cover image Lifesize Animal Counting Book

Lifesize Animal Counting Book

DK Publishing, Dorling Kindersley Publishing. DK Publishing (Dorling Kindersley), $12.95 (32pp) ISBN 978-1-56458-517-2

Thanks to this book's unusually clear photographs and a generous trim size, captivating creatures seem to leap from every page. From ``one greedy gorilla'' to ``one hundred creepy crawlers'' (a sure kid-pleaser), these lifesize likenesses will gladden animal lovers young and old. (All of the subjects seem like born photographers' models, but the ``five wise owls'' deserve special mention.) The layout, a model of lucidity, features colored, single-ruled borders framing each spread, with the number presented in the upper left as both word and numeral. As the counting progresses, a bit of simple arithmetic is added--three ducks and five ducklings total eight, while the ``10'' spread consists of ``nine cheeping chicks and one fat hen.'' A nice touch: tiny ladybugs adorn each border, increasing in number from one to 100 on the appropriate spreads. Ages 2-6. (Apr.)