A rhyming counting book is hard to execute well, but A Pod of Orcas has risen to the challenge with expert craft. Sheryl McFarlane (author of Waiting for the Whales and Jessie’s Island) starts with “one lonely lighthouse” and builds to “ten brilliant sail boats” before “a super pod of orcas explodes the glassy sea.” Mimicking the rhythm of the waves against the shore, the book portrays the sights a child might observe on a day spent at the seashore. As the day draws to a close, we count backward down through those same objects, including “six sturdy castles” that poignantly “melt into the sea.”

The author creates rhyme that is as natural and melodic as the sea, and uses alliteration without overdoing it. The lines flow like a gentle song, making the book an excellent choice for a sleepy toddler.

Artist Kirsti Anne Wakelin, in her picture book debut, has added the feel of a story by including a group of children in most of the illustrations. We follow them around the seashore as they play and explore, helping to connect the reader to the distant boats and the pod of orcas. The watercolours are skillfully rendered in a soft seaside palette of cool blues and purples, imparting a gentle, harmonious look.