Donald loves numbers, which is probably how we wound up with no fewer than six counting books in our midst. I do not love numbers, but of all the counting books we read to Charlotte, I have to admit that I love Cleo’s Counting Book, by Caroline Mockford, the best.
There is, of course, not much to say about counting books. Cleo’s Counting Book stands alone in that after it counts up to ten, it counts back down to one again. All of our other counting books only count upward. And that’s pretty much the most exciting thing about it.
Except for the artwork, that is. Cleo’s Counting Book is beautifully illustrated. The colors are vibrant, which is something that Charlotte is drawn to. We spend as much time pointing out red and blue to her as we do counting frogs and bees. But more than that, the illustrations have a warm, creative, and comfortable feel to them.
Pros: The rhyme is simple and catchy, which is a great asset to a counting book. Furthermore, Mockford is clearly a very talented artist.
Cons: None.
Borrow or Buy: Although it’s lovely, for most people I would say this is a borrowing book. It’s greatest merit is that it counts in reverse, something you can easily teach without a board book.
What to do: You can enter this giveaway by leaving a comment below or sending me an e-mail answering this question: what math or counting books do you love? All you need is an e-mail address. The giveaway ends Sunday evening at 9 P.M. Pacific Time and the winners will be announced next Tuesday morning. You can leave one entry every day, for a total of up to six entries.
For extra entries: This is on the honor system, so please be honest. I will award you one extra entry if you vote for me at Top Mommy Blogs or at Top Baby Blogs. Each day you vote, I will award you two additional entries. I am hoping to maintain or move into a spot in the top ten on both sites so that we can slowly begin to reach more parents about the joys and importance of reading with children.
To purchase this book: You can buy Cleo’s Counting Book through Amazon.com (that link uses my affiliate code) or locate a local retailer through Indie Bound.org.
An announcement: The winner of last week’s book series giveaway was Sarah S. Congratulations, Sarah!
(42) Comments | Permalink
Filed as Odin the Owl: Just Read! Donald Photographs of Donald Parenthood Fatherhood Family life Family photographs Charlotte Photographs of Charlotte Charlotte's toddlerhood; 12-24 months Reading Kid lit Libraries and story times Children's literature Children's book reviews
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I loooooove The Very Hungry Caterpillar. It counts using food. How much better can you get!
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I voted for you on both!
My favourite counting book is about a balloon. One to ten and down again by David Lloyd. Beautiful rhymes and illustrations.
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Saranissa beat me to the punch. I adore “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Very_Hungry_Caterpillar)! It’s the ultimate counting by “nom noms” book. It also has wonderful illustrations. I vividly remember anticipating the caterpillar’s metamorphosis long before I knew what that meant!
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I voted for you on Top Baby Blogs (#17)!
I also voterd for you on Top Mommy Blogs (#32)!
Go, Sarah, go!
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I wish I had a great recommendation, but I don’t think we have a counting book yet! (gasp)
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I too love the very hungry caterpillar.
Now that my son is older, we love Pooh’s (Winnie the Pooh) number hunt
there are flaps to flip up and count, number recognition, buttons to push.I voted on both sites
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I love the counting book “We All Went on Safari”. It teaches you to count to 10 in Swahili! There is also a Spanish version of the book.
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I voted for you on Top Mommy Blogs today.
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I voted for you on Top Baby Blogs today.
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I just adore Shelby Beelers book called “How Many Elephants?“. It is the most adorable flip-up counting book. My little Olivia just giggles everytime we read it!
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I voted on Top Baby :)
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I voted on Top Mommy :)
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We LOVE Hippos Go Berserk! Too much fun!
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Voted on Top Baby Blogs! :)
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My sister always enjoyed “Five Little Ducks” by Raffi!
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I voted for you on Top Baby Blogs—#18!
I also voted for you on Top Mommy Blogs—#32!
Good luck!
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I don’t know if this counts as a book recommendation, but I love Mother Goose. And there are lots of counting rhymes and rhymes about counting in Mother Goose!
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- I voted for you on Top Mommy Blogs today.
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- I voted for you on Top Baby Blogs today.
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I love one fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish by Dr. Seuss - I would love to introduce my little one to this book too..I voted for you on both sites today!
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I don’t have any Math/Counting books yet.
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I voted for you on Top Baby Blogs today too :)
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I voted for you on Top Mommy blogs today :)
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I love the Goodnight Moon Counting book. I mean, my daughter loves it. ;)
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Oooh, how did I forget “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish”? I love all things Dr. Seuss!
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I voted for you on Top Baby Blogs—still #18!
I also voted for you on Top Mommy Blogs—up a spot to #31!
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Voted for you on both, and Top Baby Blogs has moved up a spot to #17 :)
I’m noticing that we actually count in quite a lot of books, even if they aren’t strictly “counting books”. Eg. “How many cats can you find on this page?“ “Where’s the clock? Can you find the other clock? Look - there are one, two, three clocks!“
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like many other commenters i would have to say dr, seuss.
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Bat Jamboree by Kathi Appelt is a very cute counting book. Love the bats! It’s a little more advanced, so it would be good for when Charlotte’s a bit older.
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I voted for you on Top Mommy Blogs again today.
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I voted for you on Top Baby Blogs again today.
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I’m back again for a daily entry. I also like the book called My Rows and Piles of Coins (about a little boy in urban Tanzania). It’s not a counting book, per se, but in the book, the child does a lot of counting. The author is Tololwa M. Mollel.
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- I voted for you on Top Mommy Blogs again today.
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- I voted for you on Top Baby Blogs again today.
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Another counting book that I love is Moja Means One: A Swahili Counting Book by Muriel and Tom Feelings. I’m surprised I didn’t think to mention it sooner! (As you can tell, I have a particular interest in kids literature set in Africa.)
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And, of course,
I voted for you on Top Mommy Blogs again today. -
I also voted for you on Top Baby Blogs today.
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A Grain of Rice is a fun math book for slightly older kids… And Five Little Monkeys has always been a favorite at our house!
janemaritz at yahoo dot com
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I love books by Gyo Fujikawa. She has a counting book called “Ten Little Babies”. I don’t own it, but I’ve seen it, and it’s adorable!
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—I voted for you on Top Mommy Blogs again today.
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—I also voted for you on Top Baby Blogs today.
By on August 31, 2010
I bought a cute homemade Care Bear cloth counting book at a craft sale last year. The counting itself is pretty simple (one to ten of balloons, cup cakes, hearts, etc.) but I love the texture of the cloth pages and the fact that it’s the Care Bears (which is reminiscent to me).
I voted for you on both!