An eyeful of lively characters gives this counting book plenty of vim, as do Goldstone’s (The Beastly Feast, 1998) choices of words. “If you could ask 10 friends to tea, tell me who your friends would be.” Then, sequentially, he adds two numbers together to make ten, then three numbers to make ten, then four, and so on, from a simple “If you ask 8 trusty tailors, they could come with 2 proud plumbers,” to the more brain-baking “How about 1 prince, 1 painter, and 2 otters, 1 diner, 1 miner, 1 major, and 3 otters.” There are scuba divers, chauffeurs, quilters, ballerinas, and ventriloquists, all mixing and matching. Cahoon’s (Word Play ABC, 1999) computer art turns the shepherds into geese, the chauffeurs into hippos, and the drummers into octopuses, adding another layer of humor. Busy pages compensate for flat color and figures, which somehow seem right. Goldstone’s rhyme is often spread over two pages, so it can be difficult to get the syncopation right, but the fun here is in the counting more than the verse. At the end, Goldstone and Cahoon gather all their characters together in a great tea party of 100, and on the last page, a note demonstrates all the ways to add up to ten using different sets of numbers. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-8050-6249-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2001
Count on construction die-hards falling in love, but discerning readers would be wise to look elsewhere for their...
Less ambitious than Chris Gall’s widely known Dinotrux (2009) and sequels, this British import systematically relegates each dinosaur/construction-equipment hybrid to its most logical job.
The title figures are introduced as bigger than both diggers and dinosaurs, and rhyming text and two construction-helmeted kids show just what these creatures are capable of. Each diggersaur has a specific job to do and a distinct sound effect. The dozersaurus moves rocks with a “SCRAAAAPE!!!” while the rollersaurus flattens lumps with a cheery “TOOT TOOT!!” Each diggersaur is numbered, with 12 in all, allowing this to be a counting book on the sly. As the diggersaurs (not all of which dig) perform jobs that regular construction equipment can do, albeit on a larger scale, there is no particular reason why any of them should have dinosaurlike looks other than just ’cause. Peppy computer art tries valiantly to attract attention away from the singularly unoriginal text. “Diggersaurs dig with bites so BIG, / each SCOOP creates a crater. // They’re TOUGH and STRONG / with necks so long— / they’re super EXCAVATORS!” Far more interesting are the two human characters, a white girl and a black boy, that flit about the pictures offering commentary and action. Much of the fun of the book can be found in trying to spot them on every two-page spread.
Count on construction die-hards falling in love, but discerning readers would be wise to look elsewhere for their dino/construction kicks. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 2, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-9848-4779-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Jan. 14, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This charming, colorful counting tale of ten little fish runs full-circle. Although the light verse opens and closes with ten fish swimming in a line, page-by-page the line grows shorter as the number of fish diminishes one-by-one. One fish dives down, one gets lost, one hides, and another takes a nap until a single fish remains. Then along comes another fish to form a couple and suddenly a new family of little fish emerges to begin all over. Slick, digitally-created images of brilliant marine flora and fauna give an illusion of underwater depth and silence enhancing the verse’s numerical and theatrical progression. The holistic story bubbles with life’s endless cycle. (Picture book. 3-5)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-439-63569-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Blue Sky/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2004
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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