Grandma Went to Market

Debut author Blackstone's lighthearted text and Lodge's (The Half-Mile Hat) cheerful art make a pleasant pairing in this British counting book as both follow Grandma on a whistle-stop, world-wide shopping excursion. The ever-smiling woman's mode of transport is a flying carpet--her first purchase, made in Istanbul. From there she travels to Thailand, where she buys two Siamese temple cats; in Mexico she picks up three ""fierce and funny"" masks; and so on, until her final purchase: ""But best of all, she came back home/ down Honeysuckle Lane,/ where she bought me a black pony/ with ten ribbons in his mane."" The exotic locations lend themselves to fetching scenery--rendered by Lodge in vibrant hues and with ample humor--and the rhythm and rhyme of Blackstone's sing-song verse are engaging if uneven. Kids beginning to count can busy themselves adding up Grandma's accumulated treasures, all colorfully and tidily displayed on a concluding four-page fold-out. Ages 2-6. (Mar.)