ONE, TWO, SKIP A FEW!

With exuberant paper and paint collages, Arenson (A Caribbean Counting Book, 1996) illustrates 20 counting rhymes, many of which dance across the double-page spreads and all of which must be read aloud. These are the chants children love: “There were ten in a bed, and the little one said,” and “One, two, three, four, five,/Once I caught a fish alive,” to name two. “As I was going to St. Ives” appears with such familiar finger plays as “Here is the bee hive.” Whether children will learn counting from this collection is dubious; that they’ll have fun with the rhymes is not. A joyful book. (Picture book. 4-7)