Georgiana Deutsch

Ten cute little owls are staying up late - they're having too much fun to go to bed. But Mama is calling and one by one the little owls flutter down to bed as the sun begins to rise. The final spread counts the owls from 1 to 10.

The book is a tall rectangle with die cut shapes over different owls. As you turn the page, the die cuts reveal details like smiling caterpillars, cute butterflies, and smiling spiders, and cover the owls as they fly away one by one.

The text is based on the old "Ten Little" nursery rhyme, and is fairly lengthy. For example, "Eight little owls were dancing in a tree, wiggling and jiggling joyfully. From up in the branches the playful owls said: "We're feeling much too bouncy, and we won't go to bed!"" There are also little comments made by the owls in speech balloons.

The background is a light denim shade with a darker blue tree in the center. The background slowly lightens to violet, then peach and a pale pink. The pages are thick and sturdy and the binding feels strong. Each owl is a different color, size, or has a little accessory to mark them apart. Only the final owl is given a gender and addressed as "he".

Verdict: Cute, but not memorable. Purchase if you are looking for additional counting board books.

ISBN: 9781684121847; Published 2018 by Silver Dolphin; Review copy provided by the publisher… (mehr)