One Yellow Lion
Aimed at the very young, This jaunty and ingenious paper-over-board counting book introduces "one yellow lion," "two white swans," "three gray squirrels" and so on, until readers finally meet "ten pink worms." The first two words appear on the left side of each spread; on the right is the numeral, a portion of which unexpectedly becomes part of the indicated creature(s) when the page is opened out. In Van Fleet's simple but playful renditions, the critters are unusually expressive, as "eight brown bears" nuzzle each other affectionately and some of the "nine green alligators" climb atop their pals while others nip at nearby tails. Even more frolicsome are the book's final spreads--"You know us all, from one to ten-- / Can you count us up again?" The entire cast interacts amusingly on an accordion-style foldout; the reverse side displays a magnificent zoological pyramid topped by (what else?) one yellow lion. This classic "less is more" concept book features heavy stock and pages that fold out easily, making it well suited to tiny hands. Ages 2-up.Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.