Great Counting Books

[Emily]

Going off of the alphabet book discussion, how about favorite counting books? I'm a big fan of Teeth, Tails, & Tentacles An Animal Counting Book by Christopher Wormell (my preschoolers loved it!) and of course the classic Mouse Count by Ellen Stoll Walsh.

[April Ann]

Chicka Chicka 1, 2, 3

The Chicka books by Bill Martin Jr. are awesome!

[Luann]

Way Out in the Desert by T. J. Marsh and Jennifer Ward



This is a nice one to discuss the desert habitat and animals as well as counting. Also, the illustrator has included a "hidden" number on each page. Very fun.

[Jack Kirby and the X-man]

Graeme Base has a couple of good counting books. The Waterhole has an increasing number of animals attempting to drink out of an ever decreasing waterhole (before the rains come and everyone lives happily ever after!). In its original form it maintains interest because there are plenty of hidden animals contained within detailed illustrations, and funny looking clothed frogs too! It also comes with a simplified storyline as a board book - but I think the the illustrations may be too busy for the younger reader.

For more advanced counting (and maths) book he has also written Uno's Garden - a cautionary tale about overdevelopment. Should take the kids well into primary school with multiplication, exponential growth, prime numbers, etc.

[☼Bookish]

A nice book that covers the 1st, 2nd, 3rd... concept is Stuart's "Henry the Fourth".

And we loved "Ten, Nine, Eight" by Molly Bang. (It also serves as a goodnight book)

There's another book that's fantastic, but for the life of me I can't remember the title. Drats!!! I will return when I can think of it. Even if I can't ;]

[Luann]

One Lonely Sea Horse by Saxton Freymann

A counting book with a nice little story told in rhyming text about Bea, a lonely sea horse. All of the illustrations are made from food - mostly fruit and vegetables. I love the banana dolphins!

[[deleted user]]

I love, love, love "Frog in the Bog" by Karma Wilson as a counting book and as a great story time read-aloud.

[Louise]

A favorite of mine (and of countless "test toddlers") is Phyllis Root's One Duck Stuck. Delightful story that leads to a literal and figurative release!

[Emily]

I LOVE One Duck Stuck! My students and I read that one so many times last year :)

[Nikki]

Five Little Speckled Frogs
by Nikki Smith

[Svetlana]

Ten Little Bears: A Counting Rhyme Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed Ten Apples Up on Top

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

I loved One White Wishing Stone: A Beach Day Counting Book The illustrations are SO lovely and the rhyme flow is excellent.

[Eastofoz]

Miss Spider's Tea Party is an adorable board book about counting and how not to be afraid of people because they may be different from you.

It also exists as part of the Leapfrog Tag Reader system but the story is slightly different. It doesn't come up on GR but it does on BN and Amazon, ISBN 9781400672219

[Eastofoz]

Canada 123 is a fun board book that counts through a map of Canada. Something a little different.

[Eastofoz]

This book is an adorable small-size pop-up book on counting to 10 with pretty pop-up butterflies: Counting, but it's not one I'd leave in small hands without adult supervision because it's quite delicate. It'd make a nice little gift for someone who's expecting.

[Manybooks, Fiction Club host]

Eastofoz wrote: "Canada 123 is a fun board book that counts through a map of Canada. Something a little different.
"

That looks wonderful, and I think these two might also be good Canada based counting books, Loonies and Toonies: A Canadian Number Book, and My Arctic 1, 2, 3