One North Star: A Counting Book

by Phyllis Root, Beckie Prange (Illustrator), Betsy Bowen (Illustrator)

Five toads hop, four brook trout swim, three elk graze, two loons call, and one beaver gnaws on a paper birch tree, all under one North Star. Through bog and marsh, along river and lake, across prairie and into the woods, children learn what lives where by counting the creatures on foot or in flight, swimming or perching in exquisite woodcut and watercolor illustrations created by Beckie Prange and Betsy Bowen in an artistic collaboration. For those looking for more about the pictured wildlife, Phyllis Root includes fascinating facts and information on the state’s ecosystems and the plants and animals that make their homes there.

Genres: Picture Books, Counting, Childrens, Animals, Nature, Number

36 pages, Hardcover

First published August 15, 2016

About the author

"Picture books are performances," says Phyllis Root, quoting some sage advice she once received. "They're performances that involve a child--something both of you do. And once I started thinking of them that way, I started getting much looser about making up words and playing around with rhythm."

Phyllis Root picked up an early affinity for colloquial language while growing up in Indiana and southern Illinois, "where people actually say things like, 'I got a hitch in my git-along'!" She decided to be a writer in the fifth grade, but it wasn't until she was thirty years old that she took a writing course with an influential teacher who gave her "the tools" she says she needed. "That's when I figured out that you could learn to be a writer," she says. What followed was a series of rollicking stories that take on a new life when read aloud, among them ONE DUCK STUCK, a one-of-a-kind counting book; KISS THE COW!, an affectionate salute to stubbornness; WHAT BABY WANTS, a tale of increasingly ridiculous efforts to quiet an infant that one reviewer compared to an episode of I LOVE LUCY, and LOOKING FOR A MOOSE, a buoyant tale with a final surprise discovery.


The author does "endless rewriting" before a book is finished, but often starts out by writing her stories in her head, a trick she learned as a time-pressed mother when her two daughters were very young. For example, RATTLETRAP CAR--a joyful celebration of perseverance--began with her playing around with sounds ("clinkety clankety, bing bang pop!") and calling up bits of old camp songs.


A master of rhythmic read-alouds, Phyllis Root exhibits a range many writers would envy. Her counting book TEN SLEEPY SHEEP is as serene and lulling as ONE DUCK STUCK is rambunctious. "Counting sheep isn't always easy," she notes. "Once, while we were farm-sitting, my daughter and I had to chase down two runaway lambs in the growing darkness, then count twenty-seven frisky lambs to make sure they were all safe for the night. Luckily, they were." OLIVER FINDS HIS WAY is a quiet, classic picture book about a defining moment in the life of a small child--getting lost and having the pluck to find the way home. On the other extreme, Phyllis Root takes on no less than the whole universe in BIG MOMMA MAKES THE WORLD, a powerful, original, down-home creation myth that received rave reviews and won the prestigious BOSTON GLOBE-HORN BOOK Award. Most recently, Phyllis Root penned LUCIA AND THE LIGHT, a timeless adventure about one brave girl's quest that was inspired by Nordic lore.


When she's not writing, Phyllis Root teaches at Vermont College's MFA in Writing for Children program. She lives with her two daughters and two cats in a 100-year-old house in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and loves to read (mostly mysteries with female protagonists) or spend time outdoors gardening, camping, sailing, or traveling. "One of the things I've learned about myself," she confides, "is that when I get really stuck and can't seem to get writing, it's because I've forgotten to take time out to play."

Reviews

[Miranda Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

One moose browses by a cobble beach by one great lake under one north star.

I've got a little one. I've read a LOT of counting books. It's fairly safe to say that most of them are...predictable and a slog to get through. And yet...this one was an absolute delight.

First of all, I loved the connection to nature - each new number placed the reader in a new habitat. We were counting animals from the prairie, the bog, the river, the lake, and so on.

Secondly, what really made this book stand out for me was that it wasn't just one new animal in each habitat. Each new page contained the next number up, but also included all the previous numbers. For example:

"Three black bears den
two ruffed grouse roost
one Canada lynx prowls for snowshoe hares ... "

Which made reading the counting book fun and engaging for me!

The corresponding illustrations were fabulous and made for a fun I-spy-esque experience as you tried to spot the five trout or ladyslipper flowers or what have you.

And, the part that really sealed the deal for me, was that at the very end of the book, the author laid out all of the habitats, their corresponding animals and a few facts about each animal.

Best counting book I've read so far!

[Joanne Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely counting book introduces a multitude of animals, plants, fungi, and habitats of Minnesota, the North Star State. Features cumulative verse, active verbs, and dazzling woodcut illustrations. Great read aloud.

As a judge for the CYBILS award, I received a copy of this book for free in return for honest evaluation.

[Wendy Kuzma · Rating 4 out of 5]

This counting book features animals from around the Great Lakes region. This would also be a good book for preschool to early elementary.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Minnesota author and illustrator Phyllis Root and Betsy Bowen, who have collaborated on three other picture books— Big Belching Bog (2010), Plant a Pocket of Prairie (2016) and The Lost Forest (2019)—join forces with artist Beckie Prange—winner of a 2006 Caldecott Honor for her work on Joyce Sidman's Song of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems —in this natural history counting book from the North Star state. Profiling ten different habitats in Minnesota—Great Lakes, Bluffs, North Woods, Big Woods, Lake, Aspen Prairie Parkland, River, Marsh, Bog, Prairie—the book highlights various species to be found in those areas, one in the first spread, two in the second, and so on. The back matter gives more information about each habitat/ecoregion, and the animals which inhabit it...

Like the three other titles from Root and Bowen, One North Star: A Counting Book was published by the University of Minnesota Press, and like those other titles, it offers a wonderful look at the natural world in its state of publication. I have been very impressed with the local interest children's books I have encountered from this academic publisher, and only wish one of the similar presses in my own current state of residence (New Jersey) had a similar catalog. In any case, I found this one very appealing, appreciating both the engaging main text and informative afterword. I also thought the artwork was gorgeous! I am an admirer of Betsy Bowen's work, in particular, and have sought out many titles simply to peruse more of it. That said, I have also enjoyed the one other title where I have encountered Prange's work, in Joyce Sidman's Ubiquitous: Celebrating Nature's Survivors , so it makes sense that I found the visuals here appealing. I only wish there had been an artists' note, offering more information on the collaboration process between Prange and Bowen. Leaving that aside, this is one I would recommend to those looking for picture books about the animals and ecosystems of Minnesota, as well as those seeking creative and more in-depth counting books.

[Rebecca Gomez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a beautiful work of art. Kids that enjoy books about nature will soak this book up. One of the fun things about it is that it has a "search-and-find" quality that will encourage children to search for (not just count) the animals and plants that are listed on each page. A wonderful addition to any home or classroom library!

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are so many layers to this amazing book! You could read it a dozen times and always find something new.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

So...the book was okay. The illustrations were okay. But I think that unless you live in Minnesota, a lot of the references are going to be lost on the reader.

[Christopher Lepage · Rating 5 out of 5]

Successful.coming together of words and pictures by a group who really gets Minnesota!

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adore the woodblock prints and I'm a sucker for some good back matter.

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful counting book. Great facts in the back. Different animals and plants on each two page spread.

[Jay Gabler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kind of undersells the cosmos...but other than that, beautiful!

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never been to Minnesota. This book makes me want to visit.

[Linda]

This is a lush, vibrantly illustrated children's picture book that is also a counting book. Because it's a counting book, it has the repetition and rhythm that make it fun to read out loud. It makes me think of the Twelve Days of Christmas, counting down from a higher number on each spread.
Each spread also includes a different habitat - we've got bluffs, lakes, rivers, bogs, aspen meadow and deep woods. And at the end, the author has included two two-page spreads that explain all the habitats and plants and creatures mentioned.
The illustrations seem to be a mix of woodcut and watercolor, or some other media, with saturated pages that seem simple, yet give up lots of detail.
If you have not seen a Phyllis Root book before (particularly one where she teams up with Betsy Bowen), find this one. I also loved Plant a Pocket of Prairie, which follows the same format (though it is not a counting book).
This was my top children's book of 2016.

[Jillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very nice - the illustrations are lovely.
The text isn't my favorite, though. It departs from the "traditional" counting book repetition (where the same animals represent the same number each time, a la 12 Days of Christmas), and that made it a bit...more difficult, maybe? I found myself skimming more and paying less attention to trying to find the animals in the pictures. So on the one hand, there's a lot more content, on the other hand, it doesn't give much of an opportunity to read "together" as the kids remember the pattern.

Several pages of backmatter, featuring extra info about the plants and animals named, as well as habitats and a bit about the North Star itself.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Practice counting Minnesota wildlife in various ecosystems. Beautifully illustrated + learn about MN natural history. Animal & plant facts at the end.

[Kian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the illustrations!

[Jesse Crooker]

This is a beautifully illustrated picture book that counts that’s uses elements of nature and animals to count up to ten. It shows each number of animals or plants, and mentions different things that I’ve never heard of before. Not to mention that the illustrations are beautifully crafted throughout the book. I really enjoyed this counting book and the elements of nature. It also had a description of each of the plants and animals mentioned through out the book