Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Cleo's Counting Book
Picture Book
For ages 2 to 4
Barefoot Books, 2003 ISBN: 978-1841482071
Let's join Cleo, a pretty orange tabby cat with a white bib, as she walks through the garden. We are going to count to ten with her and then back again.
With bright acrylic colors the author has created a cheerful counting book full of familiar objects and with a likeable main character who can help us learn our numbers. Cleo shows us a pair of puppies, birds in a tree, and frogs in a pond. We hop on stepping stones as we cross a stream and Cleo even climbs a tree. There are fish in a pond and buzzing bees. Once the tour of the yard is complete, we count from one to ten and then backwards with Cleo, who is right there on the page to encourage and support us.
In addition to helping children to learn how to count, this book introduces children to the idea of exploring the small places around them. It also introduces the concept of noticing the less impressive but no less important things right in their own back yard. In the classroom, the children can create a counting book of their own using things that they see their own yards or playground.
