From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Two young squirrels gather food while three children prepare for backyard camping. Verses count objects from 1 to 10, and then back down again, with no music included for this "lullaby." Full-spread oils on canvas show a green, woodsy area from a variety of angles. Some of the objects to be counted are very small, and not all of them are immediately or easily identified. Some items are partially off the page, and in one line readers will have to use their imagination to find three kisses. Much better counting books and bedtime stories are available.
Kathleen Simonetta, Indian Trails Public Library District, Wheeling, ILCopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
PreS-K. From morning to nightfall, two young squirrels and three young boys find lots to see and do in the backyard. The squirrels enjoy climbing fir trees for pinecones and foraging for crumbs from the boys' snack; the boys have a tent and sandbox to play in as Mother sits comfortingly nearby in the garden. After the busy day, it's bedtime--boys snug in their tent and the squirrels in their tree, all under a full moon. Along the way, children can practice counting 1 to 10. Gentle prose counts up and then down in descriptive rhyming couplets, employing familiar images ("Seven dump trucks filled with sand, / Eight bumblebees make a band"), generally nicely depicted in softly rendered, realistic oil paintings. The day begins and ends with "One wide sky," initially a sweeping vista. Children will like the number practice, the cartoonishly expressive squirrels' antics, and the familiar activities of a pleasant day outdoors.
Shelle RosenfeldCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
