Synopsis
Maggie Smith's rhythmic, occasionally rhyming text brings us through a busy day with baby. We count up from one to ten as baby gets out of the bath, gets dressed, has a meal, and heads outside with mom to play. Then we count down again from ten to one as baby notices flowers and birds, splashes in puddles, plays with puppies, and gets dirty enough . . . to need another bath.
The illustrations are bright and busy and filled with things to look at and count. And each spread has a number line on the side with the number of things to be counted on that page highlighted to help youngsters count up to ten and back down again to one.
One Naked Baby is a perfect blend of counting book and story that children will want to hear and look at again and again.
Children's Literature
This adorable baby will charm kids as readers follow him through a day. He starts out with a bath and races naked out and into a room full of laundry. The scenes are full of items that are familiar and sometimes amusing, such as the expression on the cats' faces and the chaos of the boy's toy-strewn room. As the story progresses, he gets dressed, has a snack, and is ready to go outside. Since it is not a sunny day, he has on a jacket, frog boots, hat, and an umbrella circled with cute ducks. Each scene has the number from one to ten running down the side of the page; the number is highlighted as the requisite number of items are displayed. Toddlers will count five toes, eight buttons, and ten daffodils. Then the sequence counts down from ten to one with three wet pups and finally one muddy baby back in the tub again. The pictures are great fun, and do not miss the endpapers with the sequence of counting to ten and back again. While there are other books that also count to ten and back, this one is the one to purchase.