Eeny-Meeney: Ten Tiny Toes by Todd Tarpley

INTO THE WORLD
CAME TEN TINY TOES,

A HUNDRED TIMES SWEETER
THAN YOU COULD SUPPOSE.

Todd Tarpley's sweet and simple little story-in-rhyme, Ten Tiny Toes (Little, Brown, 2012) is in praise of the glory of babies, filled with the rush of affection almost anyone feels at the sight of those rosy pink little feet. Kisses and bubble baths, cuddles and nuzzles follow the initial sight of those little toes, and the love which surrounds the baby nurtures and leads the child to use those little feet to stand and walk and run, to explore and eventually venture out into the world, into a life that these loving parents hope will bring future little toes coming into the world.

SOMEDAY WHEN THOSE TEN
TINY TOES ARE ALL GROWN

HAPPILY RAISING
TEN TOES OF THEIR OWN,

THEY WILL THINK OF THOSE KISSES
THAT MADE THEM FEEL STRONG.

THEY'LL TAKE ALL THOSE KISSES,
AND PASS THEM ALONG.

Such sweet imagery and happily predictable rhymes could easily sink into greeting card smarmitude, but the notable illustrator Marc Brown's imaginative pastel paper collage and colored pencil illustrations manage to give this poem in praise of infant toes a certain easy humor and a light touch without excess sentimentality that makes this a delightful little book to share with the very young.