A Sneak Peak: 1, 2, 3 Si! by Madeleine Budnick and Peggy Tenison

1, 2, 3 Si! (August, 2011) is an 18-page bilingual board book for toddlers, twos, and preschoolers that introduces the numbers 1 through 10 in English and Spanish. Each spread teaches number shapes and words and includes an array of countable items. The latter are BEAUTIFULLY photographed objects of art from the San Antonio Museum of Art. Each page asks a question, sparking book talk. Read-aloud play with a toddler might go something like this (Portions of text are in bold italics.):

1 una guitarra one guitar  Trace the large, colorful numeral 1 that sits in the upper left hand corner. Your toddler might imitate the downward stroke. "This is one. I see one guitar." Hold up your tracing finger. "One!" 2 two eyes Can you play peek-a-boo? You might say, "Mira!" "I see two eyes!" Cover the face collage on the page with your hand or a colorful napkin. "Donde estan?" "Where are they?" Your toddler will likely peek. Take the play off the page. 3 tres bebes Would this baby like a tickle? YES. 4 friends Do you like to smell flowers? Scrunch up your nose. Point to baby's, "Nose." "La nariz." 5 tigres Can you find the birds? Each of the five picture panels on the two-page spread contains a tiger and one or two birds. After counting out 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 tigers, point to the birds and count, "One," or "One, two." 6 musicians. Keep in mind that toddlers and two's cannot grasp numbers much past 1 and 2. Handily, the six pictured musicians are playing guitars. Remember page one? Play the guitar. 7 treasures. Can you find a big smile? Look for baby's smile. 8 animales Can you name each animal? Eight animals are pictured. Four or five may be familiar to your child. Adapt the question to his or her developmental level: "I see a duck. Do you?" Quack. 9 faces Who is wearing a hat? Babies can point to answer as early as 18 months. 10 masks Which mask would you like to try on? One of the masks is of a tiger. Remember page 5? Repetition builds skills."I see a tiger. Do you?"

If you are lucky enough to live near San Antonio, visit the museum with book in hand and go on a scavenger hunt!