One Foot, Two Feet

May 1, 2011

American English, as a language, has much to answer for, not least being irregular plural nouns—foot, feet; mouse, mice; goose, geese—but this cut-above counting book explicates them by wedding the numbers two to ten to plurals while the number one introduces the singular of each.

It is a clever conception—akin to the work of Laura Vaccaro Seeger—and executed with an elegant design. A die-cut window displays one of the group that will be discovered on the subsequent page: one snowman, five snowmen; one die, six dice; one ox, seven oxen. In each group illustration, the appropriate numeral is worked into the art (a coal-button 5 on the front of one of the snowmen; an 8-ball tattoo on one of the octopi). The illustrations are as deceptively simple as Thomas the Tank Engine and as elemental in their engagement. Maloney and Zekauskas add little touches—a small plane scooting by on each page, amusing asides within the artwork, a cumulative gathering of what went before on the verso of the die-cut page that serve as a reminder of the progression of numbers—to further beguile young readers.

A classy, well-turned piece of work. (Picture book. 3-5)

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

Starred review from July 1, 2011

K-Gr 1-This simple yet delightful counting book emphasizes the quirks of the English language, where the plural of a noun is not always formed by merely adding the letter "s." It begins with a single, cartoon-style "foot" that is framed in a sturdy, die-cut opening on a glossy red page. Turning the page reveals two "feet." "One Mouse" in a bold blue frame follows, with the page-turn revealing "Three Mice." Children can anticipate the plural noun that will come next after naming or reading the picture in the window. Observant youngsters will spot a tiny airplane flying from spread to spread, catching the eye of a character or becoming entangled in some illustration. In addition, a small line from one to 10 summarizes the objects that have previously appeared. The designated numeral is also cleverly hidden within each crisp acrylic and ink drawing. The large font will aid pre-readers as well as ESL students as they pore over details again and again. An exceptional counting book, indeed.-Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2011
Preschool-K Preschoolers will enjoy pointing at the pictures and turning the pages in this simple, interactive counting book that is also a game of wordplay. Along with the numbers, the spreads introduce the vocabulary changes from single to plural nouns. Each brightly colored page has a central cut-out window of a single object, beginning with one foot. Turn the page, and there are two feet. On the following spreads, one page shows one mouse, and on the following page, three mice; one goose becomes four geese; and so on, right up to a series of pages featuring one tooth, nine teeth and one person, ten people. The playful cartoon pictures on thick paper with lots of white space will draw kids with the humorous details, such as a purple octopus wearing goggles. A small airplane zooming across each spread adds an additional opportunity for interactive, seek-and-point fun.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)