Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes
by Mem Fox (author) and Helen Oxenbury (illustrator)
Reading level: Ages 2 – 6
Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: Harcourt Children’s Books (October 1, 2008)
Tomorrow, January 26, is Australia day. So, I just had to blog about Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes. What does this book have to do with Australia day? The author, of course. Mem Fox is an Aussie and the author of my favorite Australian classic, Possum Magic.
There is probably a good chance that you have heard about this book. It is getting excellent praise from all over. The story is written with wonderful cadence, and is paired perfectly with soft illustrations to take us on a beautiful multi-cultural journey, where all babies have ten little fingers and ten little toes. This is the kind of book that does not sit on a shelf for very long. In a book store it flies out the door, in a library it is always checked out, and in a home it is forever being read aloud. There isn’t a parent I have met that has read this book and doesn’t absolutely love it. If you’re looking for a book to read to a mother-to-be’s pregnant belly, look no further. The message is simple and hits the right note with toddlers and preschoolers – although we may all be different, we are also all the same, and we all love to be loved!
Link: On a sensitive note, not all children are lucky to have ten little fingers and ten little toes. For a discussion on this, read this post at Read Roger.