Count on the Subway

by Paul DuBois Jacobs, Jennifer Swender, Dan Yaccarino (Illustrator)

Overview

1 MetroCard, Momma and me.
Down 2 flights—to catch the 3.
4 turnstiles, singers 5.
A rumble, a screech . . . the train arrives!

This bright, young counting book is a delightful trip through the New York City subway system. Hand in hand, child and mother see colorful subway signs and funny passengers, watch trains screeching by, and make new friends. With bold illustrations and a playful, rhyming text, this is not only a counting book, but also a tribute to New York and a sweet story of a child and parent navigating the city together.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780307979254
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	05/13/2014
Sold by:	Random House
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
Lexile:	AD370L (what's this?)
File size:	10 MB
Age Range:	2 - 5 Years

About the Author

PAUL DuBOIS JACOBS and JENNIFER SWENDER are a husband-and-wife team whose picture books include My Subway Ride and My Taxi Ride (illustrated by Selina Alko), and NASCAR ABCs and NASCAR 1-2-3's (illustrated by Aaron Zenz). They live in Massachusetts, where they run an educational writing and consulting company. They continue to participate in the Brooklyn Public Library's "Meet the Author" program and the Author's Read Aloud program of Learning Leaders, New York City Public Schools' largest volunteer literacy organization.

DAN YACCARINO is an internationally acclaimed author-illustrator with more than 30 books to his credit. Dan is also the creator of the animated TV series Oswald and Willa's Wild Life, and he designed the characters for The Backyardigans.

Editorial Reviews

★ 03/17/2014
As a MetroCard-wielding girl proudly leads her mother uptown to Grand Central Terminal via the subway, it’s clear that they aren’t just utilizing a fast mode of transportation—they’re part of a nonstop celebration of life in a great city: “Big Apple subway, 8 cars long./ 9 people off, 10 people on./ 10 friends sway, boogie and bop/ to a tunnel beat.... Here’s our stop!” write Jacobs and Swender, the husband-and-wife team behind urban standbys My Subway Ride and My Taxi Ride. Yaccarino (All the Way to America) continues to revel in his role as one of the city’s most upbeat visual chroniclers, rendering the subway as bustling, bright, (and spotless) metropolitan crossroads with a soundtrack all its own. As the story counts from 1 to 10 and back, the numerals pop out of the typography in colored circles, a tribute to the system’s instantly recognizable signage. Yaccarino’s familiar throwback touches are also evident: the girl wears a matching coat and beanie straight out of Mad Men. Ages 2–5. Authors’ agency: Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency. Illustrator’s agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (May)

Publishers Weekly

Publishers Weekly  starred review, March 17, 2014
"Yaccarino continues to revel in his role as one of the city’s most upbeat visual chroniclers, rendering the subway as bustling, bright, (and spotless) metropolitan crossroads with a soundtrack all its own.

From the Publisher

04/01/2014
K-Gr 2—This counting book captures the go, go, go atmosphere of the Big Apple subway system. The text drives the story forward, echoing the way the subway moves a whole city, while a mother and her daughter observe their surroundings as they ride the train. Yaccarino's vibrant brush, ink, and Photoshop illustrations create a playful visual experience and show the diversity of the people who ride the subway every day. The story begins with "1 metro card," continues up to "10 friends," and counts back down again to "1 station, central and grand." The numbers are in different colors, and they often correspond with a color in the picture. As "3 drums thumpin' a rush-hour groove," the numeral three and an image of the drums are shown in yellow, making it easy for children to recognize the items to be counted. An amusing and fun story that will delight those who love things that go.—Christopher Lassen, Brooklyn Public Library

School Library Journal

2014-03-17
Count up to 10 and back again with a mother and daughter as they ride the rumbling subway. Husband-and-wife author team Jacobs and Swender are both counting and subway veterans (Nascar 1-2-3s, 2008) and (My Subway Ride, 2004), but this time they have combined the two. In short, staccato bursts, with a snappy beat, Momma and daughter take a subway ride, counting all the way. "6 empty seats, sit right down. / 7 more stops, going uptown. // Big Apple subway, 8 cars long. / 9 people off, 10 people on." The numbers in the text are cleverly designed; they look like the same circles found on New York City's transit signs. Savvy New York City kids will notice the colors don't correspond with the correct numbered subway lines—forgivable artistic license, as it allows for a nice variety of colors, and there's not a real-world line for each number. Happily, though, the path taken is absolutely a plausible trip! Yaccarino's loose-limbed riders sway with the rush of the train, and the joyful smiles make this excursion all the more fun—especially the hidden art from previous books tucked in various corners. A simple concept done with clean, commendable style. (Picture book. 2-5)

Kirkus Reviews