International Duo Creates New Picture Book
that Celebrates Our Common Beginnings
“This gently lilting read-aloud is just right for bedtime, or anytime your child could use a little extra comfort. You’ll go ga-ga yourself over the adorable watercolors of babies around the world.” —Parenting
* “A gentle, joyous offering.” —Booklist, starred review
* “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 . . . there’s real magic at work here.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
Mem Fox and Helen Oxenbury—two of the most gifted picture-book creators of our time—have joined together in a first-ever collaboration: Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes (Harcourt Children’s Books, October 2008, $16 hardcover), a winning celebration of babies around the world and all they have in common.
“And both of these babies, as everyone knows, had ten little fingers, and ten little toes” is the charming refrain that children will adore repeating as they savor this book with a loved one. The international nature of the babies celebrated in the story is reflected by the varied backgrounds of the book’s author and illustrator. Mem Fox is Australian; she was raised in Zimbabwe, educated in England, and lives in Adelaide, New South Wales. Helen Oxenbury is British and lives in London.
Like many of Mem Fox’s bestselling picture books for the very young, Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes is a gorgeously simple story, meant to be read over and again. Helen Oxenbury is internationally known for her luminous watercolor illustrations, many of them featuring babies from a variety of backgrounds. Her roly-poly little ones in Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes are adorable, quirky, and true to life, right down to the wrinkles, dimples, and pudges in their arms, legs, and tummies.
MEM FOX is the author of many acclaimed books, including the bestselling Time for Bed, The Magic Hat, Koala Lou, and, for adults, Reading Magic: Why Reading Aloud to Our Children Will Change Their Lives Forever. She is an international literacy expert and lives in Adelaide, Australia. Visit her website at www.memfox.net.
HELEN OXENBURY is the illustrator of dozens of beloved picture books, including Michael Rosen’s We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, Phyllis Root’s Big Momma Makes the World, which won the Boston Globe-Horn Book Picture Book Award, and her own Tom and Pippo series. She lives in London, England.
TITLE: Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes
AUTHOR: Mem Fox
ILLUSTRATOR: Helen Oxenbury
ISBN: 978-0-15-206057-2
PUBLICATION: October 2008
PRICE: $16.00
AGES: 3 to 5
PAGES: 40 pages
IMPRINT: Harcourt Children’s Books
CONTACT: Barbara Fisch or Sarah Shealy
619.437.0430
barbara.fisch@hmhpub.com
sarah.shealy@hmhpub.com
