123 Toronto: A Cool Counting Book by Puck Ages 1-3 22 pages Duo Press April 2013 Board book     This simple counting book uses objects that can be found in and around the large Canadian city of Toronto. On the first page is a silhouette of the CN Tower set against a bright red background. Turning the thick pages of the board book, you’ll discover a pair of dinosaurs displayed at the Royal Ontario Museum, some of the city’s distinctive streetcars, ice skaters, and seven jets from the famed Snowbird acrobatics team. All of the illustrations are placed against bright, colorful backgrounds that provide a visual pop. At the back of the book are some “conversation starters” that can be used to create your own text for each picture. After counting how many streetcars are before you, you might ask your child if he or she remembers seeing a streetcar, or you might ask, “Where did you go when you rode on a streetcar?” Part of the beauty of this series of counting books is that the adult sharing the book with a toddler has to create the text. This offers the opportunity for having a dialogue in which the child must take an active part.     web reviews   Bob Walch/2013 for curled up with a good kid's book   For grown-up fiction, nonfiction and speculative fiction book reviews, visit our sister site Curled Up With a Good Book (www.curledup.com)