One, Two, Skip a Few!: First Number Rhymes

A collection of classic number rhymes includes "There Were Ten in the Bed," "One Potato, Two Potato," and "Said the First Little Chicken"

PreSchool-Grade 2-A collection of 20 finger plays and number rhymes that range in difficulty from very easy ("One, two, skip a few") to more complicated riddles ("As I was going to St. Ives"). There are a number of rhymes for preschoolers and some for their older siblings as a couple of rhymes employ multiplication. Bright and colorful cut-paper collages fill the pages and extend the humor of the more absurd verses such as, "One, two, three, four, five,/Once I caught a fish alive..." There is no index or table of contents. Still, this is a solid addition to other counting concept books in the collection.
Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This collection of jaunty counting rhymes unites the pleasures of rhythmic language and counting with playful collage illustrations that counterpoint the patterned rhythms with repeated shapes. No stranger to counting books, Arenson (illus. of A Caribbean Counting Book) uses festively decorated papers (including the school-art-project look of watercolor over wax crayon) for her textured, free-spirited collages. The spuds of "One potato,/ Two potato" sail over the head of a juggling, bespectacled African American boy; for "Five little speckled frogs,/ Sat on a speckled log," an engaging array of gangly frog legs juts out, and the frogs' mouths are open to catch delicious flies. Some of the math would give adults pause (e.g., a rhyme like "Eighty-eights are sixty-four,/ Multiply by seven. When it's done,/ Carry one/ And take away eleven" would be gibberish to the target audience), but the naive glee of the illustrations will delight readers for the duration of the book, and parents can often simplify the few rhymes that involve more items than can be pictured. This manages to be both a teaching book and one that's just plain fun. Ages 2-7.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.