Burton and Fernandes combine their talents to offer little ones lots to look at and even more to learn as they reinforce two important basic skills--counting and learning colors. The rhyming adventure begins when one gray mouse leaves its black mouse house and takes part in the activities of two black cats, three orange snakes, and so on, until the mouse, having written down all the numbers it has learned, is seen relaxing in its easy chair. Although this last illustration disappears into the ditch of the book, the rest of the pictures are a delight, presenting more than one opportunity for skill development. Precisely rendered in modeling clay and painted in pure flat colors that are easy to identify, the illustrations seem to pop off the page; children will surely want to feel them to be certain they don't (Reviewed November 15, 1997)