Safari: A Photicular Book

Lenticular technology takes a big leap forward with this virtual safari that highlights eight African animals. Triggered by page turns, Kainen's animated images are akin to those in Rufus Butler Seder's Scanimation titles, but even more remarkable in their realism; watching a western lowland gorilla chew or a Thomson's gazelle leap isn't all that different from watching a clip of a nature film (or at least an animated gif). Kaufmann opens the book with a recounting of a safari to Kenya's Masai Mara reserve; it reads as adult ("As the sun settles into the savanna, we... watch the long silhouettes of giraffes while sipping a hearty Cabernet Sauvignon"), but both the information contained there and in the profiles of the eight animals will fascinate young readers. As will Kainen's animations, of course. All ages. (Oct.)