Three people and two cats form a cozy quintet in this volume, in which Jenkins (The Secret Life of Billie's Uncle Myron) playfully appraises a family's varied talents and tastes just the way a child learning to count might do. A girl, the diminutive version of her red-haired mother, does the accounting. She notices that of the "five creatures" in her family, there are "Four who like to eat fish.... Two who like to eat mice. Only one who likes to eat beets." A dinnertime image reveals each individual's preferences; purple vegetables fill the narrator's white plate, while the cats monitor a telltale hole in the wall. Round-the-clock glimpses of the household show "One who sings loud late at night" (a charcoal-gray cat in a moonlit window) and "one who sings in the morning" (the girl's father, standing over the sink in his striped pajamas). When her father falls asleep on the couch with the cats, the girl lists "Three who nap with the Sunday newspaper." She sits nearby, imitating her bookworm mother by flipping through a picture book: "Two who can read, and one who is learning." Bogacki (The Bird, the Monkey, and the Snake in the Jungle) suggests contentment with a subdued palette of autumn orange, sea green and creamy, pale yellow. His tranquil illustrations provide clues to Jenkins's narrative, which encourages deductive reasoning. Jenkins smoothly weaves logical analysis into a narrative that exudes warmth, and the book concludes with a gentle scene of togetherness: "Five who sit together in the evening by the fire." Ages 3-6. (Apr.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Gr 1-3-A lighthearted look at a family from different viewpoints. The five members of the household, both human and feline, share many traits with one another while maintaining their individuality. The narrator (and only child in the group) sorts the five by their various commonalities from hair color to leisure activities to food preferences. "Three who like to hide in boxes./Four who have a knack with yarn." Although the illustrations in pastel colors seem a little lackluster at first, readers will be drawn in by their soft, gentle flow from scene to scene and the portrait they combine to create of a warm and loving family. Primary-grade teachers will find this a wonderful accompaniment when teaching grouping and Venn diagrams as it will allow them to assist students in making real-life connections to mathematical concepts. Children will simply enjoy it for the good story that it is.-Sheryl L. Shipley, North Central Local Schools, Pioneer, OH Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

A Child Magazine Best Book of 2001 Pick

Inside a little girl's house live five creatures -- three humans and two cats. Mix-and-match descriptions ("Two who like to eat mice. Only one who likes to eat beets") add up to loads of fun.

Shared and distinct traits appear in the five creatures in Jenkins's household—two adults, a young girl, and two cats. Bogacki (My First Garden, 2000, etc.) uses a fish-eye perspective and a schoolchild's elementary expressiveness to give these comparisons a decidedly mellow, soft-focus feel. "Four who like to eat fish. Three who like to drink milk, one who's allergic, and one who only has it in coffee. Two who like to eat mice. Only one who likes to eat beets." The comparisons fluidly shift back and forth, including adult with child, or child with cat, or any combination that fits. There are even those shared if dissimilar tastes: "Five who love birds . . . but not all in the same way." There are touches of humor: apparently one of the cats can open the cupboard door, and it's the cats and adults who can climb on high stools. The book has an appealing way of inviting the reader in, allowing for moments of identification: "Two who can read, and one who is learning" or "three who don't like taking baths." And it is also good fun to chart the action of the text; it's not always who you'd think who gets included or left out of the mix. A great introduction to Venn diagramming, but fun enough to start folks grouping on their own. (Picture book. 3-6)