Arctic Fives Arrive

by Elinor J. Pinczes

As groups of Arctic animals gather on a hilltop to view the northern lights, this lively picture book demonstrates how to count by fives. "The concept of counting by fives gets visual treatment in a satisfying story that also introduces children to one of nature's most beautiful mysteries. . . . The singsongy text adds sparkle and the rainbow-colored spread depicting the northern lights is a fine surprise." -- Booklist

Genres: Mathematics, Picture Books, Childrens, Counting, Numeracy, Animals, 1st Grade

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Katherine]

This is a nice book to read to students when trying to incorporate rhyming or counting by fives into lessons or classroom discussions. I enjoyed the illustrations, and found that the book was a good choice to read during the winter months where students could relate to the ice and snow in the pictures :)

[Emily]

1. This counting narrative is about arctic animals that all have to take shelter on an iceberg. How many can fit?
2. 1-2
3. Math; Science
4. Students who like animal stories might enjoy this book.
5/6. I could use this book to teach skip-counting by 5s; it also teaches animals by environment.
7. A Remainder of One, Each Orange Had 8 Slices
8. None

[Diana Pettis]

I'll use this book in my afterschool program. I read it to my sons today and they liked it. A creative way to count.

[Kelly Wickham]

This is a book that a teacher sent home with one of the kids. I can see why. It is not the most appealing book. The content of counting by 5's is boring. The illustrations are boxy and not attractive and the colors are muted and boring. It didn't excite me or hold my attention and I don't think it held the kids' either.

[Diane]

Animals gather, in fives, on an iceberg to watch the Northern Lights. First 5 snowy owls, then 5 polar bears, ermine, walrus, arctic hares and musk oxen. But the iceberg starts to get crowded — will they all fit?

[Jennifer]

This book helps kids practice counting by 5’s as more and more animals pile onto the ice.

[Heather]

A fun story that helps kids with the concept of counting by fives with groups of arctic animals squishing together on an iceberg.

[Dolly]

This is an odd little story about a group of animals all trying to get to the top of an iceberg (the narrative calls it a hilltop) to see the Aurora Borealis. The animals arrive in groups of five (I'm a poet and I didn't know it) and proceed to crowd the small space.

The narrative rhymes, but the rhyming pattern changes throughout the story and sometimes it's quite awkward. The counting pattern is interesting, but somehow the story is just not as effective as some of the other books written by this author.

Still, the combination of colorful illustrations, a fun mix of arctic animals, and the beautiful depiction of the Northern Lights at the end make for an entertaining story. We enjoyed reading this book together and then we did a web search for more images of the natural phenomena. You can see some of the images here.

[Miss Sarah]

Five animals of many different arctic types arrive on an iceberg and squeeze on top and then disembark five at a time. Great for repetition and counting by fives but a little long so for preschool age only.

[Lam Nguyen]

Help students learn how to count by fives.

[Mckinley]

Counting by 5.

[The Brothers]

A story of counting by fives. Asher rated it two stars with an unenthusiastic "unnhh."

The illustrations are blocky, but can be interesting.

[Michael Fitzgerald]

Contrived and not particularly educational.

[Arianna]

Genre: Informational
Grade Level: 1-2
This book is great for counting by 5's and rhyming. I think young readers will love it. The pictures are cute too.

[Shelby Masterson]

A very cute story about animals coming together to watch the Northern Lights. The animals came in groups of five to this ice cap and after each animal joined they counted by fives. A fun, easy way to introduce and practice counting by fives.