One is a Snail, Ten is a Crab

I have to confess something: I don't like children's counting books. I realize the importance of the concept, but it is usually executed in a rather drippy style that doesn't lend itself to repeated readings. That's not the case with this "counting by feet" book, in which we learn that a snail has one foot, which means that a snail and a dog have five feet, and a spider and a snail have nine feet. By the end of the book we're in double digits. (What has 90 feet? Well, nine crabs, or ten spiders and a crab -- of course!) With its wry, beachy illustrations and simple approach to larger numbers, this is a great way to read about math and counting.