Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox, Helen Oxenbury (Illustrator)

The Barnes & Noble Review

There was one little baby, who was born far away.
And another who was born on the very next day.
And both of these babies, as everyone knows,
had ten little fingers and ten little toes.

From the Publisher

As everyone knows, nothing is sweeter than tiny baby fingers and chubby baby toes. . . . And here, from two of the most gifted picture-book creators of our time, is a celebration of baby fingers, baby toes, and the joy they—and the babies they belong to—bring to everyone, everywhere, all over the world!

The Washington Post - Kristi Jemtegaard

English author/illustrator Helen Oxenbury, winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal, teamed up with celebrated Australian illustrator/author Mem Fox for this around-the-world look at babyhood, to be published next month. The happy result is a jig-along rhyme sure to delight parents and tots alike.

Publishers Weekly

Put two titans of kids' books together for the first time, and what do you get (besides the urge to shout, "What took you so long?")? The answer: an instant classic. Fox's (Time for Bed) text works off the simplest premise: babies around the world, even those who seem like polar opposites, have the same 20 digits in common. But there's real magic at work here. Given their perfect cadences, the rhymes feel as if they always existed in our collective consciousness and were simply waiting to be written down: "There was one little baby who was born far away./ And another who was born on the very next day./ And both of these babies, as everyone knows/ had ten little fingers and ten little toes." Oxenbury (We're Going on a Bear Hunt) once again makes multiculturalism feel utterly natural and chummy. As her global brood of toddlers grows-she introduces two cast members with every new stanza-readers can savor each addition both as beguiling individualist and giggly, bouncy co-conspirator. Ages 3-5. (Oct.)

Children's Literature

This darling picture book is sure to be a winner. The rhyming words and outstanding illustrations will please young children and adults reading the story. The illustrations on the front and back cover are also the same on the binding, front and back. The repetitive phrase "ten little fingers and ten little toes" will appeal to the child. Parents will appreciate the fact that the baby pictures show that children are from all regions of the world and each has ten little fingers and ten little toes. There are 34 pages in this large (nine and a half by eleven inch) unpaged picture book. The large illustrations are life-like and will amuse toddlers and adults. Each page has only a few, well-chosen words that rhyme. No word is unnecessary, and the text fits perfectly with the baby pictures. They appear healthy, happy and lovable. No one will be able to resist this book about all babies having "ten little fingers and ten little toes." It makes a great gift for a young child. The binding is sturdy and can be wiped off with a damp cloth, and the pages are sturdy enough for many readings. Mem Fox, the author, wrote three companion books to Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes. Reviewer: Jennie DeGenaro

School Library Journal

PreS

"There was one little baby/who was born far away./And another who was born/on the very next day./And both of these babies,/as everyone knows,/had ten little fingers/and ten little toes." So opens this nearly perfect picture book. Fox's simple text lists a variety of pairs of babies, all with the refrain listing the requisite number of digits, and finally ending with the narrator's baby, who is "truly divine" and has fingers, toes, "and three little kisses/on the tip of its nose." Oxenbury's signature multicultural babies people the pages, gathering together and increasing by twos as each pair is introduced. They are distinctive in dress and personality and appear on primarily white backgrounds. The single misstep appears in the picture of the baby who was "born on the ice." The child, who looks to be from Northern Asia or perhaps an Inuit, stands next to a penguin. However, this minor jarring placement does not detract enough from the otherwise ideal marriage of text and artwork to prevent the book from being a first purchase. Whether shared one-on-one or in storytimes, where the large trim size and big, clear images will carry perfectly, this selection is sure to be a hit.-Amy Lilien-Harper, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT

Kirkus Reviews

A pleasing poem that celebrates babies around the world. Whether from a remote village or an urban dwelling, a tent or the snow, Fox notes that each "of these babies, / as everyone knows, / had ten little fingers / and ten little toes." Repeated in each stanza, the verse establishes an easy rhythm. Oxenbury's charming illustrations depict infants from a variety of ethnicities wearing clothing that invokes a sense of place. Her pencil drawings, with clean watercolor washes laid in, are sweetly similar to those in her early board books (Clap Hands, 1987, etc.). Each stanza introduces a new pair of babies, and the illustrations cleverly incorporate the children from the previous stanzas onto one page, allowing readers to count not only fingers and toes but also babies. The last stanza switches its focus from two children to one "sweet little child," and reveals the narrator as that baby's mother. Little readers will take to the repetition and counting, while parents will be moved by the last spread: a sweet depiction of mother and baby. (Picture book. 3-5)

Product Details

• Interviews & Essays

Interviews & Essays

Aside from writing, my other passion is begging parents to read to their children from an early age, for the huge fun of it, let alone for the untold benefits it bestows, both socially and educationally. My careful advice and noisy opinions on this subject can be found between the covers of my book for parents: Reading Magic: How Reading Aloud to Our Children Will Change Their Lives Forever.

Would it be outrageously cheeky of me to suggest that parents begin to read to their babies as early as possible, starting with Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes? The rhythm of the words and the delight of the artwork will, I hope, entrance every little child in the world, as well as bring to their tired parents a certain kind of quiet and loving calm.

Cheers!

Mem Fox