Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes  by Mem Fox (2008) Illustrated by Helen Oxenbury

"There was one little baby who was born far away. / And another who was born on the very next day. / And both of these babies, as everyone knows, / had ten little fingers and ten little toes." This flowing, bouncy rhyme continues through a series of thoroughly charming babies from all around the world.

Oxenbury draws the best babies! After each new pair of kids is introduced, they join the others in a growing crowd of pure cuteness. Strong rhymes and rhythms make this a great choice for phonological awareness .

The well chosen words include some interesting vocabulary ("eiderdown," "divine") and the just-right illustrations invite questions and conversations that will build vocabulary and world knowledge.

Steven Engelfried