Charley Harper's Count the Birds

★ 08/03/2015Harper’s stylized bird portraits guide readers from one to 10, accompanied by equally crisp verse from Burke. A bold palette of reds, blues, and golds grabs attention immediately, while Harper’s geometric interpretations of bluebirds, pelicans, owls, and other birds are a case study in the interplay between colors, shapes, and patterns. In one of the niftiest sequences (“Three/ Grosbeaks/ Wait to fly/ Four/ Puffins/ Pass us by”), the top corners of a taupe square define the heads of all three grosbeaks, while the crisscrossing bodies of puffins create black triangles. It’s a sure bet for new families with modernist tastes. Simultaneously available: Charley Harper’s Book of Colors and Charley Harper’s Animal Alphabet. Up to age 5. (Sept.)