Many concepts are crowded into this overly ambitious counting book. It begins with the question, "If you could ask 10/friends to tea,/tell me who your/friends would be." Goldstone first suggests 10 firefighters; then 9 grizzly bears and 1 forest ranger; or 8 trusty tailors and 2 proud plumbers; and the pattern emerges until 5 shepherds and 5 sheep are proposed. However, as the pages go on, readers are introduced to groups of 4, 3, and 3; 1, 2, 3, and 4 in increasingly fragmented units. The randomness is as awkward as the text: "The sailors and the divers/and the plumbers/and the otters come." The computer-generated illustrations feature flat cartoon figures in colors varying from primary to muted secondary tones. The overall effect is chaotic. The final question is, "What if ALL your friends show up? What will you do then?" The presentation of 100 being 10 groups of 10 (various) creatures is muddled by too many details. Although preschoolers may get swept up in the frenzy, they probably won't grasp the math. Dorian Chong, School of Library and Information Science, San Jose State University, CA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.