Teddy Bear Counting

by Barbara Barbieri McGrath, Tim Nihoff (Illustrator)

Overview

Bears tumble in!

Learn to count with this rhyming tale of twelve teddy bears tumbling from page to page. Not just a counting book, it also teaches toddlers colors, shapes, and counting by sets as the bears dance, jump, and play. When it’s time to leave, the bears scurry out in groups as readers count down to zero.

Back matter includes a review of the colors, shapes, numbers, and sets presented. Hands-on interaction makes this book perfect for use with bear counters and other classroom manipulatives.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781580892162
Publisher:	Charlesbridge
Publication date:	02/01/2010
Series:	McGrath Math , #1
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	431,895
Product dimensions:	6.80(w) x 9.80(h) x 0.10(d)
Lexile:	AD480L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Barbara Barbieri McGrath has written over twenty books for children, including The Little Gray Bunny, The Little Red Elf, The Little Green Witch, and many bestselling math concept books. Her love for writing, children and making learning fun was the inspiration for her first children's book, The M&M Brand Counting Book, which sold over 1 million copies. She lives in Natick, Massachusetts.

Tim Nihoff is the illustrator of Otter Everywhere (Candlewick). He is also a graphic designer and sculptor who creates toys, furniture, and other "fun fine art" from found objects. Tim lives and works on a small island in Maine.

Read an Excerpt

Bears tumbel in.
Get ready, get set,
This counting book is the most playful yet!

Editorial Reviews

A rhyming text encourages children to participate by counting the bears (which resemble gummy bears), naming their colors, and identifying various shapes. "First one is red./Yellow makes two./A green bear is three./Count four with this blue." Illustrations and text proceed from 1 bear to 12 and clearly develop concepts for colors, shapes, adding and subtracting, and grouping numbers in sets. Children can easily match numbers with corresponding teddy bears and one large number; all are placed on clean white backgrounds. The artwork is hand-drawn digitally in Adobe Photoshop. This title would be a fun way to introduce these basic skills.
—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

This clever counting book with a squat, rectangular shape features 12 digitally rendered, gummylike bears who introduce themselves by their colors (red, yellow, green, and blue), and their ranks soon grow. “One red marches in to make five bears in all./ When yellow joins, too, six teddies sit tall.” The arithmetic becomes more complex, as the bears “choose partners,” which results in “six sets of two,” followed by “three sets of four,” demonstrating how 4+4+4 and 6+6 each add up to 12. The bears also form basic shapes, before bears begin to leave to explore subtraction. The rhymes are occasionally clunky, but the concepts are clearly illustrated, and readers will be drawn to the bears' chunky, glinting shapes. Ages 3-6. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

PreS—A rhyming text encourages children to participate by counting the bears (which resemble gummy bears), naming their colors, and identifying various shapes. "First one is red./Yellow makes two./A green bear is three./Count four with this blue." Illustrations and text proceed from 1 bear to 12 and clearly develop concepts for colors, shapes, adding and subtracting, and grouping numbers in sets. Children can easily match numbers with corresponding teddy bears and one large number; all are placed on clean white backgrounds. The artwork is hand-drawn digitally in Adobe Photoshop. This title would be a fun way to introduce these basic skills.—Margaret R. Tassia, Millersville University, PA

School Library Journal

McGrath's latest math concept book (The M&M's Brand Counting Book, 1994, etc.) successfully and rather simply presents young children with not only the concept of counting, but also colors, addition and subtractions, shapes and sets of 12. Although it is not introduced in the text, observant readers will also notice the patterning in the teddy bears' presentation. Rhyming verses give children the chance to participate with their voices as well as with their counters as they follow the teddy bears through their paces: "One red marches in / to make five bears in all. / When yellow joins, too, / six teddies sit tall." Nihoff's digitally hand-drawn illustrations accurately reflect the colorful plastic counters familiar to so many, while his tweaking of the arm and leg positions keeps the pages lively. White backgrounds keep the focus on the concepts. The wide availability of teddy-bear counters makes this book useful to many audiences, not just those in educational settings. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews