Ten Little Rabbits

You might think this is just another little counting book, but Virginia Grossman's Ten Little Rabbits, illustrated by Sylvia Long, is so much more. Family, tradition, nature, rhythm, art, and collaboration are themes in this tiny gem. I bought this book when our son was 8 months old, while on a work related trip to Arizona. I'm sure this book is available where I live, hidden among the big shelves of our big booksellers. But in the little gift shop of one of the particular canyons we visited it sat thematically center stage. When I returned home, I put it away for just some months.

The book is great for little hands because of its dimensions and thick pages. The thin ink and carefully colored illustrations are very rich so there is a lot to look over. Fabric patterns, vegetation, and the rabbit's fur are all interesting details for little eyes to enjoy. The book's color scheme is beautifully warm, taking a clue from the colored western earth. Burnt orange can be found in every page.

Each spread has a beautiful image that runs through both pages and is accompanied by 7 words. Exactly 7 words in 10 spreads carry this story perfectly! 10 spreads for each number featured. The last, and eleventh spread has no words.

On the spread for number "9" the subject is drumming. When our son was very young, I started reading the seven words of this page in a rhythm while tapping on the book. He liked that. It also comes at a sort of climax in the book before sleepy number "10". Doing this in time led me to notice that all the pages worked with this rhythm and that there was also an implied rhythm that could continue in the silence during the page turn. This rhythm alludes to native American rhythms.

So I summoned all my knowledge of my years in high school band to come up with the following measures to explain the subtle musicality I interpreted in this book. I even had my husband, a professional musician, give it a check. The rhythm stays consistent throughout the book which is why I used repeat signs at the end of the phrase. It varies only for number "5" and "7".

Click on the image to enlarge.












What great structure and what a great little book!