Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
David Carter's 100: Lift the Flaps and Learn to Count!
Novelty Book
For ages 5 to 7
Sterling Children's Books, 2013 ISBN: 978-1402787386
Learning how to count to ten is not that hard, but what about counting to twenty or thirty or one hundred? Trying to remember how the larger numbers progress can confusing. In this unique book David Carter uses his skills as a paper engineer and illustrator to help young children to learn their numbers.
There are ten full color spreads in the book, each one of which take us to the kinds of places that children like to visit in books. These places include the ocean, a forest, a garden, and a dessert shop. Layers of flaps that lift show us the kinds of things that one might find in each place, and each image introduces a number.
On the first spread we are in the ocean and we see one “colorful piece of coral.” When the picture of the coral is lifted we see an octopus for number two, and beneath the octopus flap is a fish for number three. Under the fish flap is a squid (number four), and under the squid number five is a clam. The counting continues on the facing page with a soft tube sponge for number six. More things found in the ocean beneath the sponge picture take us up to number ten.
On the next spread we are in a city and we can see a public bus and a bread truck. Lift the flaps showing various kinds of vehicles and a city worker take us to the number twenty.
What is wonderful about this book is that it is not your typical counting book. Children will enjoy lifting the many flaps to see what is hidden underneath, and since all the images are labeled they will also get to learn some new words. Children will be praciticing word recognition without even knowing that they are doing so!
David Carter has once again created a novelty book that brings together educational and entertainment elements that children will enjoy exploring.
