The book has two outstanding features: one, it's about making cartoons, not Flash. It just so happens that the tool of choice is Flash and the mode of distribution is the Web. Topics such as scripting (writing a cartoon story, not computer scripting), storyboarding, layout, camera moves and basic animation technique are well covered, as well as the Flash interface, how Flash works, how to compress media for faster downloading, basic HTML and other Flash and Web-specific topics.

The second great feature is the CD-ROM, which includes samples and material used in the chapters but above all contains a digital version of the book--not a stripped-down, bare-bones text version, but a full-colour, searchable version. Having a book like this at one's fingertips raises its usability rating through the roof.

Written in a clear, concise and light-hearted voice, the book spans 15 chapters. Every page has a handful of screen shots, and every page is in full colour. There were no shortcuts taken in either content or production value.

It's remarkable that there aren't more books like this. Sure, Flash is a great tool for all kinds of dynamic graphics and interactivity, but the Flash cartoon sites get a disproportionately high number of hits. Flash cartoons download fast, are often wonderfully creative and in most cases carry a strong sense of the artist who created them. This is what Flash and the Web have created--a venue for independent animators. Maybe cartoons still aren't taken seriously and that's why so little has been published on the topic; regardless, Flash 5 Cartooning excels in its class, not because the genre is such a niche, but because it is a terrific book. --Mike Caputo