Five Hiding Ostriches

Illustrated by Riley Samels
Count five fast ostriches as they flee—and hide—from 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.
Barbara Barbieri McGrath has written over twenty books for children, including The Little Gray BunnyThe Little Red Elf, and many bestselling math concept books. After graduating from Lasell College with a degree in Early Childhood Education, Barbara opened a preschool where she taught 4-5 year olds for sixteen years. 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 sold over 1 million copies. She lives in Natick, Massachusetts. View titles by Barbara Barbieri McGrath
With a text based on the familiar children’s Halloween rhyme and song “Five Little Pumpkins,”this appealing picture book begins with “Five little ostriches, / huddled in one spot. / The first onesaid, / ‘It’s 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 hidein the brush and later on a hill, they try to keep as still and as quiet as rocks, but even as the liondraws near, they continue to chatter. Suspense builds, but it’s quickly dispelled when the littlelion acknowledges that the birds, evidently his playmates, have won hide-and-seek. The backmatter explains how the strategies that the birds intend to practice relate to the actual behavior ofostriches when avoiding predators. Created digitally, the well-structured, double-pageillustrations 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.

Booklist

About

Count five fast ostriches as they flee—and hide—from 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.

Author

Barbara Barbieri McGrath has written over twenty books for children, including The Little Gray BunnyThe Little Red Elf, and many bestselling math concept books. After graduating from Lasell College with a degree in Early Childhood Education, Barbara opened a preschool where she taught 4-5 year olds for sixteen years. 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 sold over 1 million copies. She lives in Natick, Massachusetts. View titles by Barbara Barbieri McGrath

Praise

With a text based on the familiar children’s Halloween rhyme and song “Five Little Pumpkins,”this appealing picture book begins with “Five little ostriches, / huddled in one spot. / The first onesaid, / ‘It’s 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 hidein the brush and later on a hill, they try to keep as still and as quiet as rocks, but even as the liondraws near, they continue to chatter. Suspense builds, but it’s quickly dispelled when the littlelion acknowledges that the birds, evidently his playmates, have won hide-and-seek. The backmatter explains how the strategies that the birds intend to practice relate to the actual behavior ofostriches when avoiding predators. Created digitally, the well-structured, double-pageillustrations 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.

Booklist

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