cover image Ten Little Babies Count

Ten Little Babies Count

Janet Martin. St. Martin's Press, $3.95 (16pp) ISBN 978-0-312-79112-4

Each of these books features first one baby, then two, and finally 10 tykes in a text that bears a striking resemblance to ""Ten Little Indians.'' In Count, babies accumulate one by one. Dress begins with one diapered baby, and as the text progresses, the tots acquire more clothes until all 10 are garbed in full winter gear. A baby with a banana kicks off Eat; the youngsters make their collective way through cheese, bagels, carrots, muffins. Play adds colored balloons to the scenes: two blue, seven pink, nine white. Unfortunately, the photographs are repetitive and lifeless; while the babies are cute, the white backdrop makes them look like they're floating in space. One book for counting, maybe. But four stretches this idea beyond its natural limits. (6 mos.-3 yrs.)