ROCKHEADS

Rocks with smaller-rock noses and painted-on eyes and mouths are nicely photographed and placed atop simply drawn bodies in this read-aloud for the nursery set. At first, “Here I am. There’s only one me. / I’m all alone, as you can see.” But the first-rock narrator is quickly joined by friends in a rhyming and numerical sequence that jumps from activity to activity: “Forwards, guards, and the center, Jean, / Five of us make a basketball team. / With Fred, a gymnast, in the group, / We’re a six-kid acrobatic troop.” Pictures are extremely simple, made from bold, black outlines and flatly solid colors. A few props for each activity provide casual distinction between pages. Not necessarily deep enough to sustain repeated readings, but the photos of rock faces are magnetic. Beware: may cause rock-crafting urges in older siblings. (illustrator note) (Picture book. 2-4)