Kirkus Review

With exuberant paper and paint collages, Arenson (A Caribbean Counting Book, 1996) illustrates 20 counting rhymes, many of which dance across the double-page spreads and all of which must be read aloud. These are the chants children love: ``There were ten in a bed, and the little one said,'' and ``One, two, three, four, five,/Once I caught a fish alive,'' to name two. ``As I was going to St. Ives'' appears with such familiar finger plays as ``Here is the bee hive.'' Whether children will learn counting from this collection is dubious; that they'll have fun with the rhymes is not. A joyful book. (Picture book. 4-7)