cover image Tiny Toes

Tiny Toes

Mireille Levert, Donna Jakob. Hyperion Books, $13.95 (1pp) ISBN 978-0-7868-0013-1

Buoyant watercolors and a stylized typeface (27-point Post Antiqua) give this book abundant visual appeal. On each spread, a single sentence sets toes gleefully in motion, indoors and out, through each of the seasons: ""Splashy toes paddle in the pool""; ""Skippy toes find pebbles hidden in the grass""; ""Frosty toes plow through drifts of winter snow."" Jakob's (My Bike) resourceful use of melodic adjectives and verbs gives her simple text an agreeable lilt. But the crowning touch here is clearly delivered by Levert (Jeremiah and Mrs. Ming). Her illustrations feature round-faced, cherubic children and mischievous smatterings of feet and toes (prints on bathroom tiles and a footed bathtub; motifs worked into the foundation of a sand castle; and the real McCoys sticking out of well-worn woolly pajamas). Kids are sure to get a kick out of this footloose outing. Ages 3-6. (Apr.)