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How Many? A Counting Book
How Many? is not like other counting books. In How Many?, there are multiple things to count on each page. Students might count one pair of shoes, or two shoes, or four corners of a shoebox. They might discuss whether two shoes have two shoelaces, or four. They might notice surprising patterns and relationships, and they will want to talk about them. In this accompanying Teacher' s Guide, Christopher Danielson explores deep mathematical ideas such as counting, number language, units, grouping, partitioning, place value, and vocabulary. Throughout, he shares stories and excerpts from real classrooms where he facilitated How Many? discussions. Danielson helps teachers anticipate what students might notice and gives practical suggestions for facilitating rich conversations with students. Danielson' s interest in students' ideas is infectious, and readers will soon find themselves seeking out opportunities to ask young mathematicians, How Many?
36 pages, Hardcover
Published April 25, 2018
2 people are currently reading
50 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
September 30, 2019
Richie’s Picks: HOW MANY? A DIFFERENT KIND OF COUNTING BOOK by Christopher Danielson, Charlesbridge, September 2019, 36p., ISBN: 978-1-58089-943-7
“One is the loneliest number”
-- Harry Nilsson (1968)
“This is a book about numbers and counting, but it’s different from other counting books.
This book doesn’t tell you what to count.
It doesn’t start with small numbers and end with big ones.
Instead you decide what to count on each page. You have many choices.”
Here are a few of my favorite old counting books:
TEN BLACK DOTS by Donald Crews (1968)
ONE DANCING DRUM: A COUNTING BOOK FOR CHILDREN (AND PARENTS) WHO ARE TIRED OF PUPPIES AND CHICKENS AND HORSES… by Gail Kredenser and Stanley Mack (1971)
ONE WHITE CROCODILE SMILE by Richard Hefter (1974)
26 LETTERS AND 99 CENTS by Tana Hoban (1987)
EACH ORANGE HAD 8 SLICES by Paul Giganti Jr. and Donald Crews (1992)
COUNT THE MONKEYS by Mac Barnett and Kevin Cornell (2013)
Once 3- or 4- or 5-year-olds have developed one-to-one correspondence and can count to 30 or 40, they tend to quickly outgrow simple counting books. When it comes to slightly older readers, if a counting book is to retain its luster through repeated readings, it must draw in readers either through a good “hook,” or by engaging them in more sophisticated skills.
HOW MANY? A DIFFERENT KIND OF COUNTING BOOK takes the latter
road. The author prompts young readers to consider different possibilities for counting the objects in the photographs. On one page they might choose to count the number of shoeboxes or the number of shoes or the number of holes that the shoelaces go through or the number of visible stitches or the number of tiny holes inside the shoes. When they reach a photo of guacamole ingredients, they might choose to count the number of avocado halves or the number of full avocados that produced all those halves. They might count the number of different ingredients or the number of each ingredient. (Granted, it’s not possible to count the individual leaves in the pile of chopped cilantro, but one can focus on avocados, garlic, tomatoes, peppers, and limes.)
I really like the vivid quality of the photos and the book’s potential to get kids considering all the possible things that one might try to count.. I’d count on younger elementary students being engaged by this out-of-the-ordinary counting book.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
richiepartington@gmail.com
“One is the loneliest number”
-- Harry Nilsson (1968)
“This is a book about numbers and counting, but it’s different from other counting books.
This book doesn’t tell you what to count.
It doesn’t start with small numbers and end with big ones.
Instead you decide what to count on each page. You have many choices.”
Here are a few of my favorite old counting books:
TEN BLACK DOTS by Donald Crews (1968)
ONE DANCING DRUM: A COUNTING BOOK FOR CHILDREN (AND PARENTS) WHO ARE TIRED OF PUPPIES AND CHICKENS AND HORSES… by Gail Kredenser and Stanley Mack (1971)
ONE WHITE CROCODILE SMILE by Richard Hefter (1974)
26 LETTERS AND 99 CENTS by Tana Hoban (1987)
EACH ORANGE HAD 8 SLICES by Paul Giganti Jr. and Donald Crews (1992)
COUNT THE MONKEYS by Mac Barnett and Kevin Cornell (2013)
Once 3- or 4- or 5-year-olds have developed one-to-one correspondence and can count to 30 or 40, they tend to quickly outgrow simple counting books. When it comes to slightly older readers, if a counting book is to retain its luster through repeated readings, it must draw in readers either through a good “hook,” or by engaging them in more sophisticated skills.
HOW MANY? A DIFFERENT KIND OF COUNTING BOOK takes the latter
road. The author prompts young readers to consider different possibilities for counting the objects in the photographs. On one page they might choose to count the number of shoeboxes or the number of shoes or the number of holes that the shoelaces go through or the number of visible stitches or the number of tiny holes inside the shoes. When they reach a photo of guacamole ingredients, they might choose to count the number of avocado halves or the number of full avocados that produced all those halves. They might count the number of different ingredients or the number of each ingredient. (Granted, it’s not possible to count the individual leaves in the pile of chopped cilantro, but one can focus on avocados, garlic, tomatoes, peppers, and limes.)
I really like the vivid quality of the photos and the book’s potential to get kids considering all the possible things that one might try to count.. I’d count on younger elementary students being engaged by this out-of-the-ordinary counting book.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
richiepartington@gmail.com
February 16, 2020
How Many? by Christopher Danielson. PICTURE BOOK. Charlesbridge, 2019. $16. 9781580899451
BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K. EL (K-3)- ESSENTIAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH
How Many? is a book about numbers and counting, but it’s different from other counting books. In this creative book the reader decides what to count. The longer you spend on each page, more possibilities of items to count present themselves. Does the reader see the pair of shoes? What about the shoe box itself? How many holes are there for the laces to go through? How many yellow stitches are on each shoe? Real photographs of eggs in cartons, grapefruit, avocados and pizza will test and delight readers of all ages. The author challenges readers to: “Have fun counting. Look closely. Notice new things.”
What a delightful and unique counting book! We loved the new approach to math found in How Many? This would be a wonderful gift for any child and a perfect addition to any classroom. How Many? will help readers of all ages to view the world around them with a different perspective.
Reviewer: SL
https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...
BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K. EL (K-3)- ESSENTIAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH
How Many? is a book about numbers and counting, but it’s different from other counting books. In this creative book the reader decides what to count. The longer you spend on each page, more possibilities of items to count present themselves. Does the reader see the pair of shoes? What about the shoe box itself? How many holes are there for the laces to go through? How many yellow stitches are on each shoe? Real photographs of eggs in cartons, grapefruit, avocados and pizza will test and delight readers of all ages. The author challenges readers to: “Have fun counting. Look closely. Notice new things.”
What a delightful and unique counting book! We loved the new approach to math found in How Many? This would be a wonderful gift for any child and a perfect addition to any classroom. How Many? will help readers of all ages to view the world around them with a different perspective.
Reviewer: SL
https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...
August 19, 2024
This book tries so hard to be important. To be different.
Does it succeed? I fear that young readers may find it overly complicated.
If this were a counting book for teenagers, that would be different.
Likely, if this book were designed to please variety-seeking adults.
BUT HERE THE INTENDED AUDIENCE IS KIDS WHO ARE FIRST LEARNING TO COUNT
How helpful is it to give the kids multiple choices about which set of things to count? For instance, on Page 17, kids could count either:
* Two saucers with salt or pepper
* One egg carton holding 8 eggs
* A saucepan with 4 fried eggs... or maybe 5 fried eggs, since one of the fried eggs has a double yolk.
HOW WILL I RATE THIS BOOK?
Hey, I'll assume this book is a reward for young students who have mastered simple counting. Kids who would like a challenge!
On that basis, I can give this ambitious book FIVE STARS.
Does it succeed? I fear that young readers may find it overly complicated.
If this were a counting book for teenagers, that would be different.
Likely, if this book were designed to please variety-seeking adults.
BUT HERE THE INTENDED AUDIENCE IS KIDS WHO ARE FIRST LEARNING TO COUNT
How helpful is it to give the kids multiple choices about which set of things to count? For instance, on Page 17, kids could count either:
* Two saucers with salt or pepper
* One egg carton holding 8 eggs
* A saucepan with 4 fried eggs... or maybe 5 fried eggs, since one of the fried eggs has a double yolk.
HOW WILL I RATE THIS BOOK?
Hey, I'll assume this book is a reward for young students who have mastered simple counting. Kids who would like a challenge!
On that basis, I can give this ambitious book FIVE STARS.
May 31, 2018
This is a counting book that doesn't count for you. It asks what *you* see, what *you* are counting. Because of that, it emphasizes the importance of units in a natural way.
The photos it uses are beautiful and surprisingly rich, even when they look simple. There's always a lot to count, which makes the book very rereadable.
It's fun to read alone, and it's even better to read with multiple people who all see different things to count. Great for having mathematical conversations. Readers can draw on a lot of different counting tools (subitizing, grouping, one-to-one correspondence, etc.) throughout the book.
If you're a teacher, parent, or in a similar role, definitely get the teacher's guide as well.
The photos it uses are beautiful and surprisingly rich, even when they look simple. There's always a lot to count, which makes the book very rereadable.
It's fun to read alone, and it's even better to read with multiple people who all see different things to count. Great for having mathematical conversations. Readers can draw on a lot of different counting tools (subitizing, grouping, one-to-one correspondence, etc.) throughout the book.
If you're a teacher, parent, or in a similar role, definitely get the teacher's guide as well.
November 20, 2019
This is not your traditional counting book! This square nonfiction title starts off by informing the reader that it doesn't tell you what to count or start with small numbers and move toward larger ones; instead it prompts you to count whatever you fancy and notice relationships between objects and photographs. When looking at an egg carton with only one egg inside do you count one egg or eleven empty spaces? Or perhaps you notice the number of letters printed on the carton or the flaps that hold the carton closed? This book will make an excellent classroom resource for discussions about number sense and the idea that math is all around us, but it can also be enjoyed individually. A recommended purchase for all elementary collections.
February 18, 2020
This book takes a very different approach to counting, as it puts the reader in charge of deciding what to count. The text explains this premise at the beginning of the book, and then the book moves into sets of related pictures that simply ask, “How many?”. The photographs are clear, colorful, appealing, and deal with food; at the end, all of the previous images are tied together in one photograph. This book is best shared one-on-one with children in grades PreK-2, so that much discussion can take place about the photographs. Older children can expand on the theme and dig deeper into things to count (with concepts such as sets or dozens), while younger children will stick to basic counting; the simple design of the book allows it to be enjoyed by a wide range of ages.
July 13, 2018
This is truly a great little math book. Each two-page spread has an intriguing photograph thoughtfully composed - a box containing a pair of shoes, a number of grapefuit, a collection of avocado halves... and the prompt "How many?" The reader is then on their own. How many of what? That is the fun. This is one of those rare books that offers openings for people of all ages and abilities. My wife teaches second grade - she is looking forward to using it with her class. I plan on using it with my high performing fifth graders. And we have a baby, who at the moment is a bit young but in a few months we look forward to using it with him. Pick this book up - it's great.
October 16, 2019
This is definitely NOT a book for the very young who are just learning numbers and counting. But for those who are already at the point of counting or older, this offers great opportunity. It's one of those thinking outside the box books, which can help kids to look at things in different ways. This one concerns counting, and I would not hesitate to use it in a classroom or one-on-one/small group reading and discussion.
November 22, 2019
What a great book! It teaches children (and adults) about counting in a very different way. Instead of starting at 1 and going to 10, Danielson shows different pictures of things and lets you choose what to count! A picture of several pizzas means that you could count up the pizzas, or the pizza toppings, or many other choices!
The photographs are really well done and this is a great addition to the ranks of counting books!
-dmz
The photographs are really well done and this is a great addition to the ranks of counting books!
-dmz
May 4, 2018
How Many? follows in the great tradition of Which One Doesn't Belong?
It's fun to discuss what each person sees in the photograph on each two page spread and to realize exactly what we're counting.
Good for identifying units, for practicing counting, for close observation, and just for getting kids and parents to talk math with each other.
It's fun to discuss what each person sees in the photograph on each two page spread and to realize exactly what we're counting.
Good for identifying units, for practicing counting, for close observation, and just for getting kids and parents to talk math with each other.
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November 7, 2019I learned from the author's earlier book, Which One Doesn't Belong? that he makes math accessible and fun. This counting book has no rules and no particular order - just crisp, clear pictures of mostly food items and the invitation to count - anything. So, cool!
November 22, 2019
This is our second book by Christopher Danielson, and Micah has adored them both! These books are perfect for that kiddo who likes the open-ended exploration of ideas. This is an author we hope to see much more from!
September 24, 2018
This book may appear simple at first glance, but do not be fooled. Primary teachers, this is a perfect springboard for number talks and math conversations.
January 1, 2019
A fun counting book that encourages readers to be creative!
October 21, 2019
I love this book. Great ideas for instilling number sense and having fun with numbers.
December 4, 2019
Love this approach to early math!
January 25, 2023
A counting book unlike any other I’ve seen. This book encourages counting, but the readers choose WHAT to count, and to notice and make connections between things. Wow.
February 7, 2023
This was gifted to my daughter for her baby due in July by one of my math coach colleagues/friends. Love it! So many possibilities. Not your usual counting book!
September 21, 2019
A fun concept book giving readers the choice of what to count.
Want to read
March 30, 2021Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews