Musk Ox Counts - Hardcover

Cabatingan, Erin

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1596437987 ISBN 13: 9781596437982

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press, 2013

Synopsis

Fans of A IS FOR MUSK OX will be happy to know that Musk Ox and Zebra are back...and trying to make it through a counting book. As usual, Musk Ox has his own ideas and Zebra does not fail to show his frustration trying to get Musk Ox back on track. Will they make it from 1-10, or will their efforts end in annoyance?

Cabatingan and Myers pair up again in this second in the Musk Ox series. Cabatingan's witty, sharp text mixes perfectly with Myer's grinning anti-hero and hapless zebra.

About this title

About the Author

After a twenty-year career as an award-winning art director, Matthew Myers discovered his true vocation―illustrating picture books. His works for Roaring Brook Press include Tyrannosaurus Dad and A Is for Musk Ox He lives and works in North Carolina.

Erin Cabatingan grew up in Utah. She and her family have lived all over the United States from California to New York to Hawaii and she looks forward to wherever life takes her next. Currently, she lives with her husband and children in Virginia. Musk Ox Counts is her second book for Roaring Brook Press.

Reviews

K-Gr 4-In a genuinely funny companion to A Is for Musk Ox (Roaring Brook, 2012), zebra and musk ox are arguing about how to compose a counting, er, "addition" book. Although the first spread reads "1 musk ox," the beast is nowhere to be seen; his shadow appears on the second spread, along with a worried zebra. It turns out that one is a lonely number, and musk ox would rather be partying with the two (gorgeous) yaks. Displaying his penchant for creative problem solving, the fast talker shows his frustrated coauthor that the "2 yaks" page could still work if the creatures become part of an equation that includes 1 musk ox. He continues to defend his position while reclining on a shag rug, (bubble) pipe in grinning mouth: "Did you see those lovely ladies? They'd be lonely without me." So it goes, with a delightfully unpredictable plot, inventiveness vs. anal-retentiveness, and tricks that will appeal to juvenile and adult sensibilities. Cabatingan's witty repartee leaves plenty of room for Myers to interpret and enhance the narrative with his own ideas, making this a book in which children will continue to discover surprises during subsequent readings. The artist's oil compositions contrast rich texture in the figures and foregrounds with a more delicate blending of colors in the backgrounds; the result is a pleasing visual experience and a wonderful marriage of numeracy and aesthetics. Will this duo return to wreak havoc with colors, shapes, opposites? One can only hope.-Wendy Lukehart, District of Columbia Public Libraryα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

In A Is for Musk Ox (2012), Zebra tries (unsuccessfully, but hilariously) to assign Musk Ox to the M page of the alphabet book. Now putting together a counting book, Zebra knows enough to give his costar top billing as “1 musk ox,” but the contrary creature steps out of line again. Not only is he AWOL from his own page (“My page is lonely”), he creates chaos on every other page, stealing the show and rewriting the book all while bickering with Zebra. Those seeking a conventional counting book should look elsewhere, but kids who are bored with predictable fare will find plenty to amuse them here, from the main characters’ banter to the absurd logic of Musk Ox’s arithmetic, in which “8 snakes + 1 musk ox + 1 whiny zebra = 8 legs.” The clever text is playfully illustrated in a varied series of scenes featuring well-realized, comical characters. A witty addition to the Musk Ox series. Grades K-2. --Carolyn Phelan

Edition details

• Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1596437987
• ISBN 13: 9781596437982
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Myers Matthew
• Number of pages: 36