How Many, How Many, How Many - Softcover

PreSchool-Grade 1-A multicultural cast of a dozen boys and girls exuberantly dashes through the pages of this book, holding numbers and counting various items from 1 to 12. Vigorous, energetic scratchboard illustrations in vivid colors accompany each simple, rhyming couplet that asks a question, and the answer appears on the facing page, e.g., "Spiders like to steal her seat./How many things does Muffet eat?/ Two/ Curds and whey." Readers are encouraged to count people, animals, and objects from familiar rhymes, tales, the world, and even the universe ("Round and round in space they run./How many planets ring the sun?"). The well-designed and uncluttered double-page spreads focus attention on the items to be counted. In addition, Jabar has included special details for the observant to notice. The last page lists additional things to look for in each of the 12 spreads. (A quibble here: "twelve hours" will not be clear to preschoolers who see, instead, twelve numbers on a clock.) This cheerful book, good for independent reading, one-on-one sharing, and story time, is an effective introduction to the first 12 cardinal numbers, but can also be a springboard to further learning experiences. The concept here complements Pat Hutchins's One Hunter (Greenwillow, 1982). How many counting books does a library need? At least one more!-Cynthia K. Richey, Mt. Lebanon Public Library, Pittsburgh, PA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

A combination of riddles, nursery rhymes, and Trivial Pursuit gives this nifty counting book its special twist," said PW, noting that Jabar's "exuberant" artwork is "bound to welcome budding mathematicians to these pages." Ages 3-up.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.