Ocean Counting

January 31, 2005
After exploring the water's depths to the tune of ABC in Ocean Alphabet, Jerry Pallotta and artist Shennen Bersani now tackle 1, 2, 3 (or rather, 1, 3, 5) in Ocean Counting: Odd Numbers. From one Striped Bass all the way to 49 Smelts (and then 50 Blue Sharks, with a caveat), the salty scenes are alternately serene and menacing. .

March 1, 2005
Gr 2-4 -A handsome companion to "Underwater Counting: Even Numbers" (Charlesbridge, 2001). Pallotta still counts by twos, but slips into the realm of odd numbers, which may prove a slight challenge to readers conditioned to even numbers. However, he does slide into the "evens" for the numbers 50 and 0 at the end of this eye-catching book. Bersani's bright, realistic colored-pencil illustrations will lure readers into perusing the factoid-loaded, simple, conversational text. From "1 Striped Bass" to "23 Horseshoe Crabs" to "50 Blue Sharks," this book offers a colorful, engaging, and intriguing slant on the technique of counting." -Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY"

Copyright 2005 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2005
PreS-Gr. 2. Eschewing the counting-book convention of presenting consecutive numbers, this exuberant offering counts by twos to 50 and includes only odd numbers (except for the deliberate inclusion of 50 and 0). Pallotta, creator of " The Ocean Alphabet "(1986), returns to the sea for his inspiration, so readers will find creatures from 9 little green crabs to 15 limpets to 33 sand dollars. Each entry includes an informal, nontechnical, endearingly disjointed paragraph about the marine animal pictured: "Count these twenty-nine blue mussels. Not many mollusks have a blue shell. If you ever look for blue sea glass, mussels can confuse you." The facts are as likely to be about the harvesting of the animals as about their biology, and occasional outbursts such as "Yay! Thirty-three!" add to the overall sense of giddiness. Bersani's mostly realistic colored-pencil illustrations are pleasing in both palette and composition. Future bean counters will revel in counting ("49 smelly smelts") in this innovative introduction to odd numbers and contagiously silly underwater adventure.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)