Counting books ask a toddler to look. This one asks them to move. Every numeral carries a printed finger trail with a start dot and an arrow, so a small index finger traces the shape of the 4 while its owner counts four ducklings paddling underneath it, then five mice curled up together, then six cows, then the seven spots on a ladybug's back.

That trace is the reason the book works before a child can hold a pencil. It builds the motor memory of the numeral at the same time as the quantity, which is the order early years teachers actually want. Numbers run one through ten across twelve thick board pages.

The scenes come from the We're Going on a Bear Hunt animated film, so the counting happens in soft painted meadows and riverbanks full of the animals and plants from the story rather than on white flashcard backgrounds. A 7 inch square trim, rounded corners, and nothing to lose. It is the counting half of the series; My First Words Book is the naming half.