Ten Little Babies

Though this assemblage dwindles as rapidly as Agatha Christie's Indians, her brood can't hold a candle to these tykes for frenetic charm. On each spread, a minor problem disturbs the juvenile antics, and one member of the group drops out. Romping in a sandbox are ``Eight happy babies, in a sandy heaven. One lost her shovel. . . and then there were seven'' (though one may wonder why this loss, and some of the other ``crises,'' cause the players to disappear). On a flap of each right-hand page, a large numeral indicates the number of youngsters and then folds out to reveal ``the rest of the story.'' Kopper's pastel drawings give these multicultural moppets distinct characterizations, and her choices of wardrobe and props are nearly as amusing as the babies themselves. This simple verse is a pleasant twist on the multitudinous counting books, one to which toddlers will easily relate. Ages 1-3. (Oct.)