In this visual feast from Lesser and Regan (Dig Hole, Soft Mole, 1996), so striking are the oil and gouache wildlife portraits that, despite the counting book framework, numbers are nearly an afterthought. Every spread has a you-are-there quality, as if readers are peering into a rock-strewn stream to spy six fire salamanders or scuba diving alongside one leopard ray in the murky blue. The book opens with an invitation'``Spotted creatures/wait for you. Snoop and find them/count them, too'''as Lesser toys with language, using active verbs to describe the kinds of spots found on each animal: ``Staring, rippling, jetting spots'' dapple five reef squid; ``loping, gazing, nibbling spots'' grace seven reticulated giraffes. Although spots are the unifying theme, the creatures have been carefully selected not only for their markings but for their habitats or biomes, identified and outlined in a final glossary. (Picture book. 4-8)

Staring, rippling, jetting spots . . . five reef squid. Ten spotted animals, including ringed seals, reticulated giraffes, and tundra butterflies, are introduced in this counting book/natural history lesson illustrated with dark artwork. A note at the back explains that the animals are from different biomes, a fact that would have been more useful to know from the start. Information about each animal and biome is appended. From HORN BOOK Fall 1999, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

PreS-Gr 2-In this attractive book, children are invited to count a variety of creatures with spots. Each two-page spread features an oil-and-gouache painting of an animal (or group of the same animals) with a few words describing it on the verso and the creature's name and a number from 1 to 10 on the recto, e.g., "Slinking, prowling, hunting spots...two sleek jaguars." While the pictures and text complement one another beautifully, the art is the real scene-stealer here. Spectacular double-page paintings present the animal(s) in dramatic detail, demanding repeated viewings. Although the somewhat sophisticated vocabulary may make this title less accessible to newly independent readers, the lyrical text and repetitive word patterns make it a good read-aloud choice. The endpage discusses the creatures' habitats. A nicely designed, slightly different entry for concept sections that's sure to have tremendous appeal, especially with nature enthusiasts.-Arwen Marshall, New York Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Ages 3-6. This counting book from 1 to 10 focuses on spotted creatures--from jaguars to butterflies to squid. A perplexing spread showing the 10 featured animals drifting through space toward Earth precedes a simple text, which begins, "Flapping, looping, cruising spots . . . one leopard ray. / Slinking, prowling, hunting spots . . . two sleek jaguars." The book continues with fresh, lyrical descriptions (children may have trouble with "reticulated giraffes"), culminating in swaths of mottled patterns and numbers in numeral form and written out and described by an adjective: "looping one," "slinking two," etc. Information about the animals' biomes may be beyond youngsters just learning to count, but this showcase of the animal kingdom's diverse designs will appeal to children's poetic and scientific interests. (Reviewed March 15, 1999)0152006664Kathleen Squires