Help Me Learn Numbers 0-20

July 25, 2011
Marzollo and Phillips team up for an idiosyncratic and eye-catching counting book featuring photographic compositions of miscellaneous objects including vintage toy cars, Dalmatian figurines, and rubber finger-puppet monsters. In one spread, 10 glass animals are clustered atop white steps, while the verse hints at the answer: "One poodle, four swans,/ five mice, and when.../ you count all the animals,/ you'll get to ___ (ten)." The playful displays suggest that number sense isn't just a classroom tool, but a way in which to explore and engage with one's environment. Ages 3â5.

July 15, 2011

Marzollo's latest math title is a rather utilitarian counting book combining mediocre rhymes with I Spy–like objects to count.

The sometimes clunky verses seem to revolve around words that rhyme with numbers rather than on reader appeal. "This number loves / to rhyme with eleven. / How many are you? / We are ____ (seven)...Can you tell me / where to shelve / Mr. Rooster? / Box ____(twelve)." All the answers are numbers, making it easy for children to count the items or identify the numeral or match the rhyme so they can participate in the reading (although the rhymes from 13 to 19 are all identical). The endpapers encourage readers to practice skip counting, while backmatter emphasizes the importance of practicing math early in childhood. Antique toys and unusual found objects lend a layer of interest to the photographs. From small blown-glass animals and old-school Matchbox-like cars to monster finger puppets and wooden peg people obviously painted by children, these are objects that are not seen every day. While the rhymes leave Phillips little room for creativity in his book debut, he does incorporate some interesting textures by using different materials for his bases. 

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

September 1, 2011

PreS-Gr 2-Using the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics, Marzollo has created a fun way for children to learn these numbers. Youngsters listen to the rhyme and then supply the correct number for the verse. They will need to count the objects depicted in order to get the correct answer, which is displayed in the upper corner of each page. Rhymes for the lower numbers are easier to solve than those in the teens. The poem for the number two reads, "Oink! Oink!/Who are you?/How many piggies?/I count ____(two)." The illustrations feature two porcelain pigs. For the number 18, the objects are small peg people embedded in wooden blocks. Not only are they harder to discern in the picture, but the rhyme is also more difficult. "Yellow, red, /blue, and green./How many people in boats? _____ (eighteen)." Most of the clear and bright illustrations are photographs of antique and vintage figurines of animals, people, and monsters. This book will be useful in different learning situations for both parents and educators.-Wendy Woodfill, Hennepin County Library, Minnetonka, MN

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2011
Preschool-G Each page in this playful counting book features a clear color photo showing objects mentioned in the accompanying rhyme. On the first page is an open box with nothing (zero) inside, while the photo on the next page illustrates the same box holding a rabbit statuette. The verse reads, Walking, walking, / just for fun. / How many rabbits? / I count ___ one. The space near the end of each verse reminds adults not to complete the rhyme, but rather to pause while kids figure out the answer. Marzollo mentions in an appended note that children at different ages will respond in different ways, such as using the rhymes as clues or touching the objects as they make one-to-one connections between each number and objects counted. From the unusualbut usefulidea of beginning the book with zero to the suggestions in the author's note, the book will be fun for children and useful to parents and teachers, particularly as it supports the Common Core State Standards.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)