Imaginative play is celebrated in this slight concept selection. With her teddy bear and wagon in tow, an independent young girl plays outdoors. Each spread displays the child interacting with the anthropomorphized animals she meets. Counting from one to ten, each brief alliterative phrase highlights a different set of animals actively enjoying their natural surroundings. There’s no conflict in this sweet story where “Nine hamsters are hugging. / [and] Ten llamas are loving.” The animals’ wardrobe, consisting of tutus, bonnets and parasol, is quaint. The girl happily declares, “And I am part of it all,” and her parents warmly greet her when she returns home. Spowart’s colored-pencil drawings suit the exuberance of the child’s outing, creating a warm, hazy glow. Thin borders and white backgrounds display rolling green hills and a sliver of blue sky. However, the characters’ static expressions do little to convey the full extent of the child’s perceived delight, making this an ultimately too-earnest, nondescript effort. (Picture book. 2-4)
