#514 of 1001 · December 27, 2021

Come follow along with me as I work my way down through the numerical world of Ten Birds by @cybeleyoung. This clever counting-down book opens in a barren landscape with ten odd sculptures standing by the side of a wide river. A flock of blackbirds arrives and wishes to cross to the other side. One by one, each bird approaches a different sculpture, detaches one physical piece, fashions it into a transportation device, and nimbly traverses the river. Young executes her elegantly simple concept book with an appealing economy of language and bold black and white illustrations. In a clever design choice, the birds’ removal of the structural components transforms the sequence of sculptures into numerals in descending order from ten to one. Most humorously of all, the final bird simply walks in a circle (leaving a ring of footprints to represent zero) and then crosses the river using a method available to the entire flock from the very beginning: a bridge. #ten #birds #river #bridge #number #numbers #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbook #beautifulbooks #beautifulbookcovers #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookillustration #picturebookart #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks