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Cleo the Cat
Cleo's Counting Book
Cleo the cat encourages readers to follow along as she counts the items around her home, and then again as she counts backwards from ten to one.
24 pages, Board Book
First published June 1, 2003
About the author
Stella Blackstone
188 books39 followersSee also: Tessa Strickland
Tessa Strickland is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of independent children’s publisher Barefoot Books. As Stella Blackstone, she has written many bestselling picture books for children. As an editor, she has worked with authors and illustrators all over the world.
—from http://www.arvon.org/tutors/tessa-str...
Tessa Strickland is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of independent children’s publisher Barefoot Books. As Stella Blackstone, she has written many bestselling picture books for children. As an editor, she has worked with authors and illustrators all over the world.
—from http://www.arvon.org/tutors/tessa-str...
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
September 10, 2017
Cleo, the cat and protagonist of our story, goes on an adventure to visit the different animals and objects in nature. The book also rhymes, which always adds bonus points in my book. As typical to a counting book, there is not very my to critique. I picked this book up in the first place because of the illustrations. I find that I am pulled to books like look like they were drawn by kids. This is not a bad thing at all. It brings more liveliness and color to the story for me. My copy also came with a hight chart included with all of the characters on it, so even more bonus for this book. This book may not make a great lesson plan, however, it would be a great book if you are teaching your child their numbers, even better if they are an animal lover!
December 6, 2018
I discovered Cleo's Counting Book whilst searching for a story/ picture book with a link to maths, particularly counting. It is suitable for early readers due to the simplicity of the language and the mathematical content covered.
It takes the reader through Cleo's encounters with many different objects which increase in quantity as the book progresses (from 1-10).
The text presents a regular rhyme scheme, adjectives, alliteration and the use of question marks and exclamation marks which adds effect for the reader. The repetition of a similar phrase which occurs at the beginning and then at the end of the book rounds off the story nicely and makes it more memorable.
The text and illustrations complement each other well and provide an engaging way for children to learn about counting.
It takes the reader through Cleo's encounters with many different objects which increase in quantity as the book progresses (from 1-10).
The text presents a regular rhyme scheme, adjectives, alliteration and the use of question marks and exclamation marks which adds effect for the reader. The repetition of a similar phrase which occurs at the beginning and then at the end of the book rounds off the story nicely and makes it more memorable.
The text and illustrations complement each other well and provide an engaging way for children to learn about counting.
December 15, 2018
Bright, vivid colors used to convey number concepts. Good book read-aloud book for toddlers.
March 13, 2020
the colors in it are attractive
June 8, 2020
A cute counting book with sweet animals from the farm and countryside.
Lovely illustrations, with large pages.
Lovely illustrations, with large pages.
March 26, 2025
Simple picture book with bright illustrations: pops of orange and navy and light blue.
Themes: cats, counting
Ages: baby-K
Pub year: 2003
Themes: cats, counting
Ages: baby-K
Pub year: 2003
February 16, 2016
Title: Cleo’s Counting Book
Author: Stella Blackstone
Illustrator: Caroline Mockford
Genre: Counting Book
Themes(s): Learning how to count, rhyming
Opening line/sentence: “Let’s count with Cleo from one to ten. Then let’s count back to one again.”
Brief Book Summary: Cleo, the vibrant orange striped cat is here to help young readers learn how to count in an incredible fashion. Help Cleo as she masters her counting skills while doing it in a rhyming way. Don't forget that once we count to ten we must retrace our steps in a descending way!
Professional Recommendation/Review #1: Marya Jansen-Gruber (Children's Literature) Let's join Cleo, a pretty orange tabby cat with a white bib, as she walks through the garden. We are going to count to ten with her and then back again. With bright acrylic colors, the author has created a cheerful counting book full of familiar objects and a likable character to help us learn our numbers. Cleo shows us a pair of puppies, birds in a tree and frogs in a pond. We hop on stepping-stones as we cross a stream and Cleo even climbs a tree. There are fish in a pond and buzzing bees. Once the tour of the yard is complete, we count one to ten and then backwards with Cleo, right there on the page to encourage and support us. This is a wonderful way to introduce children to the idea of exploring the small places around them, and to the concept of noticing the less impressive but no less important things right in their own back yard: the insects and flowers, rocks and trees. In the classroom, children can create a counting book of their own using things that they see their own yards or playground.
Professional Recommendation/Review #2: Jackie Kirby (Children's Literature)
Cleo, a striped orange cat, strolls around what appears to be a farm with a pond. She counts, in ascending order, what she sees along the way. After she sees ten chicks, she counts in descending order from ten to one. Though the rhyme and rhythm of the text are sometimes absent, the counting concept is still clear. Numbers are re-enforced by the spelling out of the number in the text, a colorful display of the numeric number aside from the text, and an illustration of the object or objects Cleo sees. The illustrations are acrylic-painted and line-illustrated double-page spreads that perfectly portray the objects described in the text. The illustrations and text also work together because the language and the pictures are simple. Additionally, the illustrations make this a good book to show during story-time. A 5-foot high, (or 152 centimeters), chart is included with the book and will help older children learn the metric system. This book is a part of the "Cleo" series.
Response to Two Professional Reviews: Both reviews mention the fascinating pictures that are within this children’s book that help young readers follow along to the text. The reviews mention the significance of the rhyming and rhythm that are portrayed within the book that help the reader follow along as well. The second review also mentions that each number is shown on the page along with spelling of each number which is beneficial for young children learning how to count and read!
Evaluation of Literary Elements: This book has purposely been designed for beginner readers and those learning how to count. The author does an incredible job in showing the number on each page along with the correct spelling of the number. Due to the fact this book only goes up to the number 10, experienced young readers may not grow much of an interest to the book. However, the rhymes and rhythm to the book allow children to engage more within the text while looking at the beautifully portrayed pictures in a fun creative way.
Consideration of Instructional Application: This story would generally be used within a younger setting such as preschool or kindergarten. Using the numbers 1-10 children can create their own story by telling a similar journey such as the one Cleo the cat encountered. They can talk about different types of foods they eat, household items, or interest of their own that count all the way up to the number 10.
Author: Stella Blackstone
Illustrator: Caroline Mockford
Genre: Counting Book
Themes(s): Learning how to count, rhyming
Opening line/sentence: “Let’s count with Cleo from one to ten. Then let’s count back to one again.”
Brief Book Summary: Cleo, the vibrant orange striped cat is here to help young readers learn how to count in an incredible fashion. Help Cleo as she masters her counting skills while doing it in a rhyming way. Don't forget that once we count to ten we must retrace our steps in a descending way!
Professional Recommendation/Review #1: Marya Jansen-Gruber (Children's Literature) Let's join Cleo, a pretty orange tabby cat with a white bib, as she walks through the garden. We are going to count to ten with her and then back again. With bright acrylic colors, the author has created a cheerful counting book full of familiar objects and a likable character to help us learn our numbers. Cleo shows us a pair of puppies, birds in a tree and frogs in a pond. We hop on stepping-stones as we cross a stream and Cleo even climbs a tree. There are fish in a pond and buzzing bees. Once the tour of the yard is complete, we count one to ten and then backwards with Cleo, right there on the page to encourage and support us. This is a wonderful way to introduce children to the idea of exploring the small places around them, and to the concept of noticing the less impressive but no less important things right in their own back yard: the insects and flowers, rocks and trees. In the classroom, children can create a counting book of their own using things that they see their own yards or playground.
Professional Recommendation/Review #2: Jackie Kirby (Children's Literature)
Cleo, a striped orange cat, strolls around what appears to be a farm with a pond. She counts, in ascending order, what she sees along the way. After she sees ten chicks, she counts in descending order from ten to one. Though the rhyme and rhythm of the text are sometimes absent, the counting concept is still clear. Numbers are re-enforced by the spelling out of the number in the text, a colorful display of the numeric number aside from the text, and an illustration of the object or objects Cleo sees. The illustrations are acrylic-painted and line-illustrated double-page spreads that perfectly portray the objects described in the text. The illustrations and text also work together because the language and the pictures are simple. Additionally, the illustrations make this a good book to show during story-time. A 5-foot high, (or 152 centimeters), chart is included with the book and will help older children learn the metric system. This book is a part of the "Cleo" series.
Response to Two Professional Reviews: Both reviews mention the fascinating pictures that are within this children’s book that help young readers follow along to the text. The reviews mention the significance of the rhyming and rhythm that are portrayed within the book that help the reader follow along as well. The second review also mentions that each number is shown on the page along with spelling of each number which is beneficial for young children learning how to count and read!
Evaluation of Literary Elements: This book has purposely been designed for beginner readers and those learning how to count. The author does an incredible job in showing the number on each page along with the correct spelling of the number. Due to the fact this book only goes up to the number 10, experienced young readers may not grow much of an interest to the book. However, the rhymes and rhythm to the book allow children to engage more within the text while looking at the beautifully portrayed pictures in a fun creative way.
Consideration of Instructional Application: This story would generally be used within a younger setting such as preschool or kindergarten. Using the numbers 1-10 children can create their own story by telling a similar journey such as the one Cleo the cat encountered. They can talk about different types of foods they eat, household items, or interest of their own that count all the way up to the number 10.
October 4, 2010
A wonderful counting book to use with the toddlers.
10/5/10 & 10/7/10 In spite of the lobby location, I was able to keep the attention of the children in this book. It went well and it's nice to do some counting. I had a train counting color worksheet on my handout--a good tie-in.
10/14/10 This went well with the Outreach toddler group.
10/19/10 & 10/21/10 The Tuesday group didn't do too well with this. The parents were not as involved. But Thursday went well. The special needs Tue. group liked it. They liked pointing out the cat, too.
10/5/10 & 10/7/10 In spite of the lobby location, I was able to keep the attention of the children in this book. It went well and it's nice to do some counting. I had a train counting color worksheet on my handout--a good tie-in.
10/14/10 This went well with the Outreach toddler group.
10/19/10 & 10/21/10 The Tuesday group didn't do too well with this. The parents were not as involved. But Thursday went well. The special needs Tue. group liked it. They liked pointing out the cat, too.
September 3, 2008
This is a great book for teaching children to count forwards and backwards from 1 to 10. The artwork is very eye catching and attention grasping for children. I gave this book only three stars, because although i enjoyed it, i felt it was to basic and some additional information could have benn added to enhance the learning experience.
July 21, 2014
My five-year-old son checked this book out from the library this week. He knows how to count, so we worked on the recognized the names of the numbers.
This is a cute book, but nothing very special. It would probably be good for younger readers who are just learning to count to ten (and back again).
This is a cute book, but nothing very special. It would probably be good for younger readers who are just learning to count to ten (and back again).
October 20, 2015
This is a perfect book for toddlers and pre-schoolers. You can read and explore it so many ways. You can simply read it, read it and talk about the illustrations, read, count and trace the numbers. It is also adaptable to a flannel board for librarians, story tellers or even for children to play with!
August 8, 2011
Cleo never actually demonstrates any interest in numbers, except at the four frogs bit, but by then the game's up. Either your offspring can count ten out, or you're spending the rest of your free time saying, "No, no, try again," between bottles of hard liquor.
Read
July 28, 2010bright colors, easy to follow for toddlers
May 4, 2012
C has a lot of fun counting up and down to 10 and looking at the cat.
June 11, 2014
A simple counting book. This one would be fun to read when children are able to count and can count the number of items described in the book, such as "six tall trees."
Read
January 13, 2015Counting
cats
cats
February 13, 2016
Great for counting; love that it also counts backwards.
October 26, 2012
Excellent counting book,my daughter loves it!
April 1, 2019
we have the entire series. i loved reading these to my daughter when she was an infant especially since they had an orange cat in it.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews