10 Dogs

Emily Gravett can always be relied on to deliver a picture book that is not just fun but will inform and engage with interesting ideas. 10 Dogs is one of those picture books. We are familiar with books that introduce very young children to numbers and counting. 10 Dogs certainly does that. The young audience will see the numbers go down – and up. However, Gravett is not content to present a simple sequence. Here she subtly introduces subtraction, addition and even division as the dogs share (or not) the sausages. We should not be surprised. After all, this is an author who is not afraid to introduce the Fibonacci sequence in an attractive way that makes it visual for any age. There is nothing pedestrian about this book despite its familiar subject – numbers one to ten.. The production is excellent, and Gravett’s illustrations have all the liveliness, humour and quality that we expect. Her dogs fill each double spread, bouncing off the pages, every line full of energy and clarity. Her colour palette, here quite limited, adds interesting texture and ensures the illustrations really do pop. As always every detail has been considered from the front cover where we see those enticing sausages to the final back cover where nothing remains but some greasy marks and crumbs, to the expressions of each dog and, oh dear, Two Hoots has attracted the attention of one of the mutts. This is a joyful addition to any collection – fun to read, fun to use. Excellent.