1 Smile, 10 Toes

By Barefoot Books
Price $12.99
Age 0 - 4 yrs.

Joyful bonding moments accumulate like fruit from a gently shaken tree every time this utterly charming split-page board book is opened. Part of that deliciousness stems from the mix-and-match nature of the playfully-rendered animal illustrations that grace every page, the bottom and top halves of which fit seamlessly with one another in a number of variations large enough that revisiting 1 Smile, 10 Toes for the umpteenth time is as fresh and fun as it was the very first. Each top flap can be combined with any of the bottoms (and vice versa), resulting in the spur-of-the-moment creation of a multitude of silly characters that encourage counting and learning the names of parts of the body. Equally valuable is the innate connectivity of the parent-child reading experience, a satisfying peek-a-boo-like tension and release that tends to keep moms and dads happily in the moment and youngsters excitedly engaged.