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I once read that one must take a close look at a picture book in order to discover what can ultimately be found in it beyond what is seen on the surface. At first glance, Ten Counting Cat is a simple, ordinary book about numbers. On the surface that’s what draws the reader to it. If scrutinized beyond its numerical surface, it is a multi-layered book, which makes it a most unique counting book. It is unique because it is a very short story of numbers set against the universal, macabre, and fateful relationship between a cat and a bird. As the numbers evolve from one page to the next, one begins to notice an underlying preoccupation with death throughout the book. The description on the author’s Etsy shop states, “Arithmetic is Unsympathetic!” For many of us, arithmetic feels like the death of us. I must admit that it does for yours truly. However, this theme of death is no more shocking than your typical fairy tale, so don’t be apprehensive about giving Ten Counting Cat a legitimate shot. It will be worth your time because Robert Chaplin eloquently and quite effortlessly blends the concepts of the circle of life and a cat’s nine lives to explain infinity and other numerical concepts. On a final note, the illustrations are irresistibly simple and cute, which mute the theme of death throughout the story if you’re concerned about it in this fun and unique counting book! However, this central theme should not be ignored.

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