Feast for 10

A counting book that features an African-American family shopping for food, preparing dinner, and sitting down to eat. Lively read-aloud text paired with bright collage illustrations.

"In this rhyming counting book, an African-American mother and her children shop for and prepare a festive family dinner. At the supermarket, the count begins with one grocery cart and ends with ten hands helping to load the car. Back at home, the father joins in the preparations and the numbers build a second time to "ten hungry folks" seated around a table ready to share a tasty meal of fried chicken and greens. The successful rhyme scheme builds a natural rhythm that helps the simple text read smoothly. Collage illustrations combine colored paper, patterned fabrics, and felt in a clear, uncluttered design. Muted colors and simple shapes are set off by a stark white background. Most of the figures, especially the baby girl with her rounded limbs and bouncing braids, are animated and expressive. At times, however, facial features seem slightly stilted and relentlessly cheerful. Still, this is an appealing glance at a typical extended family."

--Joy Fleishhacker, New York Public Library
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.