TEN LITTLE CHRISTMAS PRESENTS

Marzollo, the author of the clever rhymes in the I Spy series, offers a reverse counting book for toddlers and preschoolers. The first spread shows a group of ten forest animals sitting on a snow-covered hillside gazing in anticipation at ten wrapped presents, each marked with an animal’s name. As succeeding pages are turned, another animal opens a present and the number of remaining presents decreases. All the Christmas gifts are items of warm outdoor clothing, from mittens for the porcupine to a tail warmer for the squirrel. The secret Santa who left the presents is a friendly bear shown on the cover, who arrives at the story’s conclusion along with a snowstorm. A final page presents a matching game with the present boxes and the items of clothing. Toddlers will like the simple, rhyming story and the sketchy, childlike illustrations, and preschoolers will like the reverse counting game. Teachers and librarians will find this a good fit for story hours about counting or Christmas presents, although its trim size limits its use to smaller audiences. (Picture book. 1-5)