Goodnight, Numbers

January 9, 2017
Actor and author McKellar (Math Doesn’t Suck) brings her enthusiasm for mathematics to a younger crowd in this gentle and well-executed counting book. As the book proceeds from one to 10, cherubic toddlers of various ethnicities interact with their parents and surroundings: “Goodnight, four paws./ Goodnight, kitty cat./ Goodnight, four froggies/ on the bathroom mat,” writes McKellar as one father runs a bubble bath for his daughter. Padrón’s (Little Fox, Lost) cozy watercolor vignettes are stuffed with objects to count, providing bountiful opportunities to explore each number in depth, and closing notes offers tips for adults hoping to encourage kids’ interest in math. Ages 2–5. Author’s agent: Laura Nolan, Kuhn Projects. Illustrator’s agent: Minju Chang, Bookstop Literary.

December 15, 2016
This bedtime book offers simple rhymes, celebrates the numbers one through 10, and encourages the counting of objects. Each double-page spread shows a different toddler-and-caregiver pair, with careful attention to different skin tones, hair types, genders, and eye shapes. The pastel palette and soft, rounded contours of people and things add to the sleepy litany of the poems, beginning with "Goodnight, one fork. / Goodnight, one spoon. / Goodnight, one bowl. / I'll see you soon." With each number comes a different part in a toddler's evening routine, including dinner, putting away toys, bathtime, and a bedtime story. The white backgrounds of the pages help to emphasize the bold representations of the numbers in both written and numerical forms. Each spread gives multiple opportunities to practice counting to its particular number; for example, the page for "four" includes four bottles of shampoo and four inlaid dots on a stool--beyond the four objects mentioned in the accompanying rhyme. Each home's decor, and the array and types of toys and accoutrements within, shows a decidedly upscale, Western milieu. This seems compatible with the patronizing author's note to adults, which accuses "the media" of indoctrinating children with fear of math "in our country." Regardless, this sweet treatment of numbers and counting may be good prophylaxis against math phobia. The joys of counting combine with pretty art and homage to Goodnight Moon. (Picture book. 2-4)

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April 1, 2017
Toddler-PreS-This clever picture book celebrates bedtime and math. A diverse group of toddlers and adults are counting their way to bed in different rooms of the house. Each spread introduces a number as a child bids familiar objects good night. For example, for the number three, the text states, -Goodnight three wheels./Goodnight, three cans./Goodnight, all trucks/and pots and pans.- The watercolor and digital illustrations elevate this title above most concept books by providing multiple examples of the number in question. For instance, for the number six, there are six snaps on the child's pajamas, six dots on the lampshade, and six blocks. Detail-oriented readers will love poring over these small nuances and counting everything on the various pages. VERDICT A winner for bedtimes or storytimes focusing on counting. A first purchase for libraries.-Brooke Newberry, La Crosse Public Library, WI

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2017
Preschool-G Multitalented McKellar has established herself as a passionate advocate of making math fun and engaging, and this is her first foray into picture books. Here children go through various bedtime rituals while saying good night to numbers in rhyme. The text is comprised of four lines per two-page spread and has a similarly simple, quiet feel as Margaret Wise Brown's iconic Goodnight Moon. Goodnight, four paws. / Goodnight, kitty cat. / Goodnight, four froggies / on the bathroom mat. The illustrations, done in gentle and soft colors, show diverse families getting ready for bed, and they very cleverly incorporate the numbersnot only do the pictures reflect the text, but there are plenty of other objects in the spread to count as well, which reinforces counting skills and numeracy just as much as literacy. This extends to even the endpapers of the book, which have numbers written in different languages. The smaller illustrations lend this more to one-on-one sharing than a large storytime, but for such a simple concept, there is a lot to count on.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)