By: Barbara Barbieri McGrath/ Illustrated by: Riley Samels

Count five fast ostriches as they fleeand hidefrom a lurking lion in this playful, rhyming twist on an early concepts counting book!

Five ostriches run, stomp, and hide from a sneaky lion. . . . But a surprise ending reveals that the lion is only trying to play hide-and-seek! The back of the book includes five fun facts about ostriches and an idea for a game that will inspire your little readers to get moving, too.

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Author & Illustrator

Barbara Barbieri McGrath, author

Barbara Barbieri McGrath has written more than twenty books for children, including Five Flying Penguins, The Little Red Elf, and many bestselling math concept books. Her love for writing, children, and making learning fun was the inspiration for her first children’s book, The M&M Brand Counting Book, which has sold over one million copies.

Read more about Barbara.

Riley Samels, illustrator

Riley is an illustrator who grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. He attended Kent State University and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Communications and Design. After graduating he moved to Salt Lake City, Utah where he spent a few years as an illustrator for gifting goods including greeting cards and wrapping paper. He now resides in New Haven, Connecticut where he Illustrates pop-up greeting cards.

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Awards & Honors

• Coming soon!

Editorial Reviews

Booklist

With a text based on the familiar childrens Halloween rhyme and song Five Little Pumpkins, this appealing picture book begins with Five little ostriches, / huddled in one spot. / The first one said, / Its getting rather hot. The second one agrees, while the third notices a little lion nearby. The fourth ostrich suggests a run, and the fifth says, This might be kind of fun! While they hide in the brush and later on a hill, they try to keep as still and as quiet as rocks, but even as the lion draws near, they continue to chatter. Suspense builds, but its quickly dispelled when the little lion acknowledges that the birds, evidently his playmates, have won hide and-seek. The back matter explains how the strategies that the birds intend to practice relate to the actual behavior of ostriches when avoiding predators. Created digitally, the well-structured, double-page illustrations create appealing characters and settings on the African plains. The rhyming text is concise and flows well, making this an enjoyable choice for singing or reading aloud.

Children’s Literature

This is an entertaining counting book that teaches children the power of play through the interaction of two unexpected friends, the ostrich and the lion. Barbieri McGraths Five Hiding Ostriches effortlessly weaves numbers, storytelling, dialogue, and rhyming action words in sharing this story. The classic childrens game of hide-and-seek takes center stage and teaches children how animals in the wild are creative when hiding from danger. The illustrations, with natural earthy colors, are a beautiful display of the savannah and the animals in their natural surroundings. With an added information and suggestion page that includes how ostriches disguise themselves from lions in real life and a fun modified game of hide-and-seek, readers will have fun engaging with Five Hiding Ostriches. A joyful book to be used indoors or outdoors, it will inspire young readers to get moving, to be mindfully active, engaged and creative. It encourages a healthy way to instill social skills, friendships and teamwork through the power of play.

Details

Hardcover
ISBN: 978-1-62354-196-5

E-book
ISBN: 978-1-63289-981-1EPUB

Ages:3-7
Page count:32
9 x 9

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