Bears at the Beach

March 4, 1996
Long outshadowed in the counting-book genre by their single-digit predecessors, numerals 10 through 20 get their day in the sun when 11 friendly-looking, swimsuit-clad bears turn a trip to the beach into a numbers game. Yektai (What's Missing) debuts as an illustrator in this clever exercise, which involves counting 13 towels, 15 sandwiches, 18 pails, etc. Each pair of numbers is introduced with a corresponding number of objects, followed by a double-page spread showing the objects in surfside context. Winsome and carefree watercolor (of course) illustrations have obvious kid appeal. Ages 3-5.