MAX COUNTS HIS CHICKENS

Some rabbits are born to successfully hunt Easter candy. Some are not. Readers who have enjoyed the exploits of Wells’s Ruby and Max will know who is who even before the duo set out on Easter morning to find ten hot-pink, sugar-spun chicks. As Ruby goes unerringly about tracking down the sweets, a counting book emerges. But it is the rhythm section to Max’s wild solos. Ruby, the brain trust of the family, scours for gold—or hot pink—in all the classic venues. Max’s search is a fine piece of mayhem as he empties out the coffee can, the toothpaste tube, the cereal box, the jug of orange juice, all on the floor and all for naught. Good thing that Max’s grandma is on a first-name basis with the Easter Bunny, who delivers the goods straight to Max’s basket. Wells’s artwork creates a warm, comfortable atmosphere in which counting to ten is a simple pleasure, and where a Lord of Misrule can turn learning into high mischief. (Picture book. 3-5)