““What’s this?!” a surprised Gnu seems to be wondering on the cover of this book. His gaze is on a cell phone in front of him. Where did it come from? What happens next? Readers will have many questions before they even open this book. The story begins—in art—before the text joins in. The title page shows a box falling from a truck. The impact causes it to open, and cell phones are bouncing down the road. The publication info page shows gnu and a variety of other animals holding the devices and gazing at them. The cartoon-like creatures are all drawn with vivid hues and strokes that evoke texture of fur and skin and scales. They are anthropomorphic (wearing clothes, using eyeglasses, walking upright, and so on) and unrealistic (snakes with arms? but how else would one hold a phone?). They are also, with their friendly eyes and tiny smiles, quite charming. Then the text begins: “One blue gnu, home all alone. One blue gnu with a new cell phone.” They’re not the only one with a snazzy new device! This is a cumulative counting book, and the gnu calls “two white sheep,” followed by “three orange apes,” “four red pandas,” and so on. It’s shaping to be quite a party! Soon, fifty-five animals are jumbled together, splashing in a pool and playing games. But then a tiger arrives. What will happen next? This is an outlandish and over-the-top story, full to the brim of fantastic fun. At the party’s end, count back to just gnu … and that first cell phone. A novel “what-if” concept for a counting up-and-down book, full of colorful characters and joyful celebration. Smith's rhyming text has a catchy rhythm that makes it a pleasure to read aloud. The only downside here is that little ones might start asking for their own cell phone. Recommended for preschoolers and early elementary students. ”—Heidi Hauser Green