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:	9781949711660
Publisher:	Bluewater Publications
Publication date:	03/09/2020
Series:	Dudley & Friends
Edition description:	Hardback ed.
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	11.00(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.25(d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Lori Brown grew up in a small town on the banks of the Tombigbee River.It is here where she first found inspiration to begin writing. She would always sit on the deck of herfamily's camp house overlooking the river and use the calming sounds of the river and the gentle breeze blowing as her muses to create her poems and stories.Lori's love for writing became embedded in her and she continued her passion forwriting into adulthood.Lori became a teacher and immediately knew how her writing mustchange. She decided to write books that would help students remember what they readthrough rhyming words and fun loving characters.Friends Count is the first book in a series of educational supplemental books.She hopes everyone who reads them will learn to love hercharacters just as she does.

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

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

"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