Eye Count

Linda Bourke puts a decidedly different spin on the counting-book genre with her ingenious Eye Count: A Book of Counting Puzzles. Full-spread illustrations depict objects that are either homophones (tail, tale) or homonyms (a postal scale, a fish scale) and that, in some cases, provide clues to objects on the following spread. An introduction clearly explains the concept; a concluding ``solutions'' page spells things out for the numerically challenged (Chronicle, $13.95, 32p, all ages ISBN 0-8118-0732-0 Apr.)