Counting Crows
By Patricia Tauzer,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Unique counting book has simple art, playful text and story.
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What you will—and won't—find in this book.
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What's the Story?
Readers count crows that land on each page, mostly in threes, searching for snacks to eat: 3, 6, 9, 10, 11, then 12. They find and devour roly-poly bugs, mangoes, peanuts, ants, crackers, and so on. But these are no ordinary crows. Looking a bit like Heckle and Jeckle of cartoon fame, these birds are full of fun and energy. Each one sports a striped red-and-white sweater, and one wears a long red scarf. Not only do they eat, but they also hop, sing, and cackle, until suddenly a cat appears and off they fly, again in groups the reader can count.
Is It Any Good?
COUNTING CROWS is one of the most entertaining counting books you'll find. The whimsical, energetic illustrations alone are enough to make it a keeper, but unique rhymes coupled with a story that holds it all together make it remarkable. Kids as well as parents will enjoy reading and playing with the silly crows as they come and go in their search for delectable snacks.
Pages are full of opportunities for counting, matching, multiplying, and subtracting, as well as playing with rhymes and searching for details in the penciled drawings. What fun!
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk crows. Do they really wear sweaters and scarves? What do they eat? Where do they nest? Why does the cat end up wearing the scarf?
Which other counting books have you read? How is this one similar? How is it different?
Why does the author put the birds in groups of three? Why do you think she changed that pattern from 9 to 12? Do crows always travel in groups? Why would they?
Book Details
- Author: Kathi Appelt
- Illustrator: Rob Dunlavey
- Genre: Picture Book
- Topics: Numbers and Letters, Science and Nature
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Atheneum
- Publication date: March 3, 2015
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 4 - 8
- Number of pages: 40
- Available on: Hardback, Kindle
- Last updated: July 12, 2017
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