Eye Count: A Book of Counting Puzzles

A two-tiered guessing game challenges readers to determine the link between adjoining pages by counting the number of similar objects and identifying how they are related to cleverly hidden homonymn or homophone clues. IP.

Grade 3-5?An interesting idea is made too difficult for most kids (and some adults) in this find-it counting book. Each double-page spread offers objects to find, from 1 to 12. The key words are homophones, so readers must be aware of their phonetic sound. On the spread with five objects, for instance, the objects to identify are a phone cord, a window shade cord, a cored apple, a cord of wood, and a guitar chord. This technique works better in some of the pictures than in others. When the number of objects is high, some of the things to be identified are real stretchers. Some terms that many children won't be familiar with are phone jack, a scale model, and a cattail that is mistakenly called a "cat o' nine tails." The colored-pencil illustrations are simple and bright and have child appeal, but most youngsters will have trouble finding everything (or will just look at the answers at the end), and once the solutions are known, there is nothing else to look for.?JoAnn Rees, Sunnyvale Public Library, CA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Linda Bourke puts a decidedly different spin on the counting-book genre with her ingenious Eye Count: A Book of Counting Puzzles. Full-spread illustrations depict objects that are either homophones (tail, tale) or homonyms (a postal scale, a fish scale) and that, in some cases, provide clues to objects on the following spread. An introduction clearly explains the concept; a concluding "solutions" page spells things out for the numerically challenged (Chronicle, $13.95, 32p, all ages ISBN 0-8118-0732-0 Apr.)
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 1^-4. Within the framework of a counting book, Bourke poses visual and verbal challenges in the style of her alphabetical puzzle book Eye Spy (1991). Each double-page spread features a number of different objects or actions defined by the same word or a sound-alike that is spelled differently. Children use the visual clues to guess the words. For instance, the illustration for 5 features a telephone cord, a cored apple, a miniblind cord, a cord of wood, and a musical chord. Children old enough to figure out these puzzles will probably already know their numbers, but the number on each double-page spread also indicates how many answers to look for in each picture. The artwork, heavily applied colored pencil on black paper, creates pleasing effects. A good selection for teachers seeking homophone and homonym activities and for the many children intrigued by Eye Spy. Carolyn Phelan