I Can Count

A board book with a built-in abacus to help little ones learn to count from one to 10.

Each page uses a rhyming couplet to introduce a visual puzzle that requires tots to count items to figure out the answer: “Dogs have tails that wag a lot. / How many brown dogs can you spot?” “See the airplanes in the sky! / Count them as they fly so high.” The puzzles are easy and aren’t out to trick readers—in the first set, there’s only one dog on the page, and in the second, there are only two airplanes and no other flying craft. Ten colorful wooden beads run along a rainbow-shaped arch that floats above the page, and readers are periodically reminded to “slide the beads to help you count!” It’s an amusing and attractive feature, but the arch is not very long, which means the beads slide back easily. When the book is held up, only six of the 10 beads will stay on one side; the other four continually slip back to their home position. It’s an unfortunate design flaw, although the book works properly when laid flat on a table or the floor. That issue aside, the book’s illustrations are appealing and work well with the text.

Will give future readers a helping hand with their numbers, though the tactile element is a bit lacking. (Board book. 1-3) --Kirkus Reviews


PreS-Gr 1–An arch of real beads lives above the story in this board book, so that children can see the numbers on both sides of the equation and count it out! It’s a mini abacus, and every page poses a question: “Dogs have tails that wag a lot. How many brown dogs can you spot?” There is only one dog on that page, but the author has just gotten started. There are two airplanes, then three lights (and three cars obeying the traffic lights), and so on. And thanks to that die-cut arch, the abacus is always handy. VERDICT For preschoolers and up who don’t want to use their fingers to count, this book is the perfect next step. --School Library Journal