Ten Tiny Toes
This buoyant picture book features “ten tiny toes”: baby toes, nuzzled and kissed, dangling, kicking, and crawling; toddler toes walking, running, and jumping; older toes pedaling and trick-or-treating. Flowing along in rhythmic, rhyming verse, the text zooms forward to imagine the future. “Someday when those ten / tiny toes are all grown, / happily raising / ten toes of their own.” It’s a tender, if rather sentimental, twist aimed more at parents and grandparents than young children, but it could be a conversation starter. The artwork features a variety of interesting textural effects and a riveting opening image depicting the soles of a baby’s feet within the heart-shaped configuration of an adult’s hands. Ultimately, though, young children will be drawn to the many engaging illustrations of different babies, toddlers, and preschoolers in action. A warm tribute to the family love that encourages each set of 10 little toes shown, every step of the way. Preschool. --Carolyn Phelan