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Hello Numbers! What Can You Do?
First think of One peeking out from the night
Like a point, or a dot, or a shimmering light.
But when One finds a friend to run from or run to,
Then we can’t call both “One”—that new One must be Two!
And should you want something to go in between,
You’ll need a new number, a number like Three.
Four makes a square when it’s standing around,
But what would you see if it flies off the ground?
And then when another new One comes to mind,
Yell out its name if you know it . . . it’s Five!
Do you like the way that these numbers are sounding?
Then join our adventure to count beyond counting!
Hello, Numbers! What Can You Do? is not like any other counting book. As each “new One” appears on the scene, the numbers’ antics hint at ever-deeper math. Young readers ages 3 to 6 will not only count along, but begin to wonder about symmetry, angles, shapes, and more.
Written by the mathematician-and-poet team Edmund Harriss and Houston Hughes, and illustrated by longstanding New York Times artist Brian Rea, this rollicking, rhyming book will take you to a whole new world of numbers.
Like a point, or a dot, or a shimmering light.
But when One finds a friend to run from or run to,
Then we can’t call both “One”—that new One must be Two!
And should you want something to go in between,
You’ll need a new number, a number like Three.
Four makes a square when it’s standing around,
But what would you see if it flies off the ground?
And then when another new One comes to mind,
Yell out its name if you know it . . . it’s Five!
Do you like the way that these numbers are sounding?
Then join our adventure to count beyond counting!
Hello, Numbers! What Can You Do? is not like any other counting book. As each “new One” appears on the scene, the numbers’ antics hint at ever-deeper math. Young readers ages 3 to 6 will not only count along, but begin to wonder about symmetry, angles, shapes, and more.
Written by the mathematician-and-poet team Edmund Harriss and Houston Hughes, and illustrated by longstanding New York Times artist Brian Rea, this rollicking, rhyming book will take you to a whole new world of numbers.
- GenresPicture BooksChildrens
32 pages, Hardcover
Published December 23, 2020
28 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 11, 2022
Hello Numbers! What Can You Do? Edmund Harriss
Dr. Edmund Harriss, a mathematician at the University of Arkansas, begins each class of the new semester with a mindfulness exercise.
“In his classes he does a meditation on the first day. He has the students close their eyes and slowly count up and visualize each number. He asks them to try and hold a mental picture of those things in their mind because visualizing numbers helps in math,” said poet and author Houston Hughes.
Hughes and Harriss worked together to create "Hello Numbers! What Can You Do?" An Adventure Beyond Counting,. The book begins not with the number One, but with Zero and an invitation to mindfulness.
"Can you think of nothing? Can you calm your brain
Till it’s still like a canvas just waiting for paint?
Just the sound of your breath and the beat of your heart—
This is the best way for counting to start."
Harriss discovered a fractal curve that now bears his name, the Harriss spiral. The spiral, which is created by the mathematical process of subdividing rectangles, is lovely. It’s not surprising, then, that Harris has published two children’s mathematical coloring books.
“I learned it’s far easier to persuade people who like coloring more than mathematics to take an interest in a mathematical coloring book, than to get mathematicians to take a coloring book seriously,” Harriss said.
So when Harriss and Hughes connected at a math-science-poetry event at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, a picture book was bound to result.
I have always been intimidated by math. But reading Hello Numbers! showed me that math is a bit like poetry. It has rules but not rigidity. If, for example, we know how a sonnet works, then we can play with the form. If we know that the number Two always has a friend along, then we get a sense of a line and all that suggests, whether Two and its friend are close together or far apart.
For Harriss, play is key.
“Mathematical play doesn’t require you to have any mathematical knowledge,” he said. “My general philosophy is that there’s very little you can throw at someone in the first five years of life that’s harder than just existence. It’s good to throw subtle and sophisticated ideas at children and see what gets developed. The notion that you shouldn’t confuse them is somewhat ridiculous because so much of their world is already confusing, things that we take for granted.”
As soon as Harriss and Hughes began to collaborate, their ideas gelled.
“Lightning just struck my brain. I went home, sat down, and banged out pages and pages,” Hughes said. “Edmund and I work great together because he’s an expert in his field, and I’m someone who loves to take high-level concepts and turn them into writing or videos or performances that the average person can engage with.”
From the beginning the book was child-focused. The only stretch words are vocabulary-based geometric words, like trapezoid and pyramid. While writing, Hughes would read a section to a 5-year-old and have her draw a picture of what was being described. If it matched the concept, then he knew they were on the right track.
“The book has a you-focus on a child,” Hughes said. “It’s geared toward empowerment, toward creation. It’s your own creative toolbox.”
Originally the plan was to count to Ten. But that would have put the book over the standard 32-page limit for picture books. Harriss and Hughes settled on Five. That allowed enough room to touch on arithmetic, geometry, and other concepts “beyond counting.”
The illustrations of internationally acclaimed artist Brian Rea are key to bringing mathematical concepts to life.
“The point of the words is to get readers to visualize numbers. Illustrations are a way to do it, but we don’t want to hand them too much visually,” Hughes said. “You’re supposed to go off and play with these numbers.”
What does that look like? Like a five-pointed star, reaching across the page fold, with two happy colored dots on one page and three on the other, each zooming in its own space pod.
"Imagine with me that your five-pointed star
Has suddenly stretched out incredibly far,
With One, Two, and Three going all the way right,
While Four and Five head left with all of their might…"
o pay attention to: their parents,” Hughes said. “In that sense it’s just another poetry slam.”
Dr. Edmund Harriss, a mathematician at the University of Arkansas, begins each class of the new semester with a mindfulness exercise.
“In his classes he does a meditation on the first day. He has the students close their eyes and slowly count up and visualize each number. He asks them to try and hold a mental picture of those things in their mind because visualizing numbers helps in math,” said poet and author Houston Hughes.
Hughes and Harriss worked together to create "Hello Numbers! What Can You Do?" An Adventure Beyond Counting,. The book begins not with the number One, but with Zero and an invitation to mindfulness.
"Can you think of nothing? Can you calm your brain
Till it’s still like a canvas just waiting for paint?
Just the sound of your breath and the beat of your heart—
This is the best way for counting to start."
Harriss discovered a fractal curve that now bears his name, the Harriss spiral. The spiral, which is created by the mathematical process of subdividing rectangles, is lovely. It’s not surprising, then, that Harris has published two children’s mathematical coloring books.
“I learned it’s far easier to persuade people who like coloring more than mathematics to take an interest in a mathematical coloring book, than to get mathematicians to take a coloring book seriously,” Harriss said.
So when Harriss and Hughes connected at a math-science-poetry event at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, a picture book was bound to result.
I have always been intimidated by math. But reading Hello Numbers! showed me that math is a bit like poetry. It has rules but not rigidity. If, for example, we know how a sonnet works, then we can play with the form. If we know that the number Two always has a friend along, then we get a sense of a line and all that suggests, whether Two and its friend are close together or far apart.
For Harriss, play is key.
“Mathematical play doesn’t require you to have any mathematical knowledge,” he said. “My general philosophy is that there’s very little you can throw at someone in the first five years of life that’s harder than just existence. It’s good to throw subtle and sophisticated ideas at children and see what gets developed. The notion that you shouldn’t confuse them is somewhat ridiculous because so much of their world is already confusing, things that we take for granted.”
As soon as Harriss and Hughes began to collaborate, their ideas gelled.
“Lightning just struck my brain. I went home, sat down, and banged out pages and pages,” Hughes said. “Edmund and I work great together because he’s an expert in his field, and I’m someone who loves to take high-level concepts and turn them into writing or videos or performances that the average person can engage with.”
From the beginning the book was child-focused. The only stretch words are vocabulary-based geometric words, like trapezoid and pyramid. While writing, Hughes would read a section to a 5-year-old and have her draw a picture of what was being described. If it matched the concept, then he knew they were on the right track.
“The book has a you-focus on a child,” Hughes said. “It’s geared toward empowerment, toward creation. It’s your own creative toolbox.”
Originally the plan was to count to Ten. But that would have put the book over the standard 32-page limit for picture books. Harriss and Hughes settled on Five. That allowed enough room to touch on arithmetic, geometry, and other concepts “beyond counting.”
The illustrations of internationally acclaimed artist Brian Rea are key to bringing mathematical concepts to life.
“The point of the words is to get readers to visualize numbers. Illustrations are a way to do it, but we don’t want to hand them too much visually,” Hughes said. “You’re supposed to go off and play with these numbers.”
What does that look like? Like a five-pointed star, reaching across the page fold, with two happy colored dots on one page and three on the other, each zooming in its own space pod.
"Imagine with me that your five-pointed star
Has suddenly stretched out incredibly far,
With One, Two, and Three going all the way right,
While Four and Five head left with all of their might…"
o pay attention to: their parents,” Hughes said. “In that sense it’s just another poetry slam.”
March 18, 2022
This was one of my favorite stories! I think this would be great for kindergarten. I loved how this book made connections between numbers and the real world, so kids can really see how numbers are everywhere! I also think this could be used across multiple subjects as it addresses so many different content areas like literacy, other math concepts like shapes, and some science subjects as well. What a great story for kiddos!
September 11, 2020
This is a great book to teach children about numbers and how they function together. It also hits on shapes. Most likely an adult will need to read this book with a child to help them interpret all the concepts explained in it's pages.
Thanks to NetGalley and The Experiment for the free digital copy for my review.
Thanks to NetGalley and The Experiment for the free digital copy for my review.
November 30, 2020
I read this book with my daughter and whilst I liked the idea and the concept it just didn't work for me.
The images were ok and the wording was ok, nothing about the book has encouraged me to read it with her again and that is a real disappointment - I am hoping that it works better for other parents out there
Sadly it is 3 stars from me for this one.
The images were ok and the wording was ok, nothing about the book has encouraged me to read it with her again and that is a real disappointment - I am hoping that it works better for other parents out there
Sadly it is 3 stars from me for this one.
January 18, 2021
This is a cute, engaging book that is a next step after a counting book. It introduces concepts of what you can make with numbers- shapes, angles, lines, groups- with cute little googly-eyed colored balls to act it all out, making it easier to grasp. The rhyming text adds to the fun. An adult's help might be needed as the concepts get more complicated.
#HelloNumbersWhatCanYouDo #NetGalley
#HelloNumbersWhatCanYouDo #NetGalley
December 30, 2023
Magical, mathematical. Full of whimsy and wit... and slant rhymes. I can forgive the faults in rhyming and rhythm because it's just so fun. A great way to introduce numeracy. My kid was sad it didn't keep going to Every Number!
December 16, 2020
Such a fun book, even for those that already know how to count!
Subtle rhymes for more advanced minds, while still keeping the attention of the children.
Artwork is simple and colorful.
Subtle rhymes for more advanced minds, while still keeping the attention of the children.
Artwork is simple and colorful.
January 12, 2021
Delightful exploration of numbers, shapes, angles and more.
January 21, 2021
Very cute book for number sense. Lots of teaching ideas for littles.
February 23, 2021
May be too long to read the whole thing for a Storytime, but could certainly pick and choose fun parts to tell!
April 28, 2024
Adorable picture book about counting numbers. The rhymes were cute, the pictures lovely, and the mathematics was correct.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews