One Sun Rises: 9An African Wildlife Counting Book

The varied wild creatures of Africa introduce young readers to the world of numbers and counting, as well as to the diverse landscapes and wildlife of the African continent.

Kindergarten-Grade 2-One sun rises over Africa and throughout the day, two, three, four, and more creatures appear. As the sun sets, one moon rises and ten, nine, eight, etc., animals of the night pursue their activities. Engaging, primitive paintings evoke the colors and moods of the African grasslands in the endless cycles of day and night. Notes on the animals appear at the end of the text. Ideal for counting aloud and learning the mysteries of a far-off place.
Pamela K. Bomboy, Chesterfield County Public Schools, VA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Ages 3-8. As is the case with a lot of contemporary counting books, young children will be unfamiliar with many of the objects to be counted; here, they're African animals. However, kids should be able to easily locate the thickly outlined, deeply colored figures of kestrels, genets, and suricates in the energetic pointillistic compositions. Framed by the rising and setting of both the sun and the moon, the simple, lyrical text counts forward (day creatures) and then backward (nocturnal beasts) from 1 to 10 to 1. Visual continuity of the narrative is assured by incorporating the foreground of one scene into the background of the next. Frank in depicting the harsh realities of the natural world, where "scampering mice" quickly become dinner, this collaboration by two South Africans concludes with detailed notes about the animals. Julie Corsaro