the book to help inform readers on the history and terminology that is sprinkled throughout. A great biography and a quality selection to be sure.

(Shout out to A Fuse #8 Production for the advance reading copy)

Also (Wonderfully) Reviewed By: A Fuse #8 Production, Urban Horrors, Shelf Talker, The Comics Reporter

The Puzzling World of Winston Breen
by Eric Berlin
G. P. Putnam’s Sons
ISBN 9780399246937
$16.99
Grades 4-7
In Stores

Best New Books

I have a problem. I’ve been trying to break this nasty habit, but when books like “The Puzzling World of Winston Breen” come along, they make it that much harder to put the kibosh on my troubling behavior pattern. Allow me to explain.

When I find a book that intrigues me, that compels me to keep going, I have a tendency to cut through all the extraneous stuff and skip ahead on the page to discover what the next turn of plot will be. I understand that I am cheating myself. On a couple rare occasions, I have skipped ahead many pages to the end of a book to preview how it’s all gonna end (sorry 1984!). Thankfully, I was able to curb my urge with this one and keep my wandering eyes on the same two page spread. It was a hard thing to do. This book contains mystery, thrills, and a treasure hunt that will keep you reading from beginning to end.

Speaking of habits, Winston Breen has a habit of his own: puzzles. Of course he solves them, but Win takes things a step further in that he also creates them. It’s not a stretch to say that his enjoyment of all things perplexing is on a higher level than most. The story begins as our protagonist locates a gift for his sister’s upcoming 10th birthday - a decorative wood box that Katie can use for whatever items in her life that need boxing. When Winston presents the gift to his sister, a secret compartment is discovered. The mysterious contents of this compartment activate Winston’s puzzle solving instincts, sending him on a treasure hunt that will draw a number of other questionable participants.

Sprinkled throughout the story are a number of smaller puzzles. Not closely tied to the plot, these little bits of conundrum further immerse the reader in the process of looking for clues to reach a solution. That aspect alone should let you know that the classroom possibilities of this story are immense.

“The Puzzling World of Winston Breen” is a book that readers will no doubt enjoy - I just hope that they are able to be more patient than I. A quality selection.

Also Reviewed By: A Fuse #8 Production, Big A little a, Jen Robinson’s Book Page