123 Cats

Lesléa Newman and illustrator Isabella Kung have made a counting board book that earns its spot on the shelf through sheer charm. Cat Number One has nothing to do until she befriends Cat Number Two — and the sequence builds warmly from there, with cats tugging toys and tumbling down stairs, all rendered in expressive sumi ink and watercolor. The rhyming text is a natural read-aloud, and Kirkus praised the illustrations specifically. The honest caveat is that the book counts to 12 rather than the more conventional 10 or 20, which may not sync with early-math programs that use those benchmarks. It is also very short — a satisfying lap-read, but done in under two minutes. For toddlers and cat lovers, though, this is a genuinely delightful little book that doubles as an introduction to counting and an ode to friendship.