ISBN 0887058167 - The novelty of a pop-up book is always an attraction in childrens' books and the small size (4 1/4" x 3 1/4") makes this one a great take-along. Add to that the fact that What Bag is a counting book, somewhat educational, and you've got a hit with the grown-ups, too.

Twelve tiny pages feature a variety of bags, from a pet carrier to a laundry bag. Each bag contains a number of items, in order from one to ten: one iguana and two windows, five books, ten socks.

The copyright is held by Mavis Smith - but the cover doesn't indicate if that's the author or illustrator or both. The illustrations are fun, not excessively detailed, which keeps the focus on the counting. The count-able items are clearly visible - no special effort required to find them, again keeping the focus on the purpose. The text is simple and easy to read ("A lunch box with eight cookies and nine ants"). The pages are thin cardboard but are glued to one another, so they're doubly thick and fairly sturdy. The pop-ups are just a single thickness, making them more easily torn.

- AnnaLovesBooks ( )