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Swing!: A Scanimation Picture Book

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Published last fall, Gallop! introduced the amazing technology called Scanimation and took the children’s book world by storm. It became an instant bestseller—#1 on The New York Times children's list.

Now Swing! does for kids what Gallop! does for animals—a boy rides a bike, a girl kicks her soccer ball, a swimmer cuts through the water, and a skater pirouettes on ice. The effect is joyous, magical, mesmerizing, and taps into the the endless fascination that children find in watching other children. The second book created by Rufus Butler Seder, the inventor, artist, and filmmaker who developed Scanimation out of his obsession with antique optical toys and other pre-motion-picture illusions, Swing! uses "persistence of vision" and a patented state-of-the-art multiphase animation process to create astonishment. There is nothing else like this unique, patented technology that literally inspires wonder.

The images burst with activity, and adding greatly is a happy, rhyming text that captures in words the pure energy of the figures in motion. You can't put it down.

12 pages, Board book

First published October 15, 2008

2 people are currently reading
96 people want to read

About the author

Rufus Butler Seder

32 books15 followers

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5 stars
140 (38%)
4 stars
118 (32%)
3 stars
92 (25%)
2 stars
11 (3%)
1 star
4 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
Profile Image for Abigail.
7,889 reviews250 followers
March 1, 2020
Rufus Butler Seder, whose first Scanimation picture book was such a hit last year, comes out swinging in his second offering. This follow-up to Gallop!: A Scanimation Picture Book features the same amazing optical illusion, in which moving pictures are produced on the page, by means of an ingenious combination of sliding paper and stripes.

There really isn't any "story" here, just a series of children playing sports, with accompanying visual. But the visuals are more than enough to keep the reader's attention. Just ask any of my co-workers, who've spent a good deal of time opening and closing the pages of this book, and watching the picture move. It's like magic!
Profile Image for Lisa Vegan.
2,900 reviews1,308 followers
August 31, 2009
I didn't like this one quite as much as Gallop! A Scanimation Picture Book partly because the concept was no longer as brand new and also because I didn't find it quite so charming. However, it's a terrific book for sports minded kids. I did love the figure skater. Each page shows a different sport so there's no story here. These Scanimation books are fun to look at though.
Profile Image for Cilla Savary.
194 reviews23 followers
December 28, 2019
I highly recommend any and all of the scanimation books. They are incredible!! Fun. The illustrations move. And appear to move in such a lifelike manner that they are captivating for young and old. My grandson loves these.
Profile Image for Eva_Amaré.
191 reviews6 followers
April 7, 2019
The pictures are alive!!! We feel the same way about this book as we do about its predecessor Gallop. It's essentially the same book, but we don't mind because...the pictures are alive!!! ⚾🏏
Profile Image for Patricia Kaniasty.
1,489 reviews61 followers
April 8, 2019
These scanimation books are awesome. Wish there were more in board book version.
Profile Image for Diana Salazar.
412 reviews
February 5, 2025
I would give this a higher rating if the sentences started with a capital letter. Who was the editor for this? They’re fired.
21 reviews1 follower
June 12, 2011
This is the coolest children's book! I love the animation of the illustrations, probably more than Violet does. I like that it's focus is the many ways to use our bodies, particularly in this time where our children spend too much time indoors and plugged in. I have also seen other books by this author such as Gallop and I just love them. We will be getting more of them in the future.
Profile Image for Stephanie Nierste.
20 reviews
April 19, 2012
Scanimations books bring ordinary pictures to life! Not only will children be fascinated by the moving pictures, but they also have the opportunity to learn about a variety of sentences, as well as past/present verbs. The text and moving pictures engages children and allows them to become excited about reading.

*Hybrid
Profile Image for Zack.
399 reviews3 followers
November 3, 2008
The "Scanimation" is really cool and would work well with boys or girls. The text doesn't show up until after the animation, but a slight movement of the page will show it again. Not a storytime book, but would work well in one-on-ones.
Profile Image for Josiah.
3,467 reviews155 followers
May 31, 2009
What makes this story so interesting to me is the fascinating "scanimation" technique that is used! The rhythm of the athletic events that take place in the pages is startlingly realistic, and a lot of fun to observe!
Profile Image for jacky.
3,496 reviews92 followers
July 1, 2010
I liked Gallop! better since it had animals. However, the scanimaation pictures are still really awesome. This book is great for anyone who is a sports lover (even an adult might get a kick out of it). It is also a good book for getting a moving by mimicking the actions in the book.
Profile Image for Meg McGregor.
4,080 reviews81 followers
July 11, 2014
Lexi reads this book over and over again and just loves it! It is oneof her favorite books! The motions of the girl skating, the boy playing basketball, and the boy hitting the baseball are her favorites!
Profile Image for Tamara.
1,459 reviews641 followers
October 28, 2008
Just as good as Gallop.

Liked that they mentioned the likelihood of falling, since it is something that little kids do often and with great fervor.

Profile Image for Susan.
1,677 reviews12 followers
November 24, 2008
What a great book! After looking at it, I immediately ordered both it and Gallop! from Amazon for my nephew.
Profile Image for Gracee .
180 reviews
December 5, 2008
Another home run with the "Scanimation" books. Stood in the book store and took 20 min to "read" each simply book. Not much more advanced than a board book, but WOW these fascinated me! LOVE it!
Profile Image for Sarah Frobisher.
281 reviews7 followers
December 19, 2008
These books are just really fun and the kids love them. The movement on the pages always keeps their attention. This one is great because it promotes going out and playing sports!
383 reviews
January 19, 2009
Like it's predecessor, "Gallop!" this is a book that makes you stop and look. Fun.
Profile Image for Trudy.
10 reviews
March 9, 2009
Awesome kids book! I love that the pictures move!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews

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