Counting Birds
Kindergarten-Grade 2—This is a charming counting book, replete with lilting text and exquisite illustrations. Beginning at dawn with one cockerel, the narration moves through the day and into the evening, counting birds from 1 to 20, and ending with a solitary barn owl slipping into the night while everyone sleeps. The text, which is composed in couplets, counts birds both inside and outside a stately country house. The narrative has a decidedly British flavor, referring to the avian pattern on the crockery for afternoon tea and brown wrens hiding in the garden shrubbery. Each description cleverly captures the character of the different birds, some commonplace, like ducks and pigeons, and others more exotic, lovebirds and peacocks. "Nineteen black rooks flock in tumbling flight, returning to roost in the darkening night." In her bright and cheerful illustrations, Melvin employs geometric designs and patterns that bring to mind the warmth and comfort of a favorite quilt. Comparable to Tasha Tudor's1 Is One(S & S, 1988) in its quiet elegance, this beautiful counting book may be paired with Doreen Cronin's humorousClick, Clack, Splish, Splash: A Counting Adventure(S & S, 2006).—Linda L. Walkins, Mount Saint Joseph Academy, Brighton, MA(c) Copyright 2010.  Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.  No redistribution permitted.