10 little figs by Rhian Williams and Nathaniel Eckstrom

Walker Books, 2020. ISBN: 9781921977312. 32pp.
Recommended. 10 little figs is a sweet rhyming picture book by Rhian Williams and Nathaniel Eckstrom. It centres around a little boy who is desperate to pick and eat the 10 figs that are ripe and ready on his tree. Much to his dismay, a range of Australian animals come along and one by one steal a delicious fig. Luckily his Dad comes along and picks the last one, just in time!
The book is great for a number of reasons. Firstly the illustrations; they are colourful, lively and enjoyable to look at. They have hidden clues for the following animal and also made us jealous of the wonderful backyard this little boy has. Secondly, I really loved that you can work on counting down numbers from 10 to 0 which is always a bonus for young children 5 and under. Lastly I loved the range of Australian animals showcased. There were the popular ones such as the echidna and wombat but also ones we were not as familiar with such as the leaf-curling spider and Hercules Moth. The final page gives a simple visual of 10 to 0 figs plus the animals who stole one! We used this page for counting, recall and as a reference for what numbers look like. Teacher activities are available in Walker's Story Time kit.
Overall we give this book 4 out of 5
Lauren Fountain