Katie and I have been meaning to post on this amazing book for a while now.

Gallop! is not your usual animal picture book. It has been in the independent booksellers’ top 10 lists for months which is unusual for a children’s book that’s not a Harry Potter.

The author of Gallop!, Rufus Butler Seder has created a technique called ‘Scanimation’ which gives the illustrations in the book motion. Although it is hard to describe it is delightfully intriguing and utterly mesmerising to look at. I have opened it over and over again, amazed at how it works and at how fluidly the animals seemingly move. I say seemingly because the cleverness of ‘Scanimation’ is that it uses a trick of the eye called ‘persistence of vision‘ and the overlayed striped acetate pages create the illusion of movement in the illustrations. As the title of the book suggests the horse gallops across the page and on each new page a different animal moves too.

Katie and I both have a copy of Gallop! and although the concept of the animation in the book is too old for our boys, Ned still loves watching the movement on each page. The book has rhyming text which makes the age range of the book for between 3- and 5-year-olds however much older children will appreciate the complexity of the animation and will enjoy the exploration of finding out how it works. This is a book that will grow with children and is a very exciting development in the world of children’s publishing - what wonderful things will be coming next?

Click on the above image and you will see the horse move as it does in the book.

A guest post by Trudy, 30-something-year-old first-time mum to Oscar, 16 months.

You think you’ve had a cow of day, but have you really? Have you ever really thought what a cow might go through during the day? Nor had I until our most recent purchase. I know, yet another animal book to add to Oscar’s already furry and feathered bookshelf.

We were out last week with Grandma (country Grandma as opposed to city Nanna!) and visited our favourite local bookstore, Book Bonding. I saw two sets of big brown eyes looking from the book display and it was too much for me to resist so we purchased Cow by Malachy Doyle and illustrated by Angelo Rinaldi. The front cover in it’s own right hit the right cord with me. When we were at the counter ready to pay, Natasha showed me Malachy’s latest book as well, Horse. Needless to say Grandma reached into her purse and we walked out with another two animal books.

The illustrations in this book are amazing. It’s as if the cows are in your living room. I felt as if I could reach out and pat their fur or feel the steam coming out of their mouths on the cold morning as they made their way to the milking shed. I have included a couple of illustrations from the book so you can appreciate the expertise of Angelo Rinaldi. You can actually see veins on the udder of the cow and could only imagine the milk sloshing around inside and the pain she must be experiencing prior to milking.

It will be a great book as Oscar gets older so we can teach him that milk doesn’t come out of cartons and teach him the process of getting the milk from the cow to the dairy. He can also get an understanding of what it might be like to be a cow. For the first time in my life I sat back and thought too what it must be like in the paddocks at night, on a dewy morning or during the heat of a summer’s day.

“Slowly you rise from the sodden grass, your thick coat wet with morning dew. Big and heavy, you amble to the gate, full udder swinging between your legs”.

The journey is amazing although simplistic in its own right. I was totally encapsulated in the experience and even as I write this blog I am still touched by those big brown eyes.

The trip to the milking shed, the trip back to the paddock and what a cow would experience during the day. Watching the children leave for school and return on the school bus. How the children swim in the river as the cow sits on the banks watching.

“As the midday sun blazes, you rest in the shade of the oak tree, and close your deep dark eyes. Your ears twitch to clear the flies from your face. You swish them from your back with your long bushy tail……”

From now on I will choose my words carefully before I state that I’ve had a cow of day….

“You’re back in the field, the sun has gone, the files have flown and the long, hot day draws to an end. You graze. You chew. And you rest. It’s hard work being a cow……..”

Ned’s dad and I are loving the Sir David Attenborough/BBC production Tiger - Spy in the Jungle. It is so wonderfully filmed using the most incredible technology of trunk cams, in which elephants are used to place cameras disguised as tree trunks in strategic positions to get the most amazingly close footage of the elusive tigers.

This documentary is intimately following the lives of four tiger cubs as they grow up with their mother in the jungle of India. They really are the most beautiful and majestic animals!

While on holidays recently we found a copy of Nick Butterworth’s Tiger in hardcover and after having watched the first episode of Spy in the Jungle we just had to have it. Ned’s dad thinks it is very cute and it has become one of his favorites. I have always loved Butterworth for his beautiful clean, crisp illustration style that has developed from his graphic design background.

The Tiger of this story is actually a kitten, called Tiger, who enjoys pretending to be the real thing with “great big tigery claws and a loud scary, tigery ROAR!” On the middle of one page we see the adorable little kitten, so soft and cute and then on the next page he transforms into a real tiger taking up the whole page with his enormity.

The text flows so nicely that this picture book makes for an excellent read aloud and toddlers can join in with the repetition “just like a real tiger“.

Tiger is a beautiful story about the joys of imagination and pretend. And as the book ends with Tiger in bed it is also a perfect bedtime story.

Nick Butterworth has also created a companion book called Tiger in the Snow.

Zoo lovers check out this incredible website . It is the stunning companion to the book Bembo’s Zoo by Brazillian Roberto de Vicq de Cumptich.

I promise you it is amazing, especially for fans of graphic design and typography combined with children’s books.

A guest post by Trudy, 30-something-year-old first-time mum to Oscar, 15 months.

What is it about animals that kids find so interesting, actually what is it about animals that I find so interesting? Is it their shape, the noises they make, the colour of their skin, fur or feathers? Yes you guessed it, Oscar, Matt & I made a recent trip to the zoo. I am not sure who was more excited, Oscar, his dad pointing out all of the wonderful animals, or me watching the expressions on both of their faces.

Ever since our adventure to the zoo last week, we have had even more fun with our vast array of animal books at home. I actually didn’t realise how many animal books we have got!

Some of the books have already been reviewed by Lou & Katie [Dear Zoo (Rod Campbell), Zoo! (Lori Froeb) and Dog (Matthew Van Fleet)] but I have included another favourite to share with the weheartbooks.com family.

Animal Babies A to Z: A Pop-Up Book by Chuck Murphy

Open the front cover and you are taken aback by the most beautiful bold black and white letters. The anticipation of what’s behind is too much for Oscar as he grabs at a letter. [He needs to be reminded again that it's a special book and we need to be careful! He is learning slowly.]

A = Antelope B = Baboon C = Chameleon. The bright colours of the Chameleon against the black shiny background is truly amazing and the pop-out three-dimensional branch which holds the Chameleon and its five offspring is like the real thing.

As you work your way through the alphabet, you are greeted with wonderful pop-outs or lift the flaps to see who may be behind that wonderful letter. The range of animals is just amazing and it’s always nice to see some Australian classics such as the koala and wallaby (what a clever man to put a wallaby, but I guess when you’re confronted with “k” for kangaroo and koala you have to think a little more laterally).

Most of the classics such as the gorilla, elephant, snakes, tigers and lions are in there. I was disappointed that the giraffe couldn’t squeeze into the book but when you see the family of gorillas you forgive him for the oversight! We then move to some of the more obscure animals including the okapi, numbat, quetzal, urial and vicuna - all very interesting to say the least.

I have shared a couple of our favourite pages below so you can see how wonderful the illustrations and pop-outs are. (Forgive some of my photography skills but it’s a tricky book to capture.)

A guest post by Trudy, 30-something-year-old first-time mum to Oscar, 15 months.

Oscar and I go to Nanny’s house every Thursday night as Matt plays tennis and his parents love having us (that is Oscar) for dinner.

I have noticed over the last month or so that within five minutes of arriving, Oscar crawls to the toy box in the back room, and opens the lid. His face just lights up with excitement as he surveys the array of toys that are inside.

Much to our amazement, the first thing he always gets out are three books, all with a musical theme and they keep him (and his cousin Charlie) entertained for ages.  Reader warning: having all three musical books out together can drive you crazy within 5 minutes.

I asked Nanny if we could borrow the books so we could contribute to the weheartbooks.com family.  This post is the first of three guest posts I will make over the next week.

Incy Wincy Spider is bright, it’s fun, it’s interactive and above all else it seems to be entertaining Oscar no end.  The front cover has a hole at the bottom right hand corner, which is also the bottom of the water spout.  When you press the button it plays the tune, Incy Wincy Spider.  Oscar knows exactly where the button is and also knows if he opens the front cover of the book, the music becomes louder.

Once you open the cover of the book there is also another small button with a cartoon spider on it.  You can only press this once the music has finished, Oscar hasn’t quite mastered that element of the book yet!  When you press this button it makes a special sound effect which I just cannot describe in words but is something like “rip-raw”.

As you work your way through the book it tells the story of Incy Wincy Spider and has interactive pull tabs along the way. (Don’t forget the music button can always be pressed again for more singing…)

The “out comes the sunshine” page is one of our favourites.  It’s got the biggest brightest sunshine with a blue bird popping out.  You also get the opportunity to start the Incy journey up the spout again.  There a few other animals along the way too which are as equally bright and happy.  There’s a dog, or as Oscar refers to him, a “woof woof” and there is also a fat pink pig.

The illustrations and pop outs are so clever.  We also like the page (illustrated here) which has Incy climbing across a thin piece of string which represents his web.

By this stage of the book we have hit the song four times and the other rip-raw sound at least twice.  The final page in the book is just too exciting for words and you can see by the photo that Oscar is so intrigued as to how the legs are free and dangly. 

I tell Oscar it’s a special book and we have to take care when reading “Nanny’s special books”.  Nanny says it’s fine (as most Nannys would) but we want poor old Incy to last a few more years yet.  When he saw the books at our house today, his face was one of total surprise and joy.  There may be tears tomorrow night when we take the books back and leave them at Nanny’s house…

When I did my post on my Owl Obsession fellow blogger Annie from anniesorganics mentioned that her son loves Owl Babies by Martin Waddell and illustrated by Patrick Benson.

Ned also loves Owl Babies especially when I read it aloud and do different voices for owl siblings Sarah, Percy and Bill. When the owlets awake to find their mummy gone, the two older owls decide that she is out hunting and will be back soon. But every time they come up with a reason as to why mum is not there, Bill gets more and more anxious, repeating “I want my mummy”. Bill is great fun to read aloud because you can put on a very sad voice. It really keeps Ned’s attention and he thinks it’s very funny.

Finally mummy arrives back at the nest, swooping through the night for cuddles with the babies. This is a particularly good concept for Ned at present as he is starting to fret a little when I leave him but I want him to know that I am always coming back to get him.

Patrick Benson’s illustrations for this book are amazing, his artwork makes it so you can almost reach out and stroke the tiny fluffy owlets. He gives each owl a personality and their wide little eyes are adorable. Toddlers like Ned can see themselves in the owls with their wonder of the big wide world but also feeling slightly scared of it.

Owl Babies makes a lovely bedtime story too as it explains to children that you will always be there for them, it’s very comforting. Simply written and with not too much text, Owl Babies is perfect for the very young and is even available in board book for them to look at and hold themselves.

My dear friend, Anne-Laure, reminded me of this book in a comment she left for us during our launch competition. Her twin boys, at two-and-a-half, are loving this book, and now Rowan is too. Most nights he is calling out for ‘Truck’ even before he is in his pyjamas…

Duck in the Truck comes from the very talented Jez Alborough, author of our previously reviewed, Hug!. Duck’s truck gets stuck in the muck, so Frog, Sheep and Goat all lend a hand. With the muck and mud involved, you can imagine the mess, but somehow Duck avoids a sticky end.

The combination of a few different vehicles, some mud and expressive animal characters make it a hit for Rowan. And the rhyming text makes it fun to read aloud. There’s nothing worse than a book that tries to rhyme but doesn’t quite hit the mark, but this one is spot-on.

Following my previous post on our favourite books about chooks, I learnt about a brand new book by Australian author Diana Lawrenson, and illustrated by Dee Huxley.

Paraphernalia’s Present tells the story of Dottie Devine, who lives by herself, and never has any visitors. Nobody has time to even say hello. But she has a chook, called Paraphernalia, who is her great friend and companion. One day, Dottie and Paraphenalia’s normal routines are disturbed, which causes some unexpected and happy outcomes. It’s a lovely story about friendship of different kinds.
You can tell this book has been well-researched, as the author subtly weaves in factual details of chook behaviour, and there is a nice fact sheet included on the last page of the book. Dee Huxley’s pastel illustrations are expressive and expansive.

For Melbournians, the author is appearing this Saturday 12 April at 10.30am at Readings Hawthorn for a reading ‘with props and charm’. We’re going to try to get along.

Meanwhile, our Lottie (not to be confused with Dottie) is doing brilliantly. Her eye is almost completely healed, and one of the only things she needs to worry about now is Rowan, who has taken to squatting next to her with arms outstretched, demanding a ‘Ug!’

We love going to the Melbourne zoo! It makes a great outing for Rowan, gives me a much-needed walk, and we often meet up with friends there. And despite best intentions, we usually end up doing the same route every time; the elephants, butterflies and orangutans circuit is just too good to miss… Our books about zoo animals go down really well before or in between visits to the zoo. And as Rowan is mastering a growing vocabulary of first words, animals noises are also a big favourite at the moment.

Here are our Top 5 books about the zoo.

1. Dear Zoo (Rod Campbell)

What would happen if you wrote a letter to the zoo and asked them for a pet? Now celebrating 25 years (I remember reading this one to my 27 year old sister!!), this is a classic zoo book, with bright, bold pictures, predictable text and those ever-so-alluring lift-up flaps! Ideal for babies and toddlers. Age 0+

2. Bruno Munari’s Zoo (Bruno Munari)

From my favourite publisher, Chronicle Books, comes this classic. Bruno Munari was a contemporary of Leo Leonni (another of my all-time favourites) and his illustrations have the same beautiful retro quality. This and the distinctive humour communicated through the text and illustrations make it one to be enjoyed by toddlers and appreciated by adults and collectors. (As mentioned in a previous post, I bought my beautiful hardback copy at Mockingbird Books.) Age 2+

3. Good Night, Gorilla (Peggy Rathmann)

Rowan and I have been reading this one since he was a newborn. With minimal text, the story gets read slightly differently each time. It tells the delightful tale of a zookeeper saying goodnight to the animals in the zoo. Little does he know that he is being followed by the gorilla who has a hold of his keys. This one really gets your imagination working about the keepers who are behind the scenes at the zoo, and what the animals get up to after hours… With the bedtime theme, this is a great one for reading just before a sleep. Age 0+

4. Queenie: One Elephant’s Story (Corinne Fenton)
This book tells the true story of Queenie, an elephant who lived at the Melbourne Zoo for more than 40 years. At a time when elephant rides were an accepted part of a visit to the zoo, Queenie was a famous animal, and she received hundreds of letters from her fans. In describing her life, the book touches on events of the first half of the 20th century, from the long journey travelling by boat from India to Australia, to Melbourne’s Centenary Celebrations and sad repercussions of the Second World War for zoo animals. The illustrations compliment this theme by having a historical feel. It would make a great start to various discussion points with older kids. Age 3+

5. Zoo! (Lori Froeb)

As reviewed in Lou’s previous post, this is a magnificent fold-out counting book. I’ve witnessed Ned captivated by this one, and the lovely bright illustrations and larger than life fold-outs are fantastic. This would make a great present for a baby or a toddler. Age 0+