Numbers & Counting Archives

How Many Beads?
by Nicola Edwards & Thomas Elliott

When Ivy and I are looking for something fun to do then Maths generally isn’t at the top of the list – however this fab board book has managed to change that! It’s part of a montessori-insired series called ‘My World’ which encourages childen to explore the world around them. Aimed at children aged 3-5, the book has a built-in string of colourful beads which you can use for counting and measuring.

Each double page spread shows a different scene for you to explore – including the home, the garden, under the sea, around town, the inside of a drawer and nocturnal animals. Kids are then encouraged to use the beads to count or to measure the things they can see. How many apples are there? How many bees? What’s the tallest household object? Which is the longest fish? Which items are too big to fit in the shed? Which animals are small enough to fit in the tent?

Thu
19 ^th

Lambies in Jammies
by Bea Shepherd & Sharon Harmer

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What could be more relaxing than counting sheep? This little board book teaches children the numbers 1-10 and introduces them to a calming way of settling down to sleep.

Every adorable page features little sleepy lambs, each wearing different nightwear. There are lambs in pyjamas and lambs in nightgowns. There are lambs slumbering on haystacks and lambs snoozing in hammocks. There are even lambs being sung to sleep by puppies!

Ivy enjoys counting the animals and exploring all the details on the tiny pyjamas. There’s an array of different styles and she loves to pick out her favourites. She also likes trying to spot the sneaky little sheep who still have their eyes open when they should be asleep.

Mon
07 ^th

Wise Before Five
by Libby Walden & Ekaterina Trukhan

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Today is the big day! Ivy had her very first day at school. She went through the gate full of smiles ready for her big adventure so I have all my fingers and toes crossed that the transition is a smooth one.

One of the books we’ve been reading over the weekend to prepare her is this gorgeous hardback called ‘Wise Before Five’ which I spotted over on Instagram and simply had to buy. It has helped reassure her that she actually knows lots of things and is more than ready for school.

Featuring a diverse cast of children (including a child in a wheelchair and a child with a hearing aid), this essential guide to being almost five covers a wide range of topics whilst quietly celebrating the joy of being unique.

Mon
20 ^th

Count to 100
by Pat-A-Cake Books & Villie Karabatzia

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This fabulous counting book will take your child from their baby days right through to pre-school.

Made from heavy duty board, it first highlights the all important numbers 1 through 10 before moving to multiples of 10 in the later pages. Each number is illustrated with a familiar theme and there is A LOT of detail to explore.

If your child likes dinosaurs then they can see what 30 dinos look like all on one page. And how many of those dinosaurs have stripes? How many are red?

If vehicles are their thing then how about 70 of them on one double page spread? How many cars are there? What colour is the rocket? Which animal is riding a surfboard? You get the idea!

Sun
05 ^th

I Can Only Draw Worms
by Will Mabbitt

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It’s rare that I sit down to write a review and don’t really know what to say. This book has no clear story and the only illustrations are crudely drawn worms – yet somehow it’s completely brilliant and we just can’t stop reading it!

So what exactly is it about I hear you ask?

Well, it’s about worms.

And counting.

And counting worms.

Because the author can only draw worms.

And that is about all I can tell you! One of the worms has glasses and one of the worms gets accidentally cut in half. One of the worms even has a flying unicorn and travels to outer space – except the author can only draw worms so we have to imagine the rest…

Thu
23 ^rd

Ten Little Robots by Mike Brownlow & Simon Rickerty

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Ivy and I both love the ‘Ten Little…’ books by Mike Brownlow and Simon Rickerty so we were super excited to discover this brand new addition. I believe there are now 7 titles in the series and this one is definitely in our top 3 (our absolute favourites are Ten Little Dinosaurs and Ten Little Superheroes!).

The story starts with ten shiny new robots who have just been switched on at the robot factory. They are very excited by their surroundings so they decide to explore – with catastrophic results! We slowly count the robots down from ten to one as they encounter lasers, crushers, cogs, drones and explosions.

Can the last remaining robot restore order to the factory and bring all of his robot friends safely back together? Of course he can!

Wed
18 ^th

Ten Little Superheroes By Mike Brownlow & Simon Rickerty

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We are big fans of the ‘Ten Little …” series by Mike Brownlow and Simon Rickerty and this one is our second favourite (Nothing beats Ten Little Dinosaurs!).

The story sees our ten tiny heroes take on the League of Bad Guys who have an evil plan to take over the city. They do their best to battle the hilarious baddies (which include Hippo Man, Glue Girl, Crab Man and Hypno Girl) but on each page we see one superhero disappear. The book counts backwards from ten until eventually there’s only one hero left. The bad guys think they’ve won and start to celebrate but the Super Kids have one last trick up their sleeve. Can all ten of them reassemble and save the day?

Ivy gets really excited when we read this as the rhyme is really bouncy, the illustrations are a riot of colour and there are lots of big superhero words to shout as you read – POW! ZAP! SPLAT!

Buy it now: https://amzn.to/2Jybh5x

Wed
04 ^th

1 to 20 Animals a Plenty
by Katie Viggers

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1 to 20 Animals a Plenty is officially our favourite counting book. It’s quirky, cool and makes Ivy laugh out loud!

As it moves through the numbers it introduces you to a host of animals doing ridiculous things, making it really memorable for toddlers. You won’t find five little ducks here. Instead we see llamas in pyjamas, gorillas gazing in mirrors and naughty raccoons who have stolen balloons from baboons.

The illustrations are both elegant and amusing and there are lots of different animals to explore. I love that it stays away from the traditional farmyard animals (although there are a few mixed in) and gives your child the opportunity to learn about some more exotic creatures. Ivy definitely didn’t know what a capybara was before we read this but she now recognises them and can (just about) pronounce it!

Sat
16 ^th

One Happy Tiger By Catherine Rayner

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We love ‘Augustus and His Smile‘ by Catherine Rayner so we were really excited to see this lovely counting book which features the same character.

The book starts with lovely Augustus sitting on his own feeling lonely, but as we slowly count from 1 to 10 he meets some new friends, including bugs, birds, butterflies and bees.

This feels like it has a little more depth than your average counting book because the themes of friendship and nature are central to the simple narrative. As always, Catherine Rayner‘s illustrations are breathtaking and the animals seem to jump off the page.

If you’re looking for a baby or toddler gift that is educational, sturdy and beautiful to look at then this would be perfect.

Buy it now: https://amzn.to/2t0dcug

Tue
29 ^th

Ten Fat Sausages by Michelle Robinson & Tor Freeman

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Most of you will be familiar with the old children’s counting song about ten sausages in a pan. The sausages in this book have obviously heard it too as they absolutely refuse to go POP or BANG!

Just like the song, the story starts with ten fat sausages sizzling in a pan and there is lots of counting – but that’s where the similarity ends. These sausages have minds of their own and they are on a mission to fight back! Some do unfortunately still go POP but the others manage to escape the pan and make a run for freedom. The problem is that the kitchen turns out to be way more dangerous than they anticipated!

Can they escape their fate or will they still end up as lunch?

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