Noni the pony counts to a million

"Noni the Pony stands under one tree . . . / and watches her two friends dance by the sea." Together, she and her two friends (Dave Dog and Coco the Cat from previous Noni books) encounter three hens and four cows before spotting wallabies, dusky wood swallows, puppies, butterflies, fish, and ladybugs on their observant, meditative count to 10. They then note the dozens and hundreds of spots on other horses, before watching the twinkling headlights of thousands of cars and finally sleeping under millions of stars. Most counting books for preschool stop at 10, and this touches on the higher number concepts in an accessible way, utilizing lilting rhyme that remains consistent in its satisfying, lullaby cadence. It's fun to see animals native to Australia mixed in with more familiar American farm animals, and the creatures are all round-bellied, friendly, and sweet-looking. This book would be a lovely read-aloud for situations calling for anything from a bedtime snuggle story to an early elementary lesson on numerical concepts.

Noni the Pony and her feline and canine friends have a busy day counting. Brief rhyming text counts steadily from one to 10 for younger listeners and then makes larger numerical leaps to "dozens of spots," "hundreds of dots," "thousands of cars," and "millions of stars" for children ready to consider larger numbers. The counting words are always in bold type. The book was originally published in Australia, and Noni does count five wallaby pals who come "hip-hopping by," but she also counts barnyard-, woodland-, and stream-dwelling creatures as they play the day away. Four cows race down the hill. "Seven stout puppies / play hide-and-seek." "And ten ladybugs / march over the weeds." In some cases, the number of animals requires a bit of careful observation and arithmetic. While Noni counts four cows, there are only three on one page, and readers must look to the facing page to find the fourth. Illustrations have a soft, dappled look, and Noni's orange-and-white coloring and the colorful creatures she counts contrast with detailed backgrounds largely in pastel blues, purples, and greens. All the animals are clearly friends enjoying their day. Even the fish "deep in the reeds" don't seem very worried about the cat poking a paw into the stream. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Count on this tale to make counting fun! (Picture book. 2-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.