Overview
A counting story book for over-fives featuring numbers up to 100. The rhyming story describes the night-time adventures of Tom, who lies in bed counting sheep, and then meets wolves, pythons, goats, and ghosts in ever increasing quantities.On a night that he can't sleep, Tom begins to count sheep who promptly go to sleep on his bedroom floor except for one that leads him on a variety of numerical adventures.
Synopsis
Tom can't sleep, so his father suggests he try “counting sheep.” He agrees, but soon finds the sheep leading him, and his trusty stuffed-rabbit companion, into a wild woodland that’s anything but restful. Once there, he meets more creatures — mountain goats, pirates, penguins, even vampire bats and tigers. To survive, he hides or races away by car, on foot, or on skis, but always counting. Soon Tom finds himself in the company of 88 ghosts! Chris Riddell’s colorful illustrations bring the action to life, while Kathryn Cave’s verse narrative wittily documents Tom’s search for sleep and counting skills!
Publishers Weekly
Both Cave and Riddell ( Bear Dance ) display abundant imagination in this unorthodox counting book, which first shows a wide-eyed boy tucked into bed--along with a variety of stuffed toys and animals. Tom can't sleep, so his dad suggests that he count sheep. Following one of them out the door and into the woods, the boy and his now-animated toy rabbit encounter real-life versions of his stuffed menagerie. Among these (appearing in randomly numbered groups) are 12 wolves, 23 pythons, 45 pirates, 54 penguins, 70 bats and 88 ghosts. Tom eventually tiptoes past 97 sleeping Bengal tigers to his bedroom, where the shadows of all of the creatures appear on the walls. Riddell effectively couples vibrant, full-page pictures with smaller, easy-to-count silhouettes. Though the rhyme and rhythm falter occasionally, Cave's bouncy verse carries Tom through his caper at a bracing clip. Ages 4-8. (May)