Child makes mathematical concepts fun in this book featuring two counting siblings. Mom says they can each have one thing from the store, but the two quickly deduce that this means one thing each o total. Then they are off, counting the ducks that follow them and wondering how many shoes and socks a ladybug would need. There is constant addition, subtraction, and division on the page, and the numbers are often depicted at a size impossible to ignore (just like Lola). While Lola is the more imaginative of the siblings, big brother Charlie is the voice of reason, reminding us how numbers relate to one another n hundreds make a thousand, and squillion isn't a real number. Bright colors, especially Lola's cheery yellow raincoat, add to the appeal, as do the curious siblings' disproportionately large heads and dominant eyes. If you are in a counting mood, the end pages take you to 300. Pair with Charlie Piechart and the Case of the Missing Pizza Slice (2015), by Eric Comstock and Marilyn Sadler, for more math fun.

After their mother tells them they can choose "one thing each" at the store, winningly ditzy younger sister Lola gabbles with patient-as-can-be older brother Charlie on the subject of counting ("How many shoes would fifty or twenty-seventeen ladybugs need, Charlie?"). The story line treads water, but fans of Charlie and Lola books, with their exuberant graphics and typefaces, probably won't notice.

PreS-Gr 1 Charlie and Lola are going to the store with their mother to choose a treat: "One thing EACH, which means TWO actual things." Of course, Lola manages to complicate and delay the process, counting ladybugs, feeding ducks, and bartering with Mom while Charlie tries to herd his sister to the store. As usual, Child encapsulates zany child logic in the character of Lola while Charlie plays the straight man. The line drawings and textured mixed-media illustrations are as sunny and energetic as those in Child's other books. The layout is busy, with a dizzying variety of fonts. Plenty of math is squeezed into the text, but the joy of numbers is conveyed much more effectively than any specific calculation technique. VERDICT A must-buy for preschool and early elementary math collections, as well as for Charlie and Lola fans. Rachel Anne Mencke, St. Matthew's Parish School, Pacific Palisades, CA