NUMBERS

A genuinely clever new twist on standard board-book topics.

Extra-thick die-cut shapes set on thin spindles turn at the center of each page to make a counting and matching game. The first spin is fairly straightforward—a ladybug with just one spot turns to reveal the same ladybug with two spots. The challenge is to have the spots aligned correctly with the numeral and spelled-out number. Young children will just want to spin the image. Thoughtful adults will be needed to point out the variations in each side of the image. What is counted on subsequent pages is more obscure: zigzags on a fish, stars on a starfish, splashes on a pig, stripes on a tiger. Bright colors, cheerful, smiling animal characters, and that spin will make this twisty title a favorite of active babies and toddlers. The companion volume, Shapes, is equally sophisticated, starting with diamond and including circle and semicircle, square and rectangle, oval and crescent, star and pentagon. Too often a clever concept means a steep price, but that is not the case here; the book is no more expensive than many far less enticing board books. The extra-thick pages needed to accommodate the spindles make the book rather heavy for the youngest children to manipulate, but its sturdy construction is ample compensation.

This book will have babies and toddlers spinning the pages again and again.