Sunday, October 18, 2015

Counting Dogs

Board Book: Counting Dogs (StoryBox Book). Eric Barclay. 2015. Scholastic. 16 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: One squirrel. Two kangaroos. Three turtles.

Premise/plot: It is a counting book. Various animals are counted.

My thoughts: But is it one dog counting? Or all ten?! It looks like just one dog gets to go on a counting adventure! Or perhaps they take turns being the one dog that gets to count? Regardless the dog in question I would say is definitely curious. But not always depicted as happy and carefree. Sometimes the expression on his face looks doubtful, worried, unsure, alarmed, or even unhappy. (For example, when he's balancing on one leg like a flamingo over the water. He doesn't look happy. And is it a coincidence that the next page has him IN the water counting fish?)

Overall, I was disappointed with this one. Why? Well. The cover looks fun, joyful, inviting. And the story itself, well, it doesn't match that spirit. The front cover, the back cover, the first page, the last page--there is something appealing and joyous about the illustrations. It looks promising. Like it would be a really fun, can't-miss book.

Also: This one says 3 and up.

© 2015 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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