First Steps : Letters Numbers Colours Opposites

With quirky and wonderful illustrations and the sparest of texts, Burningham gives a lively demonstration of the building blocks of learning. Here are letters, numbers, colors, and opposites. Full of fun and whimsy, it is just right for very young children who are just figuring out the world around them. Full color.

So much to learn, so little time! Join the mild-looking little boy protagonist as he learns the ABCs (alligator, bear, cow); numbers (1 through 10 children hanging from a tree--and back to zero when a tiger shows up); colors (John Burningham's vibrant oranges, purples, and greens will be stamped on the reader's memory for life!); and opposites (our hero holds up an elephant to illustrate heavy, and then practically floats away demonstrating how light his balloon is). This award-winning author-illustrator excels at depicting subtle, witty expressions, whether that of a zebra politely examining the boy's striped socks or that of an alligator showing the difference between open and shut (uh-oh, there goes our hero!). Lovely, quirky colored-ink and colored-pencil illustrations invite the young reader to sit down and stay awhile and maybe learn a thing or two along the way. Burningham has written and illustrated many whimsical childhood favorites, including Cloudland. (Baby to preschool) --Emilie Coulter