Five Hiding Ostriches

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.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.

—BooklistBarbara Barbieri McGrath has written more than twenty books for children, including Five Flying Penguins, The Little Red Elf, and many bestselling math concept books. 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 has sold over one million copies.

Riley Samels attended Kent State University and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Communications and Design. After graduating he moved to Salt Lake City, Utah where he spent a few years as an illustrator for gifting goods including greeting cards and wrapping paper. He now resides in New Haven, Connecticut where he Illustrates pop-up greeting cards daily. Riley is a member of the LGBTQIA+ community and allows this and other minority communities to inspire and fuel his work to amplify unheard voices. In his free time, he is probably tending to his collection of 112 (and growing) plants. Riley has a green thumb with a passion for illustration, social justice, traveling, and good food.