The Pickwicks’ Picnic: A Counting Adventure

Dog lovers and vehicle-obsessed readers will all get a kick out of this counting book, which follows the Pickwicks, a family of fluffy white dogs, as they attempt to visit the shore. But they aren’t the only ones on the road (“4 family vans chug by the Pickwick pickup, heading for the box-girder bridge; 5 flashy bikes come around the Pickwick pickup, heading for the box-girder bridge”), and when everyone finally gets to that all-important bridge, it’s closed for repairs, leading to “an unplanned Pickwick picnic by the box-girder bridge!” Through playful repetition and some very expressive vocabulary, Brendler turns traffic-clogged roads and construction delays into an adventure, and Kurilla’s airy cartoons magnify the sense of fun. Party at the box-girder bridge! Ages 4–7. [em]Author’s agent: Ammi-Joan Paquette, Erin Murphy Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Jennifer Rofé, Andrea Brown Literary. (Sept.) [/em]