Anno's Counting Book

Author:

Mitsumasa Anno

Illustrator:

N/A

Published by:

Crowell International

First Published:

1 Jan 1975

Ideal for readers aged

3-5y

My Review

Don't be put off by the dated cover of this classic! It's full of so much detail to absorb young children. Gorgeous retro double page watercolour spreads - one for each number from 0 to 12 - gradually introduce more and more to spot and count on each page, while the scenes also span the seasons and have so many different objects to point out and name. There are so many counting books out there that can quickly feel old and tired. This one is a classic for a reason.

Heads Up!

'Anno's Counting House' is another book. full of detail, on a similar theme if you can't get hold of this one.

Publisher Review

A simple, beautiful introduction to math for the youngest readers Every child is a natural mathematician, according to Mitsumasa Anno. Children are constantly comparing and classifying things and events they observe around them. As they try to bring sense and order into what they observe, they are actually performing basic mathematical feats. With Anno's Counting Book, the creator of the brilliantly inventive Anno's Alphabet invites young readers on another stimulating adventure of the imagination--this time into the world of numbers and counting. Gentle watercolor pictures show a landscape changing through the various times of day and the turning seasons, months and years, and the activities of the people and animals who come to live there. But the seemingly simple plan of the book is deceptive: look more carefully and you will see one-to-one correspondences; groups and sets; scales and tabulations; changes over time periods; and many other mathematical relationships as they occur in natural, everyday living. The reader is subtly led to see and understand the real meaning of numbers.