TEN LITTLE SQUIRRELS

A counting rhyme updated for our times.

Ten little squirrels are playing by a tree. The first asks, “Look what I see!” The second responds with “A man with a dog.” (In the original 1970 book of the rhyme adapted by Martin, the man had a gun instead.) Squirrels three through nine are full of advice about what to do: “The fourth one said, / ‘No, let’s hide in the shade.’ // The fifth one said, / ‘I’m not afraid.’ ” The rollicking verses, similar in bounce to Martin’s famous Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?(1967), keep the pages turning to the climactic 10th squirrel and his gigantic full-spread sneeze, which gains the delighted dog’s attention (“Time for some fun!”) and sends the squirrels off in a flurry of fur, each a distinct color. While the delightful colors and textures of the collaged illustrations will attract readers’ eyes, the counting part leaves a bit to be desired, especially since there are no numerals, and there’s little story to amuse. The 10 squirrels appear all together only at the end, and even then, we see only the arm and the tail of one squirrel, so readers may count only nine. Backmatter includes a web of squirrel facts, each with a question for readers. “Squirrels live on every continent except for Australia and Antarctica. Do squirrels live near you?” (This book was reviewed digitally.)

The illustrations outshine the weak story and counting practice.