Grade: K

There’s never before been a book like Gallop! Employing a patented new technology called Scanimation, each page is a marvel that brings animals, along with one shining star, to life with art that literally moves. It’s impossible not to flip the page, and flip it again, and again, and again. A first book of motion for kids, it shows a horse in full gallop and a turtle swimming up the page. A dog runs, a cat springs, an eagle soars, and a butterfly flutters. Created by Rufus Butler Seder, an inventor, artist, and filmmaker fascinated by antique optical toys, Scanimation is a state-of-the-art six-phase animation process that combines the “persistence of vision” principle with a striped acetate overlay to give the illusion of movement. It harkens back to the old magical days of the kinetoscope, and the effect is astonishing, like a Muybridge photo series springing into action—or, in terms kids can relate to, like a video without a screen. Complementing the art is a delightful rhyming text full of simple questions and fun, nonsense replies: Can you gallop like a horse? giddyup-a-loo! Can you strut like a rooster? cock-a-doodle-doo! Every child who opens the book will be amazed—and so will every parent.

Using the letters of the Spanish alphabet, Ada has written 27 poems that appear in both Spanish and English. These poems honor the lives, experiences, and culture of the Spanish-speaking people who work the farmland of the American West. Silva’s vivid paintings reflect his Mexican heritage and his life as a child working on farms.

Cows wear dresses, pigs wear wigs, and sheep are scholars on George Washington’s farm. Humorous rhymes, with pictures to match, explain why Washington left his farm to go into politics.

Set in Mexico during the monarch butterflies’ annual migration and during the Days of the Dead, this is a heartwarming tale of a young girl and her close, loving relationship with her grandmother. Read this aloud in celebration of grandparents or during the Days of the Dead. A study guide is included in the back of the book along with descriptions of the celebration and the migration of the monarch butterflies.

Gerald the giraffe longs to dance, but his legs are too skinny and his neck is too long. His knees buckle whenever he tries to twirl. At the Jungle Dance, the warthogs waltz, the chimps cha-cha, and the lions tango. “Giraffes can’t dance,” they all jeer when it’s Gerald’s turn to prance. But there is one little creature who believes in Gerald. “Everything makes music,” the cricket explains, “if you really want it to.” So Gerald starts swaying to his own sweet tune. With light-footed rhymes and high-stepping illustrations, this tale is gentle inspiration for every child with dreams of greatness.

Seventeen cultures, seventeen gorgeous babies. Appealing color photographs depict diverse traditions and showcase clothing worn by babies from around the world. A simple narrative helps demonstrate that no matter how different babies appear, they are all very much alike — nurtured and loved by those who care for them.

Millions of Americans remember Dick and Jane (and Sally and Spot, too!). Now Dick and Jane and all their pals are back with revised editions of these classic readers for a whole new generation of readers to enjoy! Go Away Spot Dick said, “Down, Spot. I cannot play. Down, Spot, down. Go away, little Spot. Go away and play.”

Die-cut pages through which bits of a monster are revealed are designed to help a child control nighttime fears of monsters.