A Number of Animals

by Christopher Wormell

Introduces the numbers one through ten as a little lost chick searches all over the farm for his mother.

Genres: Picture Books, Counting, Animals, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 19, 1993

About the author

Christopher Wormell is an English printmaker, principally known for his illustrated books.

Reviews

[E & E’s Mama · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great counting book (1-10) that follows a chick who’s looking for her mother on the farm. She meets various animals on her search. I have one minor gripe: I wish there weren’t geese and ducks in the book. They were both white and looked too similar and were about confusing for Elliot, I think. A different animal would have added more variety. Still, we definitely enjoyed the story along with practicing our counting


* library book. Read at 20 months

[Hope · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book, fun to read with my niece.

[Twan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would have preferred it if the book didn't stink of puke

[Liza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Giving this 3 stars on behalf of one kiddo that never got into this book, and 5 stars on behalf of the other kiddo who can’t get enough.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I expected it to be in rhyme, but it's not. That's okay. You'll be looking at the pretty illustrations anyway. This is for any child who loves farm animals, especially chicks.

[☼Bookish in Virginia☼ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A NUMBER OF ANIMALS is a counting/animal book that's not going to be for every child. The artwork is nice but not detailed nor quite as bright-and-cheery as some children prefer. (if you go to my blog you'll be able to see sample pages.)

And the writing... is a problem. It's not horrible, but it's not excellent either. The best part, I thought, was the vocabulary that was used. It's evocative and contains words that little ones might not have heard before.

"Five shaggy goats grazing..."
"Seven sleepy sheep, woolly and warm."

These phrases sound good. The problem is not with them but with the clumsy way that the sentences hang together.

"Seven sleepy sheep, woolly and warm.
"The world is big when you're all alone."

So, worth a read, but the story of a chick looking for it's mother isn't noteworthy enough to earn more than 3 Stars.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

My five-year-old son picked this book out from the library this week. It's a numbers book -- that's why.

I wanted to give this book five stars because the artwork is phenomenal. The colors are subdued, so they don't leap off of the page like some illustrations, but for a farm story, they seem absolutely perfect. Any one of these images would make a stunning art print.

The text is a bit problematic. This book is a farmyard take on "Are You My Mother?" Nothing is wrong with that, in fact, an update is welcomed. The problem with the text is that the other animals reactions are not consistent. Plot twists are great in chapter books, but not needed in picture books.


Actual rating: Five stars for the illustration, three for the text.

[Fitchburg Public Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

Follow one lost baby chick as he searches the farm for his mother. Along the way he encounters many other farm animals, until he finds his brothers and sisters and mother hen. Fantastic book for babies and toddlers who are just beginning to learn about numbers, counting, and animals.

[Kari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful woodcuts (?) When picture book meets art.

[Mushi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Also, on the currently-reading menu—every night—at bedtime.

[Thia]

counting and farm animals, nice illustrations