Come Out and Play: Count Around the World in Five Languages (Mandarin Chinese and English Edition)

A culturally diverse counting book, featuring numbers and words color-coded in English, German, French, Spanish, and Chinese, follows children from around the world, and a clever cat, as they come out to play.

Kindergarten-Grade 2–This story, revealed solely through illustrations, follows a child as he travels around the world searching for someone to play with. On each page, another child joins him until there are 10 youngsters. Each spread features a different setting. Clothes, houses, and environment illustrate various cultures, but they are not identified. The last page depicts all of the children in a game of soccer. The only words included are those for the numerals in English, Spanish, German, French, and Chinese, all color-coded, but with the guide appearing only on the back cover. Pronunciation is provided for Chinese only. By searching and counting the various objects, as well as looking for a cat hidden on each page, visual skills can be developed in a one-on-one setting. The art features crisp, bold colors and folklike images but what to count is confusing. The book might succeed as a way to illustrate similarities among children, but it doesn't work as a counting book or as an introduction to any culture.–Margaret R. Tassia, Millersville University, PA
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PreS. In the right-hand corner of each double-page spread of this picture book is a numeral from 1 to 10, and below it, words representing the number in English, Spanish, German, French, and Chinese. The remainder of each spread is devoted to a simple, ongoing story. A boy leaves his house and walks to an apartment complex, where he grabs the hand of another boy and continues the walk. At a trailer park, a third boy joins them, and so on, as a growing chain of boys and girls, whose dress and ethnicity become increasingly diverse, all join hands. The numerals obviously represent the number of children, but other objects and animals on each spread can also be counted in sets of the same quantity (eight camels and eight palm trees; six crabs and six monkeys, etc.). The thick, glossy pages feature stylized illustrations, apparently collages of papers painted with rich colors and subtle patterns. An appealing choice for preschool units on homes as well as individual practice in basic counting. Carolyn Phelan
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