FROM 1 TO 10

Count different number sets on
boldly drawn and vibrantly colored animals.

Open this Dutch import and marvel at
the rich, saturated background colors and the grinning, oversized animals. Naively
portrayed creatures made from splotches and scribbles of paint, chalk, and
pastels invite readers to count their body parts or patterned designs, such as
the mottled black “7 stripes” decorating a green-and-teal fish. All the deeply
textured animals have a childlike glee about them, especially due to the
high-contrast smudges of primary color and the way that they invitingly catch
readers’ eyes with their own wide eyes. The veteran illustrator guides toddlers’
fingers to the countable parts by rendering them overlarge (“1” rotund red “belly”
on a friendly bear), by contrasting them against the background (a bug’s “6
legs,” starkly white against midnight black), or by adding highlights (green
dots on a monkey’s fingers, which beg to be touched as they’re counted). Don’t
skip the backmatter on this one, as the clear and accessible instructions,
ideas, and vocabulary offer caregivers easy ways to engage children in their
own counting adventures within the book and beyond. The book’s neat, square
trim size and padded cover are ideal for sharing with lap readers.

Simplicity plus spirited art equals
a counting book that you can count on. (Picture
book. 1-4)