(2) PS Striking cut-paper-collage illustrations of some of the hardy creatures that live in Antarctica are the standouts in this one-to-ten counting book. One leopard seal, two emperor penguins, three elephant seals, and more pop off striking blue-and-white backgrounds of icebergs and ocean waves. With seven flying squid, the scene shifts, plunging viewers into water that gets deeper and darker while Antarctic krill drift along and blackfin icefish swim by in the depths. Paper collage gives texture and depth to the limited color palette. Court's buoyant text uses a repeating pattern of internal rhyme and alliteration. That language pattern sometimes leads to winsome wordplay ("three lumbersome, cumbersome southern elephant seals") but does sometimes fall flat ("ten crimson, vermilion sea stars creeping about on twinkle toes"). Back matter introduces viewers to the animals' harsh habitat, where the average temperature in winter is –81 degrees Fahrenheit and winds can reach two hundred miles an hour. The three Antarctic poles (ceremonial, geographic, and magnetic) are also introduced, and additional information is given for each of the ten animals counted.

Reviewer: Laura Koenig