Ten on a Twig

Ten bright, colorful, and progressively sized birds are sitting in a row on a twig, passing the time until one falls off, leaving just nine. Thus begins an unusual counting book, one that counts down from ten instead of counting up. This, of course, is something all children need to learn, but it certainly isn’t the obvious way to write a counting book. That’s one of the things that makes this book so fresh and so fun.

The pages are printed on heavy, glossy stock, and they are cut to incrementally increase in size to hide what is happening to the birds. The writing is clever and fun, using poetic devices such as internal rhyme, alliteration, assonance, and more in a sing-song meter that will have little ones practically dancing. The highly stylized illustrations have a great sense of fun and are sure to keep youngsters guessing what will come next, but no one is likely to guess the sweet ending that is in store. This is a perfect book for those kiddos who are just beyond the earliest counting books.