While Joey's mother explains the context of numbers in vivid ways, Joey's imagination transforms their ordinary car ride into a magical odyssey through a land of make-believe. Is 2 a Lot? is a wonderfully charming and authentic exchange between mother and child. Annie Watson's story makes numbers tangible and Rebecca Evans's illustrations bring them to life.

With those opening lines, we've already encountered similes using like, similes using as and metaphors. Personifications, idioms, hyperboles, allusions and much more lie ahead. But this isn't a writing guide, it's a picture book story about a little monster who oozes personality. The first pages leave us guessing but children will soon work out, to their delight, that Moofy's a cat. And what else could this furball of mischief be? Fun is the order of the day but an unobtrusive banner on each page lets interested readers know which figure of speech is being featured. This is a book a young reader and future writer can grow with.

While Joey's mother explains the context of numbers in vivid ways, Joey's imagination transforms their ordinary car ride into a magical odyssey through a land of make-believe.