03/02/2015
Shannon’s (Hands Say Love) message is clear: no matter how many people there are in a family, what color they are, or what ages they are, they’re still a family. An Asian mother and child romp on hobby horses before bedtime: “One is two./ One pair of shoes. One team of horses./ One family.” Gomez’s (Besos for Baby) combinations of families from one to 10 present lots of possibilities—grandparents and children, fathers in turbans, single-parent families, families whose members don’t look alike at all. Linking them to ways of counting groups of familiar things (“One is five./ One bunch of bananas. One hand of cards./ One family”), Shannon’s blank verse brings home the idea of unity in multiplicity. Gomez’s figures have a pleasing, doll-like look, with round heads whose features convey friendliness. Her scenes of city life are imbued with warmth, comfort, and a kind of universality—there’s little obvious luxury or poverty. It’s a quiet vision of a world in which every family is accepted. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Mary Cummings, Betsy Amster Literary Enterprises. Illustrator’s agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (May)
Round-faced, rosy-cheeked characters representing a broad array of races, cultures, and familial make-up populate this loving concept book about the multitudes contained in the number one: "One is five. One bunch of bananas. One hand of cards. One family. In Shannon's simple, lyrical text, well-chosen, child-accessible details suggest larger concepts of unity and collectivity, differences and commonalities, while still bolstering the fundamentals of enumeration.
The breadth of diversity on display is refreshing: families include multigenerational homes, interracial marriage, neighboring households, children who identically resemble their parents and those who don't.
★ 2015-02-03
A playful counting book also acts as a celebration of family and human diversity.Shannon's text is delivered in spare, rhythmic, lilting verse that begins with one and counts up to 10 as it presents different groupings of things and people in individual families, always emphasizing the unitary nature of each combination. "One is six. One line of laundry. One butterfly's legs. One family." Gomez's richly colored pictures clarify and expand on all that the text lists: For "six," a picture showing six members of a multigenerational family of color includes a line of laundry with six items hanging from it outside of their windows, as well as the painting of a six-legged butterfly that a child in the family is creating. While text never directs the art to depict diverse individuals and family constellations, Gomez does just this in her illustrations. Interracial families are included, as are depictions of men with their arms around each other, and a Sikh man wearing a turban. This inclusive spirit supports the text's culminating assertion that "One is one and everyone. One earth. One world. One family." A visually striking, engaging picture book that sends the message that everyone counts. (Picture book. 3-6)
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“The breadth of diversity on display is refreshing: families include multigenerational homes, interracial marriage, neighboring households, children who identically resemble their parents and those who don't.” —Booklist
“Round-faced, rosy-cheeked characters representing a broad array of races, cultures, and familial make-up populate this loving concept book about the multitudes contained in the number one: "One is five. One bunch of bananas. One hand of cards. One family. In Shannon's simple, lyrical text, well-chosen, child-accessible details suggest larger concepts of unity and collectivity, differences and commonalities, while still bolstering the fundamentals of enumeration.” —Horn Book
“The text is focused and precise, and the examples are often friendly ("One pile of pups") and sometimes rhyming ("One house of bears. One bowl of pears"), making for a cozy read-aloud that trips agreeably off the tongue. There's an entertaining seek-and-find element to the cited objects, perfect for sharp young eyes, and a closing spread identifies all the countable objects spread by spread. Complicate your counting curricula in the nicest possible way with this.” —BCCB
11/25/2022
Toddler-PreS—Not one word has been left out in this board book edition of this title first published in 2015. The colors of the counting book, from 1–10, are just a little brighter, but now babies can take part, too, with durable pages that stand up to repeat readings, chewings, and more. A delightful find. VERDICT Many reissues seem to duplicate; this one expands on the original audience, and finds new, smaller hands for its pages.—Kimberly Olson Fakih
