The Wildlife 1 2 3: A Nature Counting Book

This splendid counting book is brimming with visual appeal, beginning with the rain-forest parrots that adorn the vivid pink cover and hint at treasure within. Canadian author/illustrator Thornhill has gathered together animals as ordinary as ants and sparrows and as exotic as lemurs, walruses, flamingos and camels in a colorful collection. Her flamboyant drawings have the bold vibrancy of woodcuts, while the extravagant borders, some resembling batik, cleverly contain miniature versions of each page's creatures. Thornhill concludes with ``Nature Notes,'' nutshell descriptions of each of the species pictured. This is a superbly designed, generously oversize book, which provides a pleasing balance of white space, illustration and text. Ages 3-7. (Oct.)