One Guinea Pig Is Not Enough

A lonely young guinea pig is joined by more and more friends on consecutive spreads, until ten romping and finally very tired cavy companions return home to their moms or dads, who help bring the number of total guinea pigs up to twenty.

PreSchool-Grade 3?Duke's adorable guinea pigs romp through the pages of this cleverly layered and constructed concept book. Counting and basic addition of numerals from 1 to 10 are introduced in a spare but clever text. Visual reinforcements abound as one guinea pig totes one wagon that holds one of each kind of toy. As the numbers of animals increase, so do the objects on each page, implicitly introducing the concept of sets as the spread with three "giggling guinea pigs" shows them cavorting amid three crayons, three balloons tied to one guinea pig's waist, and three paper clips tossing or tipping from another one's ears. Math symbols such as equal and plus signs are incorporated into the acrylic illustrations in which pastel pinks, sunny yellows, and baby blues predominate. As the numbers increase, so do the frivolity and energy of the pictures as these little creatures seem to almost leap, run, or spread themselves from one page to another. After 10, the addition of another 10 "mom or dad guinea pigs" is a great way to end, since "twenty is plenty."?Jane Marino, Scarsdale Public Library, NY
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Duke (Aunt Isabel Tells a Good One) adds another feather to her cap with this addition primer. The book's title comes from the opening vignette, which finds a single, sad guinea sitting by a checkerboard. But this guinea pig is soon joined by a peer to make "two smiling guinea pigs," and the story is off and running. The gang of guinea pigs grows one by one during a romp through a sunny, playground-like landscape; large, colorful numerals take center stage in each scene, providing the audience with easy-to-follow visual cues. To drive home the notion of numeric language, the appropriate equation (e.g., 1 + 1 = 2) is printed in the lower-right corner when each stage of addition is completed. Duke connects each successive vignette with zest and imagination: for example, the "five flying guinea pigs" who are gleefully bouncing on a trampoline land smack in the middle of another guinea pig's elaborate sand castle, creating "six sorry guinea pigs." At last, nine guinea pigs, cranky after their long day, are pacified by a 10th, "big" guinea pig; returning home, they are reunited with their parents for a total of 20 guinea pigs?"and twenty," Duke concludes, "is plenty." With mixed media drawings that bubble with energy from beginning to end, this is an exuberant and clever introduction to math. Ages 3-7.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This is not a counting book, but an adding book; Duke (Archaeologists Dig for Clues, 1997, etc.) uses number-driven events to introduce simple addition, thereby reinforcing the learning of numbers, and in the process creating an interesting story that shows off the personality of each character. ``One lonely guinea pig plus one other lonely guinea pig make two smiling guinea pigs.'' As the animals increase in number, they become a gang, picnicking, jumping, singing till they meet up with ``ten mom or dad guinea pigs,'' and make twenty--or plenty. A lot of clear space and Duke's unpretentious, almost cartoonish illustrative style has to its credit many details that make the book even more fun: a homemade costume constructed of feathers and paper clips; a boom box, a vending machine, and other paraphernalia that children will like. The numerals appear as big as life in the middle of the scenes, in a book that is warm and playful from beginning to end. (Picture book. 3-7) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Ages 4^-6. One lonely guinea pig is joined by nine others who quickly brighten up the day's activities. As the group increases in size, the guinea pigs sing, dance, jump on a trampoline, build a sand castle, and have a delicious picnic. More than just a counting book, this humorous, lively volume teaches beginning addition concepts. Large, bold numbers become an integral part of each illustration as they blend into the background and action. The guinea pigs' antics are extended in the upbeat pictures, which are in harmony with the whimsical story. After the primary addition problem is presented as part of the artwork and story, the problem is clearly repeated at the bottom of the page, giving a child reinforcement. A painless and fun-filled way to learn how to add. April Judge