cover image One Two That’s My Shoe!

One Two That’s My Shoe!

Alison Murray. Disney-Hyperion, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-4231-4329-1

This companion to Murray’s Apple Pie ABC stars the same lively dog and the same primly dressed owner, updating the traditional counting rhyme “One, Two, Buckle My Shoe” for a world in which shoes no longer buckle. After scampering through the house with his owner’s shoe, the pup escapes: “Three... four/ Out the door!” The girl catches up with him, he teases her with the shoe, then runs off again: “Five... six/ Doggie tricks!” Murray has donned the mantle of late ’50s and early ’60s illustrators whose stripped-down, geometric shapes and cheerful colors are instantly recognizable. Working in a palette of milky reds, blues, and greens, she lays out big, simple forms to look at and count (six red tulips, seven trees, eight sheets on a clothesline). Matte pages, meticulous typography, and the screenprintlike quality of Murray’s artwork lend a handmade feel. A chase through the laundry, the chicken yard, and beyond ends with the reunion of girl and shoe. Murray’s skillful use of vintage motifs is a surefire draw for parents in search of books with a hip, throwback sensibility. Ages 2–6. (June)