I must admit, at the very start of this review, that I have a very heavy bias towards this book – It is a book about loving books! I am therefore genetically programmed to adore it and want to stroke it at regular intervals.
Any book that starts with this:
immediately has a place in my heart. I challenge book addicts to look at this page without hugging the book to their chests and stroking it. In fact, I challenge anyone, book obsessive or otherwise, to read this book without falling completely in love with Dog. Look at him! His little feet-paws poking out from under the book. His pointy-floppy ears, his flashlight pose. Delicious!
Dog can’t get to sleep. He loves books so much that he just can’t stop reading. Dog tries counting sheep, but it’s not working – perhaps there are some other creatures he can count? Luckily, he has a book of curious creatures to hand and he is whisked off on an adventure, finding friends to count as he goes.
This is no ordinary animal counting book. No, among other exciting characters, Dog finds a Dodo, a three-toed sloth and a five-lined skink. Children will love to ask questions and find out about the wonderful creatures they come across as they count along with the numbered drawings.
Louise Yates is wonderful at sneaking in comic detail. Scroll back up to the picture of Dog reading… as if the poking-out feet weren’t enough, there’s a little sleep mask abandoned across a pile of books! It’s these little additions that make her books such a joy to read.
This is the third Dog book and fast becoming my favourite. I reviewed Dog Loves Books and Dog Loves Drawing last month. I love them both. But Dog Loves Counting is like the quirky uncle who whispers a fantastic fact into your ear, flicks you a coin and disappears into the sunset with a wink.
A wonderful book full of gorgeous and comical characters that will have children and adults oooing and ahhing and giggling.
Published by Jonathan Cape March 2013.
Source – kindly sent for review by the publisher.
Rhino Reads 
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