CM Magazine: Learn to Count: Funny Bunnies.

________________ CM . . . . Volume VII Number 8 . . . . December 15, 2000

Learn to Count: Funny Bunnies.

Cyndy Szekeres.
New York, NY: Cartwheel Books (Distributed in Canada by Scholastic Canada), 2000.
24 pp., board, $9.99.
ISBN 0-439-14994-0.

Subject Headings:
Counting.
Rabbits-Fiction.

Preschool / Ages 1 - 4.

Review by Dave Jenkinson.

**** /4

excerpt:

Wilbur Bunny is wearing his best
blue pants and a new red jacket.
Why is he all dressed up?
The funny bunnies in his family are
getting together for a special occasion.
Wilbur wants to count them as they
arrive and he wants you to help!

While "special occasion" might be a term which is too sophisticated for most younger listeners of this board book's contents, the text of the first double page spread immediately clarifies its meaning: "It's party time!" Although Wilbur may want the listener's help in counting the arriving funny bunny family members, the listening youngster, at least on the first reading, may also be trying to guess what type of party it is going to be. Up to the number 6, the left page carries just the rhyming text plus the heading number while the right hand page contains the appropriate amount of anthropomorphic bunnies, both child and adult. From six through 10 though, the rabbits spill over the facing pages; however, Szekeres is careful to provide sufficient separation and definition between the increasing number of bunnies so that neophyte counters will have no difficulty in arriving at the correct total. To assist youngsters further in acquiring the counting sequence from 1 to 10, Szekeres reinforces the learning by repeating the increasing number sequence either above, below or beside the rabbits. The intended audience will delight in and identify with the type of party that is revealed on the book's closing pages. A fine home purchase, Learn to Count would also be a useful learning resource in child care centers and public libraries serving parents of preschoolers.

Highly Recommended.

Dave Jenkinson teaches courses in children's and adolescent literature at the Faculty of Education, the University of Manitoba.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Published by
The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364

TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THIS ISSUE - December 15, 2000.