cover image Ten Little Beasties

Ten Little Beasties

Rebecca Emberley and Ed Emberley. Roaring Brook/Porter, $12.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-59643-627-5

It's survival of the fittest in this wild counting book. This father-and-daughter team offers a cast of spiky, angular, black-and-white monsters that cavort to a riff on the "Ten Little Indians" nursery rhyme. "One little/ two little/ three little beasties,/ four little/ five little/ six little beasties," it reads as the corresponding number of creatures appear on each page. At the end, a reptilian beastie begins devouring the others, until only one is left%E2%80%94but not the one readers might expect. A downloadable performance of the song by Rebecca Emberley's daughter, Adrian, is available online. Ages 2%E2%80%936. (Aug.)