Friends Count: Dudley & Friends

by Lori Brown, Julianna Harvey (Illustrator), Sierra Tabor (Editor)

Overview

The first book of The Dudley and Friends Series, Friends Count finds Dudley the dog all alone with his bone. When he meets a pair of cats, he abandons the bone for a day of fun and adventure with his new friends. The story is told in a series of rhyming couplets, with vibrant descriptions of all the animals and the world around them. Dudley learns that not only is it fun to count with friends, but he can count on them too.

The story ends with Dudley anticipating the fact that school will be starting soon, which sets the stage for the next book about his first day at school.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781949711271
Publisher:	Bluewater Publications
Publication date:	03/02/2020
Series:	Dudley & Friends
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	11.00(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.08(d)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Lori Brown has been an educator for twelve years, and it is her love of teaching and writing that has given her the inspiration to create her memorable characters. She uses rhyme schemes to help children learn while enjoying the stories they are reading. She lives in McKenzie, Alabama with her husband, Miles.

Sierra Tabor has been an editor at Bluewater Publications since spring of 2017, but she has been fascinated by the art of storytelling for much longer. She has been an avid reader and book lover since childhood and first began volunteering her services as a beta reader and editor in high school. She has a degree in Psychology and experience teaching English as a foreign language. She first began college with plans to major in English; however, in her first psychology class, she fell in love with the story of human nature and the concepts used to analyze it. When it comes to improving stories, Sierra likes to look at both the big picture and the details to assist writers in creating the vision they wish to express to their readers. At Bluewater Publications, Sierra focuses on developmental editing, which involves fine-tuning story structure, character development, and the context that helps all the elements blend together.

Table of Contents

Advanced Praise for Friends Count

Friends Count is a charming children’s book that will help preschoolers learn numbers from one to ten in words and pictures. The author, Lori Brown, is a former member of my university creative writing classes, and she has been a long-time elementary educator. The illustrations by Julianne Harvey suit the text well—they are colorful and dynamic, yet are age-appropriate (my favorite is the picture featuring the eight singing purple martins). I just wish Friends Count was available when my kids were little ones. -Michael Orlofsky | Professor of English

“This is a cute little rhyming book that teaches counting and friendship. The dedication brought me to tears and it was fun to look for the flowers.” – Morris M. - NetGalley Reviewer

“What an adorable book that shows that anyone can be friends! My girls and I enjoyed this thoroughly. It has great messages; the illustrations are cute and the story kept them interested. I would definitely recommend this!” – Victoria S. - NetGalley Reviewer

Editorial Reviews

"A dog finds many new friends in this debut counting book.. . .readers will enjoy pointing at and counting the numbered creatures, objects, and plants.A pleasant outdoor adventure with a calm animal cast and an easy introduction to numbers." -KirkusReviews

This delightful rhyming story takes the reader on a journey with a dog. With the turn of each page, the dog meets a new animal friend of a different color. The one dog meets two gray cats, three green frogs, and so on. Although the rain chases everyone's home, the dog knows he will play with his friends again. Children will want to read this story of friendship over and over again. Shirley J. Farrell, Ph.D.

From the Publisher

2020-03-22
A dog finds many new friends in this debut counting book.

A small dog wearing a yellow kerchief around his neck is lonely. When he encounters two cats, he offers to share his bone with them; they decline but are happy to play with him, nonetheless. The trio meet three frogs, four chicks (and one uncounted mother hen), five kites, six bees, and more groups of birds, plants, and insects—up to a count of 10 in a group. Some of these join the party, but others are simply part of the scenery as the friends go on their way. At the end of the day, the dog is sad to say goodbye, “But then he remember[s] all the fun he had” and looks forward to future adventures. Brown’s rhymes are well constructed, although in some stanzas, the rhythm falters slightly. Harvey’s mixed-media illustrations combine linework with very soft watercolor backgrounds; even the color of a red barn feels subdued. Although there’s some action—a rainstorm catches the friends unaware—most of the story is as low-key as the color scheme, making this a good choice for bedtime reading. Lap readers will enjoy pointing at and counting the numbered creatures, objects, and plants.

A pleasant outdoor adventure with a calm animal cast and an easy introduction to numbers.

Kirkus Reviews