Kromhout and van Haeringen’s Little Donkey, the star of Little Donkey and the Birthday Present and other titles, helps readers count to 10 when his mother brings home a shopping bag of goodies. Little Donkey and his friend Bobby can’t resist sneaking a peek: “2 nosy friends/ What’s inside?/ 3 bags of treats.” Mama puts the treats on a high shelf, but the two friends climb up to reach them (“7 steps on the ladder/ ‘Got them!’”), resulting in “8 hooves flying,” “9 fat tears,” and “10 soft kisses” from Mama. Van Haeringen’s characters are rendered with thick ink outlines, minimal detailing, and unadorned features. The story’s tidy emotional arc and gentle mischief should help make this a go-to book for toddlers. Ages 3–up. (Apr.)
11/01/2013
PreS-K—Little Donkey returns in this clever counting book. Mama brings one shopping bag from the store, wherein Little Donkey and pal Bobby ("2 nosy friends") discover three bags of treats. Four pleading eyes lead to Mama stowing the candy on the fifth kitchen shelf. As she arranges six flowers in a vase, the rascals need seven steps on the ladder to reach, but eight hooves go flying, causing nine fat tears, until Mama's ten soft kisses prevail. As always, Haeringen's ink and watercolor critters with minimal backgrounds make for jolly scenes. Amiable and colorful, this title fits nicely in any collection.—Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA
A counting book and a cautionary tale, translated from Dutch. Anthropomorphic animals appear fully clothed, in bright outline, on solid-color pages, each of which faces its number and text. "1 / shopping bag / Look what Mama's brought!" appears opposite Mama, carrying a full pink-striped tote that coordinates with her green-striped gown and hood (shaped nicely to accommodate her ears). The protagonists are Little Donkey in blue coveralls (and eared hood) and Bobby, a little bovine in red pants. The two find 3 bags of treats, and 4 eyes gaze pleadingly at Mama, who puts the treats on top of 5 kitchen shelves. But the two find a ladder with 7 steps, with predictable results (8 hooves flying). Mama soothes them both with 10 kisses. The pictures are clear enough so that children can count the treats and hooves and even the 9 tears themselves. Very young children will probably not find the shapeless outfits or Little Donkey's and Bobby's tails odd, but slightly older children might. Little Donkey's cover image is a raised and shiny figure, and the effect of the flat but saturated color backgrounds (including hot pink endpapers) makes for some engagement. Sweet and definitely out of the ordinary. (Picture book. 3-6)
