An African-American girl and her father count down to bedtime. There are ten toes on her feet. Nine fuzzy friends (including a clever and playful kitty). Eight windowpanes displaying the snow outside. It goes on. Each view of the bedroom is a comforting one. The observant reader might wonder why there are only seven shoes straightened under the crib, only to find that when we observe the five buttons on the girl's gown, the cat is proceeding to happily gnaw on the missing shoe. The delicate interactions between the girl and her father are undoubtedly the most tender parts of the story. -review Amazon.com-