John Peters (Booklist, Apr. 1, 2001 (Vol. 97, No. 15))
As rain begins to fall, "1 froggie hops, 2 spiders skitter, 3 chickies flitter," and so on, until "10 ponies prance" in an exuberant "Rain dance!" Chollat's large, stylized, but easily recognizable animals sashay across the pages, accompanied by just a number and two words per spread. Toddlers will enjoy identifying the dancers and listening to the effervescent verbal rhythm, while the vocabulary, which ranges from "piggies" and "puppies" to "calves" and "ducklings," provides pleasant challenges to new readers. The middling-heavy paper stock should survive the repeated readings that this simple invitation to get up and boogie will engender. Category: Books for the Young--Fiction. 2001, HarperCollins, $9.95. Ages 2-6.

Marilyn Courtot (Children's Literature)
It is raining but the creatures in this book don't seem to mind. One frog hops, two spiders skitter while three chickens flitter. The rain dance continues up to ten with that number of horses prancing, or it really looks more like dancing, along the fence. The book is designed to teach counting and animal recognition, but the animals are more stylized than realistic and the dogs look rather fearsome--not a bit friendly. Part of the "Harper Growing Tree" series, which includes tips for reading and sharing stories and a web site with additional information. 2001, HarperFestival, $9.95. Ages 1 to 3.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, May 1, 2001 (Vol. 69, No. 9))
A collection of farmyard creatures cavorts among the raindrops in this latest release in the Harper Growing Tree series. A simply wrought rhyme introduces the numbers one through ten as everything from a pair of skittering spiders to several scurrying ducklings scatter with the onslaught of rain. Written for the smallest toddler, Appelt's verses are appropriately brief without sacrificing any of the tale's fun. The playful, rhyming word-pairs highlight a bevy of familiar critters to pique the interest of young readers. Each new number has a two-page spread devoted to it, featuring the numeral in oversized print in the upper left-hand corner and a pair of words describing the creatures' activities-"5 Piggies squish." Chollat's accompanying illustrations capture a child's delight in all things splashy. The full-bleed, boldly colored paintings depict a motley assortment of critters gleefully scampering hither and yon. Delightfully silly drawings of the animals, from the Cheshire-cat grins on the frolicking felines to the herd of dancing ponies, are ideal for a preschool audience. Also, the uncluttered backgrounds and the large-sized figures make counting opportunities a bit easier for novices. Puddle-loving tots are bound to revel in all this squashy fun and learn a little something, too. 2001, HarperCollins, $9.95. Category: Picture book. Ages 1 to 4. © 2001 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.