Published by Walker Books, 2014.

This is a fabulous search-and-find number book. It takes the concept of the counting book to a whole new level. It is magnificent. As a parent, I sometimes find counting books to be dull and uninspiring. Not this book! There’s plenty in its pages to keep both the parent and the child interested.

A little boy has lost his dragon and begins a city-wide search to find him. As well as looking for the dragon on each double-page spread, you go through the book counting objects from 1-20.

I was immediately drawn to the beautiful black and white pen and ink illustrations with their gorgeous splashes of colour. This accent colour is used to pick out whatever you are counting on each page – monkeys, ice creams, hot dogs, balloons…

The story is set against a dazzling New York cityscape. Steve Light, a New Yorker himself, brings the buzz of the city to life in his pages. There are iconic locations (Grand Central, Brooklyn Bridge, Central Park) as well as iconic symbols of the city: yellow taxis, the subway, steaming manhole covers and snack food carts.

This is a counting book with style and sophistication. It’s great fun to read and oh so beautiful to look at!

Rating: 💙💙💙💙💙

Suitable for children aged 2+

We borrowed this book from Solihull Libraries.