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3rd out of 43 books
—
17 voters
One Was Johnny: A Counting Book
'One was Johnny -- but that's not all, count all the others who came to call.'
Paperback, 48 pages
Published
March 15th 1991
by HarperCollins
(first published 1960)
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One Was Johnny: A Counting Book by Maurice Sendak is a humorous, unique counting book featuring animals, and counting up and down from ten.
Sendak's illustrations depict physical action well, while using mostly subdued shades of white, blue, black, yellow and green. The memorable characters show lots of expression, especially somewhat cranky Johnny. Animals who appear are rat, cat, dog, turtle, monkey, blackbird, and tiger. My favorite images are chased rat, turtle bit, blackbird pecked, pale, ti...more
Sendak's illustrations depict physical action well, while using mostly subdued shades of white, blue, black, yellow and green. The memorable characters show lots of expression, especially somewhat cranky Johnny. Animals who appear are rat, cat, dog, turtle, monkey, blackbird, and tiger. My favorite images are chased rat, turtle bit, blackbird pecked, pale, ti...more
“One Was Johnny” is another classic book from Maurice Sendak’s popular Nutshell Library and it is about how a young boy named Johnny wanted to be alone, but he gets some uninvited guests while the book counts down on how many guests come into his house. “One Was Johnny” is the perfect counting book for children who want to learn how to count in a creative and fun way.
Maurice Sendak’s illustrations are simply simplistic yet hilarious and creative at the same time. Maurice Sendak used mainly black...more
Maurice Sendak’s illustrations are simply simplistic yet hilarious and creative at the same time. Maurice Sendak used mainly black...more
This is an original silly counting book, given in rhyme and cumulative verse. For each number up to ten, a different animal or character joins Johnny in his house; when it gets too crowded, he threatens to eat everyone and they leave one by one. Sendak's artwork is delightful, and the slapstick humor and anticipatory drama is very fun. This book may not actually teach children to count unless they memorize it, but it does have the slight advantage of going backwards as well as forwards. The grea...more
I enjoy reading this to A. for its rhyme scheme alone. "One was Johnny who lived by himself. Two was a rat who jumped on his shelf." Johnny, sitting at a little table and trying to relax by reading a book, is a cute role model in a curmudgeonly way. He finds the addition of 8 animals plus one robber more bothersome than remarkable. I won't spoil the ending but in the middle of the book Johnny says he'll count backwards from ten and if they aren't all gone he'll eat them. It's very dramatic to re...more
As a counting book, this book doesn't work so well, since there aren't necessarily the correct number of countable objects on each page. It does work as a lesson in counting to ten, but I don't know that it really strongly illustrates the meaning of each number. Still, though, the illustrations, which are all drawn against the same background of Johnny's kitchen table, are greatly entertaining as the chaos of the scene increases, and the changes in Johnny's expressions could almost tell the enti...more
This book was a nice rhyming book that not only counted from one to ten but counted backwards. Prek-2 grade may enjoy this counting book. The words were basic so emergent readers should be able to handle the words.
This is book intended to teach children how to count up to ten and back down again. Again, imagination and illustration steal the show. Actually, the dog who came in and sat steals the show!
May 14, 2012
Paul Hankins
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
can-t-miss-read-aloud,
classic-illustrated-text,
may-2012-reads,
mr-hankins-says-don-t-miss,
one-book-four-hands-pick,
picture-book-celebration-of-imagina,
picture-book-classic,
picture-book-extensions-to-music,
picture-book-familiar-song-music-th,
picture-book-feature-artist,
picture-book-fun-makes-me-smile,
picture-books-numbers,
picture-books-stunning-art-illust
Mine is a library copy that came from the Bronx. I couldn't be happier with my for-a-penny find here. It will look great with the other Sendak titles I am putting together!
My son ABSOLUTELY LOVES this book. He sings it along with the Carole King album and can't get enough of it! He can read this book over and over and over...
I thought it was cool.Johnny was trying to get read of the people and animals-mb
I liked how he counted up then counted down with the same order of animals.WD
I liked how he counted up then counted down with the same order of animals.WD
The fourth and final book in the Nutshell Library is forever locked in my mind with Carole King's vocal of it on the album and video Really Rosie.
was definitely my favorite early childhood book something akin to Calvin and Hobbe's Hamster Huey.
Learn counting with this poem and the ABC's with Alligators All Around
Ella and I flipped through this book a couple times. It didn't really grab us.
A lovely counting rhyme... but my that Johnny is a naughty one!
Cute counting and rhyming book for young readers and listeners
Helps little ones learn counting in an amusing way.
I mostly remember the animated versions of these books...
Oh the memories!
A unique counting book because of its good meter/rhyme and its use of advanced vocabulary (for a preschooler). The Scholastic Video version (put into song) is quite enjoyable for my daughter. She wasn't deeply impressed with the book, however, having seen the video first. I find it pleasant to read aloud, which is more than I can say for a great many children's books these days.
How much did I enjoy "One Was Johnny"? Let me count the ways.
1. The story works in its simplicity.
2. The illustrations added so much to the story.
3. The characters are memorable.
4. It's fun.
5. It's a bit weird.
1. The story works in its simplicity.
2. The illustrations added so much to the story.
3. The characters are memorable.
4. It's fun.
5. It's a bit weird.
May 22, 2008
Sarah
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
people learning to count
Shelves:
childrens
This book helped me learn to count. Granted, almost 30 years ago. But I can still count to this very day.
More fun to sing it. :)
May 21, 2013
Kat Hamilton
added it
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Maurice Bernard Sendak is an American writer and illustrator of children's literature who is best known for his book Where the Wild Things Are, published in 1963. An elementary school (from kindergarten to grade five) in North Hollywood, California is named in his honor.
Sendak was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Polish-Jewish immigrant parents, and decided to become an illustrator after viewing Wal...more
More about Maurice Sendak...
Sendak was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Polish-Jewish immigrant parents, and decided to become an illustrator after viewing Wal...more
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