Teddy Bear Counting

March 8, 2010
This clever counting book with a squat, rectangular shape features 12 digitally rendered, gummylike bears who introduce themselves by their colors (red, yellow, green, and blue), and their ranks soon grow. “One red marches in to make five bears in all./ When yellow joins, too, six teddies sit tall.” The arithmetic becomes more complex, as the bears “choose partners,” which results in “six sets of two,” followed by “three sets of four,” demonstrating how 4+4+4 and 6+6 each add up to 12. The bears also form basic shapes, before bears begin to leave to explore subtraction. The rhymes are occasionally clunky, but the concepts are clearly illustrated, and readers will be drawn to the bears' chunky, glinting shapes. Ages 3–6.

February 1, 2010
PreS-A rhyming text encourages children to participate by counting the bears (which resemble gummy bears), naming their colors, and identifying various shapes. "First one is red./Yellow makes two./A green bear is three./Count four with this blue." Illustrations and text proceed from 1 bear to 12 and clearly develop concepts for colors, shapes, adding and subtracting, and grouping numbers in sets. Children can easily match numbers with corresponding teddy bears and one large number; all are placed on clean white backgrounds. The artwork is hand-drawn digitally in Adobe Photoshop. This title would be a fun way to introduce these basic skills."Margaret R. Tassia, Millersville University, PA"

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