EVERYBUNNY COUNT!

A bevy of bunnies playing hide-and-seek encounters a surprise.

Because they “like to play, / all together, every day,” a fox and some bunnies opt to play hide-and-seek. Counting to 10, bunnies announce “ready or not, here we come,” and “everybunny” counts “to one” badger. Two bunnies spy two birds and “everybunny” counts “to two.” The hunt proceeds with three bunnies finding three squirrels, four bunnies finding four ladybugs, five bunnies finding five ducks, and six bunnies finding six frogs, each discovery punctuated by the command for “everybunny” to count to the next number. After seven bunnies pause for a carrot snack, eight bunnies overlook the fox hiding with eight snails, and nine sleepy bunnies in a line pass by nine sheep before all 10 bunnies finally find the fox. Exuberantly, “everybunny” counts “ten” as 10 surprises emerge from the fox’s den. The cadenced, deceptively simple rhyming text repetitively prompts readers through the count from one to 10, while whimsical pencil-and-watercolor illustrations invite discerning eyes to count the bunnies and critters for each sequential number. Simple black outlines define bouncy bunnies that are humorously differentiated by color, spots, hats, glasses, slippers, bow ties, and tutus as occasional glimpses of the fox propel movement across the pages to a joyous visual climax.

An utterly charming, beguiling counting book that engages on many levels.