Busy Fingers Book

A playful list of some of the many things that fingers can do, from counting and poking to waving and squishing.

Candace Deisley - Children's Literature

Originally written as a picture book for toddlers, Busy Fingers has been transformed into a board book. It shows some of the many things young children can do with their fingers: signing and waving, squish and poke, wash and dry, and so on. Told in rhyming couplets and illustrated with full-page pastels, predominately of African American children, this is a sequel to Busy Toes. The simple illustrations are realistic and focus on the hands and their activities. The double page spread that shows "Fingers wash, fingers dry..." is the most amusing: the little boy's face is so well portrayed as he frowns while washing his ear with a bubbly washcloth, and smiles whiles drying himself on a matching towel. Toddlers will relate to this and all the other pages; the children look like friends! The soft lights and parents' love that is shown at the end make this a perfect bedtime book. 2004 (orig. 2003), Charlesbridge, Ages 1 to 3.