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Teddy Bear Counting
Bears tumble in!
Learn to count with this rhyming tale of twelve teddy bears tumbling from page to page. Not just a counting book, it also teaches toddlers colors, shapes, and counting by sets as the bears dance, jump, and play. When it’s time to leave, the bears scurry out in groups as readers count down to zero.
Back matter includes a review of the colors, shapes, numbers, and sets presented. Hands-on interaction makes this book perfect for use with bear counters and other classroom manipulatives.
Learn to count with this rhyming tale of twelve teddy bears tumbling from page to page. Not just a counting book, it also teaches toddlers colors, shapes, and counting by sets as the bears dance, jump, and play. When it’s time to leave, the bears scurry out in groups as readers count down to zero.
Back matter includes a review of the colors, shapes, numbers, and sets presented. Hands-on interaction makes this book perfect for use with bear counters and other classroom manipulatives.
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
19 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
December 23, 2019
I like this book because there were teddy bears counting. Circle, triangle, square. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19... the end.
May 10, 2021
Teddy Bear Counting by Barbara Barbieri McGrath is a picture book written to have children practice their counting skills. It has a lot of color incorporated throughout the book which makes it fun for them to learn. I would recommend this book to children aged two to four years old. I rated this book a four out of five stars because I feel like it could have had more detail.
April 29, 2025
meh, okay but there are better options for counting and colors. the grouping concept would work well as part of a curriculum, I suppose, but as a stand-alone ST book it doesn't really work because there's not really any story to it.
February 10, 2019
Brilliant!!!!!
February 19, 2020
Enjoy this entire series of books with counting bears.
March 4, 2018
Concept: Numbers
Target Audience: 1st-3rd Graders
Summary: Gummy bears help students learn their numbers. As the bears play, they make different shapes and groups that can help introduce children to addition, multiplication, and subtraction, as well as shapes and colors.
Strengths & Weaknesses:
The illustrations are bright and cheerful. Gummy bears are well-known and appealing shapes. This book looks like a fun book to read together. Children will enjoy counting all the bears and seeing that no matter how you move them around, there are always 12 bears, etc. It's also a colorful way to look at the different math topics in a visual way that makes it easy to see what's happening for young learners.
There is so much content going on in this book, it might be a little overwhelming -- there are colors and shapes and numbers and math.
Personal critique:
I would recommend this book to children who already like counting. I don't think it's the best introduction to numbers but if your student knows their numbers and is learning that very elementary number sense, this is probably a good book for them.
Illustrations:
Color Illustrations
Notable awards:
None.
Lesson Planning:
This book is a good way to take students used to counting onto addition and subtraction.
Target Audience: 1st-3rd Graders
Summary: Gummy bears help students learn their numbers. As the bears play, they make different shapes and groups that can help introduce children to addition, multiplication, and subtraction, as well as shapes and colors.
Strengths & Weaknesses:
The illustrations are bright and cheerful. Gummy bears are well-known and appealing shapes. This book looks like a fun book to read together. Children will enjoy counting all the bears and seeing that no matter how you move them around, there are always 12 bears, etc. It's also a colorful way to look at the different math topics in a visual way that makes it easy to see what's happening for young learners.
There is so much content going on in this book, it might be a little overwhelming -- there are colors and shapes and numbers and math.
Personal critique:
I would recommend this book to children who already like counting. I don't think it's the best introduction to numbers but if your student knows their numbers and is learning that very elementary number sense, this is probably a good book for them.
Illustrations:
Color Illustrations
Notable awards:
None.
Lesson Planning:
This book is a good way to take students used to counting onto addition and subtraction.
June 2, 2016
Title: Teddy Bear Counting
Author: Barbara Barbieri McGrath
Illustrator: Tim Nihoff
Genre: 1,2,3 Book
Theme(s): Counting, Numbers, Shapes, Math
Opening line/sentence:
Bears tumble in,
Get ready, get set.
This counting book is
The most playful yet!
Brief Book Summary:
This book tells the story of 12 differently colored gummy bears. The bears come one by one into the story, counting as they go. As more and more bears tumble into the book, they eventually hit a grand total of 12 bears. They then group up and move around, changing both the number of groups as well as the number present in each group as they go. Eventually, the bears all leave until no more are left in the story.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1:
Sue Poduska (Children's Literature)
With all the counting books on the market, authors practically have to come up with a new numbering system for such a book to be considered worthwhile. McGrath does not attempt that, but succeeds in creating an interesting approach to the topic. The young reader discovers colors, shapes, and basic arithmetic applied to everyday life situations, in addition to fun rhymes and cute bears. She should guard against oversimplification, however, because kids can be so literal. Nihoff does a great job of following the text and creating illustrations that can pull in kids. The bears are cute and portrayed vividly in primary colors. The paw prints are extra whimsical bonuses. The bears could have used some different expressions in addition to their movements and postures.
Professional Recommendation/Review #2:
Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, January 15, 2010 (Vol. 78, No. 2))
McGrath's latest math concept book (The M&M's Brand Counting Book, 1994, etc.) successfully and rather simply presents young children with not only the concept of counting, but also colors, addition and subtractions, shapes and sets of 12. Although it is not introduced in the text, observant readers will also notice the patterning in the teddybears' presentation. Rhyming verses give children the chance to participate with their voices as well as with their counters as they follow the teddy bears through their paces: "One red marches in / to make five bears in all. / When yellow joins, too, / six teddies sit tall." Nihoff's digitally hand-drawn illustrations accurately reflect the colorful plastic counters familiar to so many, while his tweaking of the arm and leg positions keeps the pages lively. White backgrounds keep the focus on the concepts. The wide availability of teddy-bear counters makes this book useful to many audiences, not just those in educational settings.
Response to Two Professional Reviews:
Kirkus made an interesting point that I had not originally thought of, the background of the pages is wonderfully blank so that all of the focus is centered on the bears coming and going. Both reviews touch upon the fact that the book keeps the mundane task of learning how to count enjoyable and exciting. The illustrator does a brilliant job making the bears seem full of life, which flows right into the reader. I did, however, think that Poduska had a valid point in saying that the facial expressions of the bears should be toyed with as well. The author keeps the story fresh by incorporating different actions by which the bears join the story, and through the incorporation of colors and shapes.
Evaluation of Literary Elements:
This book does a magnificent job of incorporating many different topics into one book. The author incorporates not only the numbers, but also the colors of the bear and some shapes that the bears make. This makes it so that the book can appeal to more age groups, as even children who are working on colors or shapes can learn from the book. There is a presence of a simple rhyming pattern within the book as well, which helps keep the children’s interest in the book. The book also tackles math, as the bears are brought into the book with addition, and then are taken out with subtraction – even addressing the concept of 0 at the end.
Consideration of Instructional Application:
This story would be ideal for young children, I would say mostly kindergarten or preschool aged. The book would be appropriate for those children, and could help them begin to learn how to count. One lesson plan idea that I would use would be giving children gummy bears to reenact the story as they listen. This would take the abstract concept of counting numbers and help them to represent it in a concrete way. They could use the bears to help represent addition, subtraction, grouping, and shapes, not to mention they could have a tasty snack at the end!
Author: Barbara Barbieri McGrath
Illustrator: Tim Nihoff
Genre: 1,2,3 Book
Theme(s): Counting, Numbers, Shapes, Math
Opening line/sentence:
Bears tumble in,
Get ready, get set.
This counting book is
The most playful yet!
Brief Book Summary:
This book tells the story of 12 differently colored gummy bears. The bears come one by one into the story, counting as they go. As more and more bears tumble into the book, they eventually hit a grand total of 12 bears. They then group up and move around, changing both the number of groups as well as the number present in each group as they go. Eventually, the bears all leave until no more are left in the story.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1:
Sue Poduska (Children's Literature)
With all the counting books on the market, authors practically have to come up with a new numbering system for such a book to be considered worthwhile. McGrath does not attempt that, but succeeds in creating an interesting approach to the topic. The young reader discovers colors, shapes, and basic arithmetic applied to everyday life situations, in addition to fun rhymes and cute bears. She should guard against oversimplification, however, because kids can be so literal. Nihoff does a great job of following the text and creating illustrations that can pull in kids. The bears are cute and portrayed vividly in primary colors. The paw prints are extra whimsical bonuses. The bears could have used some different expressions in addition to their movements and postures.
Professional Recommendation/Review #2:
Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, January 15, 2010 (Vol. 78, No. 2))
McGrath's latest math concept book (The M&M's Brand Counting Book, 1994, etc.) successfully and rather simply presents young children with not only the concept of counting, but also colors, addition and subtractions, shapes and sets of 12. Although it is not introduced in the text, observant readers will also notice the patterning in the teddybears' presentation. Rhyming verses give children the chance to participate with their voices as well as with their counters as they follow the teddy bears through their paces: "One red marches in / to make five bears in all. / When yellow joins, too, / six teddies sit tall." Nihoff's digitally hand-drawn illustrations accurately reflect the colorful plastic counters familiar to so many, while his tweaking of the arm and leg positions keeps the pages lively. White backgrounds keep the focus on the concepts. The wide availability of teddy-bear counters makes this book useful to many audiences, not just those in educational settings.
Response to Two Professional Reviews:
Kirkus made an interesting point that I had not originally thought of, the background of the pages is wonderfully blank so that all of the focus is centered on the bears coming and going. Both reviews touch upon the fact that the book keeps the mundane task of learning how to count enjoyable and exciting. The illustrator does a brilliant job making the bears seem full of life, which flows right into the reader. I did, however, think that Poduska had a valid point in saying that the facial expressions of the bears should be toyed with as well. The author keeps the story fresh by incorporating different actions by which the bears join the story, and through the incorporation of colors and shapes.
Evaluation of Literary Elements:
This book does a magnificent job of incorporating many different topics into one book. The author incorporates not only the numbers, but also the colors of the bear and some shapes that the bears make. This makes it so that the book can appeal to more age groups, as even children who are working on colors or shapes can learn from the book. There is a presence of a simple rhyming pattern within the book as well, which helps keep the children’s interest in the book. The book also tackles math, as the bears are brought into the book with addition, and then are taken out with subtraction – even addressing the concept of 0 at the end.
Consideration of Instructional Application:
This story would be ideal for young children, I would say mostly kindergarten or preschool aged. The book would be appropriate for those children, and could help them begin to learn how to count. One lesson plan idea that I would use would be giving children gummy bears to reenact the story as they listen. This would take the abstract concept of counting numbers and help them to represent it in a concrete way. They could use the bears to help represent addition, subtraction, grouping, and shapes, not to mention they could have a tasty snack at the end!
April 12, 2014
McGrath, Barbara Barbieri. Teddy Bear Counting (2010). Toy teddy bears that come in rich colors of red, yellow, green, and blue introduce counting from one to twelve, and colors and shapes. The colors of each teddy bear are introduced one by one but eventually set a repetitive color pattern. In addition, toy teddy bears group themselves in six sets of two, three sets of four, four sets of three, and two sets of six. The font size of the print is large and the beginning pages begin with one line and one toy bear or 4-15 words on a page. Then gradually the pages begin to fill up with toy bears and up to five lines with rhyme. Then the twelve toy bears create a square, circle, and triangle. Finally, the toy bears gradually leave using subtraction along the way until zero bears are left. This book is excellent for counting and algorithms, color, and shapes. Grade: Pre-K to First.
August 31, 2012
pb10: I didn't really enjoy this counting book. I had a hard time reading it and staying focused on it let alone for me to read it to a child. For some it may feel like a good book to teach a child, but for me I would have this as one of my top choice for a counting book.
March 12, 2010
The great thing about this counting book is that they look like the bear manipulatives given out in Gwinnett County.
March 20, 2010
Attractive. All you need is a set of plastic bears (or some gummy bears) and you have a nice little math aid for home or classroom.
April 1, 2010
Illustrations mediocre. Good book to learn how to do basic math with bears.
June 14, 2010
Kind of makes me hungry for gummy bears, but a fun way to review shapes, sets, and arithmetic with younger children.
July 20, 2010
count to twelve, sets (factors), colors, shapes, subtraction
September 20, 2010
Counting, colors, and shapes are all covered in this bear-rific book.
September 28, 2011
As others have said, would be great to use while working with real gummies!
January 9, 2012
Best counting book I've read in a loooong time!
Read
May 2, 2012Super fun, even for a 1 year old.
October 16, 2012
We use these with the counting bears for math activities.
February 20, 2013
A great book for counting up, then back down, and even doing a little multiplication. The use of bears as manipulatives works well for the book.
August 3, 2014
Identify colors, numbers, quantity, shapes, and a little math added in.
March 10, 2015
Great way to work on colors and counting.
June 7, 2016
El really seems drawn to this book, and sits and "reads" it several times a day for 10+ minutes at a whack. I'd say that's a win!
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews