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Looking fresh out of the nest, Coco counts from one to ten and images ahead to the number one hundred. As the numbers increase, each page in this board book for children gets a little more yellow. Maybe that is why, on the last page, one chick is wearing sunglasses!
The text is set with a little bit of rhyme, but it’s the little pink-bowed chick named Coco that steals the spotlight. A plump tuft of yellow fuzz with little pipe-cleaner wings, she has no knees or elbows to bend - but this doesn’t stop her from playing in the park, using knitting needles, or leading a moonlit walk for seven. With a little stretch of the wings, a tilt of the head, or a twinkle of the eyes, Coco, along with many other look-alike toy chicks, poses in the author’s homemade dioramas. A smile stays with you as you turn the pages of this book; an actual chuckle might even escape. Watch for the chick rolling out piecrust with his feet.
All the dioramas are filled with little dollhouse-sized props. The flashlight, the spoons, the beds and the cellos are all Coco-sized. When creating these dioramas, the author thinks of the finest details. The grass looks real because the blades of grass vary in shades of yellow and green. Even the smallest particles are arranged in the appropriate places. In the baking diorama, there are sugar specks on one chick’s forehead and belly. In the winter scene, one of the three chicks nestling in the snow has snowflakes sprinkled onto her feathers. I appreciated the thought and awareness that went into the details. In one diorama, moonlight can be seen reflecting off the surface of the lake, and bouncing off one chick’s head!
Sloane Tanen lives in New York City with her husband and son. The times spent laughing on the telephone with her sister have helped Sloane Tanen create her Coco books. She brings more Coco to children in the books Where is Coco Going?, Coco All Year Round, and C is for Coco: A Little Chick’s Book of Letters. She’s also written several books for adults. Bitter with Baggage Seeks Same and Going for the Bronze: Still Bitter, More Baggage both feature chicks similar in looks to Coco.
As number books go, this is one of the best.
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Coco Counts: A Little Chick's First Book of Numbers