Counting Creatures

Julia Donaldson and Sharon King-Chai have made a counting book that earns the word exceptional. The laser-cut, foil-printed die-cut flaps open in multiple directions, revealing hidden animal babies camouflaged within the artwork — the kind of physical engineering that makes children ask to turn back to the beginning immediately after finishing. The counting structure is more ambitious than most: one to ten, then by fives up to thirty, with scientific terms for animal young woven throughout (pups, tadpoles, spiderlings). A recurring search-and-find challenge for hidden spiderlings gives re-readers something new to hunt. Kirkus gave it a starred review for good reason. The honest caveat is purely practical: those intricate flaps will not survive heavy library circulation. For a family copy, though, this is a standout gift book.