Customer Reviews

Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As an early childhood professional, I am always looking for new books to share with children, their parents & teachers. When I saw this one reviewed in the National Association for the Education of Young Children's magazine, I immediately ordered several copies. I have already used them for teacher training & as baby shower, welcome-to-world new baby & now-you-are-grandparents gifts.

The book includes all of the elements of appropriate books for young children. The story/text is simple and incorporates rhyme, repetition & interesting vocabulary. The illustrations are soft yet colorful & clear, subtly addressing similarities & differences.

The book provides opportunities to initiate discussions about numbers by counting the fingers, toes & babies. It also addresses social/emotional aspects of development by illustrating empathy & caring interpreted through the faces & actions of the characters.

I have yet to see anyone look at this book & not melt into the long "awe" we often hear when looking at something that truly touches our hearts.

Mem Fox has done it again!! I can't wait to share this story with my 1 year old daughter so please publish it in a board book edition! I love the message that we're all so alike as babies despite where we live or what color our skin is. It is so relevant to babies as I am always kissing my babies toes and fingers. Helen Oxenbury has produced beautiful illustrations that are pivotal to the language! Can't wait for the board book!!!

This is one of the sweetest books I have ever read. It is a perfect bedtime story. It would also make a special baby shower gift.

Nothing is sweeter than tiny baby fingers and chubby baby toes-and the babies they go with, of course.

Ten Little Finger and Ten Little Toes is a celebration of babies everywhere. City babies, country babies, sick babies, and well babies, all over the world. And the ten little fingers and ten little toes they all come with.

The pictures are adorable, the text is cute, and the book held the attention of my six-year-old (who loves babies) and my three-year-old equally well. Both of them wanted the book read over and over and liked looking at the pictures.

If you have a child or grandchild about one- to four-years-old, don't miss Ten Little Finger a It is sure to entertain little ones with both the text and the pictures on the 40 page hardcover book.

Armchair Interviews says: A real charmer.

Dear little babies with their characteristically busy little fingers and stubby little playdough toes delight the reader with their realism. Thank you, Helen Oxenbury! A singalong rhythm that is "easy to read to" encourages the listener to join in after a couple of repeats. Thank you, Mem Fox!

Although these two gifted women had "retired", this book, and the Baby World, is as fresh and light-hearted as these babies are. Focusing on the similarities rather than the differences, their message of peace is tenderly and subtly played. I can't wait to give this as a baby gift!

Fun to read with the new baby - older siblings get into the rhyme as well

For me, Mem Fox's books are an uneven bunch. Some I love and some are just average or so-so. But I have to say that this one is a gem among them and one I'm happy to have come across. This simple book with rhyming text and Helen Oxenbury's charming illustrations of children accomplishes plenty with an ease and an elegance that is just a pleasure to read.

The text is repeated sets of rhyming couplets: "There was one little baby who was born far away/and another who was born on the very next day. And both of these babies/as everyone knows/ had ten little fingers and ten little toes!" The first two lines change to describe other babies, but the two concluding lines remain consistent. It reads smoothly and bouncily, with plenty of page given for each line of text. The last bit changes, when the narrator introduces her own baby. Not only does that baby have ten little fingers and ten little toes, but also "three little kisses on the tip of its nose!" What a lovely little finish! This is great fun to read with youngsters and babies, especially if you can give them three kisses just like the baby in the book.

But honestly, the rhyme on its own probably wouldn't have caught me if not for Helen Oxenbury's adorable illustrations. This veteran of children's illustration knows just the right touch to pair up with the text. There are very few illustrations with full backgrounds--most of the pictures focus on the baby characters. When there are occasional simple backgrounds or objects, these are mere props to the babies themselves. Oxenbury's multicultural cast of babies adds an extra dimension to the rhyme without being preachy or clumsy with the presentation. She also has our cast of babies growing up slowly through each couplet. While the first has tiny babies that cannot crawl yet, by the end of the book, they are toddlers, walking and climbing and laughing delightedly as the narrator mother holds her own baby to give it three kisses. The simplicity of the images make it a good pick for a younger child, and the rhyming repetitive text are excellent for helping children predict what comes next.

I'll be buying this book for all my new moms this year!

Happy Reading! ^_^ Shanshad

"There was one little baby/who was born far away./And another who was born/on the very next day./And both of these babies,/as everyone knows,/had ten little fingers/and ten little toes."

This book is full of great simplicity and easy to remember rhyme that floats easily with repetition. All kinds of babies from different ethnic backgrounds are shown on the pages of this book, but all of this babies have something in common - ten little fingers/and ten little toes! The book sweetly ends with the sketch of narrator's baby who is "truly divine" and has 10 little fingers and ten little toes ... as well as "three little kisses on the tip of its nose".

Detailed pencil-and-watercolor pictures offer opportunities to point and count for the little ones, making the reading even more entertaining for the whole family.

Julia Shpak
Author of "Power of Plentiful Wisdom". Available on Amazon.
For more reviews on children's books visit my blog "Julia's Library" at: ForwardQuoteDOTcom

Love the lesson behind this story. However, this book is probably best for toddlers and up because (1) the book isn't built for a lot of wear and tear and (2) the pictures aren't brightly colored and don't capture the attention of infants - at least not my nephew. Otherwise, good book for kids.

Both my 3-year-old daughter and 1-year-old son ADORE this story. The illustrations of multi-cultural babies allows them to see that kids all look different, and it's got a lovely rhyming verse to accompany the pictures. The board book version is durable and a nice size. It's bigger than typical board books, but still not too big for my 1-year-old to pick up and bring to me. I'd give this one 10 starts if I could.