A counting book and a cautionary tale, translated from Dutch.
Anthropomorphic animals appear fully clothed, in bright outline, on solid-color pages, each of which faces its number and text. “1 / shopping bag / Look what Mama’s brought!” appears opposite Mama, carrying a full pink-striped tote that coordinates with her green-striped gown and hood (shaped nicely to accommodate her ears). The protagonists are Little Donkey in blue coveralls (and eared hood) and Bobby, a little bovine in red pants. The two find 3 bags of treats, and 4 eyes gaze pleadingly at Mama, who puts the treats on top of 5 kitchen shelves. But the two find a ladder with 7 steps, with predictable results (8 hooves flying). Mama soothes them both with 10 kisses. The pictures are clear enough so that children can count the treats and hooves and even the 9 tears themselves. Very young children will probably not find the shapeless outfits or Little Donkey’s and Bobby’s tails odd, but slightly older children might. Little Donkey’s cover image is a raised and shiny figure, and the effect of the flat but saturated color backgrounds (including hot pink endpapers) makes for some engagement.
Sweet and definitely out of the ordinary. (Picture book. 3-6)
