Jack, a bored horse living on a farm, has learned how to open the gate to his stall. Looking for entertainment, he sets himself free, kicking off a counting adventure. From 1 soft click of the lock, nature and farm elements such as 3 roosters, 5 kittens, 7 spiders, and 9 apples shape Jack’s journey from 1 to 10, and then from 10 back to 1 with items such as 10 tomatoes, 8 dogs, and 6 songbirds. (And that’s not all: Jack counts frogs, bumblebees, logs, puddles, carrots, and cherries, too.) The bouncy, humorous rhyming text and frequent sound words invite audience participation, while gentle, brightly colored cartoon-style illustrations add to the fun. Returning home, Jack is glad to see that children have arrived to play with him. However, after getting dirty from his many encounters, the highest priority is for Jack to have a bath.

Jack’s exploits should win over plenty of friends as part of a farm-themed or math storytime.

A friendly horse ventures beyond the farmyard. Jack, a big, dapple-gray draft horse, loves it when the neighborhood kids come visit him on the farm. One day the kids don’t show up, and Jack gets bored fast. “So Jack performs his favorite trick— / He lifts his latch with one soft click.” And with that Jack trots through the farm and down the road, getting into some mild mischief in the neighbor’s garden before dashing back to his yard. Once safely home, Jack is greeted by the neighborhood kids (who were just running late). The story is narrated in rhyming couplets that count up to 10 and down again, each number printed in boldface type (along with sound effects). Brown’s illustrations are softly colored with primary hues and gently sketched, making for dynamic and engrossing scenes. Little readers enchanted by horses will get a kick out of this title, as Jack fumbles around exploring his environment and interacting with adorable kittens, piglets, and ducklings. The greens, blues, and yellows give the book a welcome springtime feel. The children who visit Jack are a multiracial bunch. A pleasant jaunt. (Picture book. 3-5)