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Abigail
Abigail the giraffe loves counting. One day, she tries to count the spots on her friend Ladybug, but the little bug scurries away. Abigail tries to count Zebra's stripes and Cheetah's spots, but her friends just won't stand still! After several more unsuccessful attempts, Abigail begins to wonder if there's anything at all that she can count. Then, she has an idea.
28 pages, Hardcover
First published August 5, 2013
3 people are currently reading
208 people want to read
About the author
Catherine Rayner
54 books81 followersSee also Catherine Rayner for works on the Bronte sisters
Award winning author and illustrator Catherine Rayner studied Illustration at Edinburgh College of art. She fell in love with the city and still lives there with her husband, young son and a handful of creatures: Shannon the horse, Ena the grey cat and a goldfish called Richard.
She finds huge inspiration in her pets and often uses them as models, frequently asking Ena to pose so that she can study her posture and movement. Then she translates sketches of Ena into characters such as dragons and hares, not to mention moose and bears! But it was creatures of a wilder kind that inspired her first picture book, Augustus and His Smile - Catherine spent hours and hours watching and sketching tigers (in freezing temperatures) at Edinburgh Zoo.
Winner of the 2009 CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal for her second book Harris Finds His Feet, Catherine has now been shortlisted four times for the award. She was also awarded the Best New Illustrator Award at the Booktrust Early Years Awards in 2006 and was named one of Booktrust’s ten Best New Illustrators in 2008. In 2010, she was the inaugural illustrator in residence at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. In 2012 Catherine’s book Iris and Isaac won the UKLA Children’s Book Award and the Dutch edition of Solomon Crocodile has been selected as PICTURE BOOK OF THE YEAR 2014 in The Netherlands by the CPNB.
Award winning author and illustrator Catherine Rayner studied Illustration at Edinburgh College of art. She fell in love with the city and still lives there with her husband, young son and a handful of creatures: Shannon the horse, Ena the grey cat and a goldfish called Richard.
She finds huge inspiration in her pets and often uses them as models, frequently asking Ena to pose so that she can study her posture and movement. Then she translates sketches of Ena into characters such as dragons and hares, not to mention moose and bears! But it was creatures of a wilder kind that inspired her first picture book, Augustus and His Smile - Catherine spent hours and hours watching and sketching tigers (in freezing temperatures) at Edinburgh Zoo.
Winner of the 2009 CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal for her second book Harris Finds His Feet, Catherine has now been shortlisted four times for the award. She was also awarded the Best New Illustrator Award at the Booktrust Early Years Awards in 2006 and was named one of Booktrust’s ten Best New Illustrators in 2008. In 2010, she was the inaugural illustrator in residence at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. In 2012 Catherine’s book Iris and Isaac won the UKLA Children’s Book Award and the Dutch edition of Solomon Crocodile has been selected as PICTURE BOOK OF THE YEAR 2014 in The Netherlands by the CPNB.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews
September 21, 2019
Abigail the giraffe loved to count, and opportunities were everywhere. Unfortunately, her efforts to count Ladybug's spots, the leaves on a tree, Zebra's stripes, and Cheetah's spots, were all futile, given the perpetual motion of everyone and everything around her. When our giraffine heroine gets discouraged however, her kindhearted friends help her to count flowers, and eventually...the stars!
I won't lie. I was drawn to this book because of the title - Abigail has such a charming sound to it, doesn't it? - and because of the delightful-looking giraffe on the cover. When I saw it was written and illustrated by Catherine Rayner, whose Sylvia and Bird was such a lovely book, I snatched it up. It is a counting book, but also a story about friendship, patience, and perseverance. The artwork is absolutely adorable, and Rayner really captures the charm of her animal characters. Recommended to young giraffe lovers, and to any young child struggling with their numbers, and learning to count.
I won't lie. I was drawn to this book because of the title - Abigail has such a charming sound to it, doesn't it? - and because of the delightful-looking giraffe on the cover. When I saw it was written and illustrated by Catherine Rayner, whose Sylvia and Bird was such a lovely book, I snatched it up. It is a counting book, but also a story about friendship, patience, and perseverance. The artwork is absolutely adorable, and Rayner really captures the charm of her animal characters. Recommended to young giraffe lovers, and to any young child struggling with their numbers, and learning to count.
June 30, 2014
Among counting books, Abigail does not stray far from the norm. It goes through the numbers 1 to 10, as Abigail tries to count the various leaves, stripes, and creatures of the Savannah. What does make this special, is Rayner's specific touch.
Like her other works, splotchy painting and inking create a highly stylized, detailed, and frankly gorgeous look. Most backgrounds feature a gradient as the sky melds into the open landscape of Africa. Once again a fold out page reveals the full size of the main creature, and gets implemented as an integral part of the story. In this case, because she is a giraffe, Abigail often has to contort and bend to remain within the page's confines. The fold out page allows her to stretch her head up towards the night sky, so she can see the stars.
It is difficult to count certain things, but Abigail enjoys it with her friends so much, that she is always able to find more. The inclusion of a story is always a bonus for books on practical lessons like counting. Combine this with a cute set of characters, and some of the most beautiful picture book art around, and you have a must read.
Like her other works, splotchy painting and inking create a highly stylized, detailed, and frankly gorgeous look. Most backgrounds feature a gradient as the sky melds into the open landscape of Africa. Once again a fold out page reveals the full size of the main creature, and gets implemented as an integral part of the story. In this case, because she is a giraffe, Abigail often has to contort and bend to remain within the page's confines. The fold out page allows her to stretch her head up towards the night sky, so she can see the stars.
It is difficult to count certain things, but Abigail enjoys it with her friends so much, that she is always able to find more. The inclusion of a story is always a bonus for books on practical lessons like counting. Combine this with a cute set of characters, and some of the most beautiful picture book art around, and you have a must read.
October 11, 2018
Beautiful illustrations that can be broken down into their layers. Nice book to discuss the processes of planning or drafting paintings with older children and ways to express movement and textures through paint. Older kids can appreciate picture book styles every now and then!
August 25, 2021
Story ⭐⭐⭐, extra ⭐ because of title
December 3, 2020
Great little book! It will be perfect for my 3 year old niece. The illustrations are charming. The story does engage one to learn to count, but doesn’t fully represent the food chain of Africa accurately. Never mind, I like the book!
October 10, 2019
I love how engaging this book is with the beautiful illustrations. It would be perfect for a KS1 class when they are learning how to count. It tells a wonderful story of Abigail who never gives up even when she comes up against lots of challenges and obstacles in her way of succeeding which is a lesson all children should take on board.
March 30, 2020
Darling board book with beautiful watercolor illustrations of African animals counting things in nature—each order, flowers and stars.
September 29, 2019
A giraffe who loves to count but is frustrated by all the things she tries to count that just won’t stand still. Through her persistence, as well as encouragement from her friends Zebra and Cheetah, Abigail succeeds in finding something that didn’t move and therefore could be counted – the stars!
Beautifully illustrated with vibrant watercolour art on every page, this picture book is a great introduction into counting for very young children as well as an enjoyable read for those in KS2 and beyond. The burst of colour and dynamic scene that awaits the reader on each turn of the page tells the story on its own, but the language that Rayner uses makes for an engaging adventure across an amazing African Serengeti. I particularly enjoyed the use of a pop out page at the very end of the book that ensured a happy ending for both the characters and the reader – her neck was so long it felt like Abigail’s nose could almost smell some of those stars!
Beautifully illustrated with vibrant watercolour art on every page, this picture book is a great introduction into counting for very young children as well as an enjoyable read for those in KS2 and beyond. The burst of colour and dynamic scene that awaits the reader on each turn of the page tells the story on its own, but the language that Rayner uses makes for an engaging adventure across an amazing African Serengeti. I particularly enjoyed the use of a pop out page at the very end of the book that ensured a happy ending for both the characters and the reader – her neck was so long it felt like Abigail’s nose could almost smell some of those stars!
March 27, 2014
My daughter and I love giraffes, so right away when you see the cover with this quirky little giraffe peering at you we could not wait to start reading. Abigail the giraffe loves counting, but everything she tries to count keeps moving away. The ladybug scurries under a leaf, the leaves get eaten by a zebra, and the cheetah's spots are moving entirely too fast. Together with her animal friends, Abigail comes up with a solution so that she can enjoy some counting. It is a sweet story, but what I loved the most were the illustrations. From the very first pages, Rayner uses ink and watercolors to create rich, fluid illustrations that capture your imagination and draw you into Abigail's world. I also love the way that the unusual height and shape of giraffes is celebrated in the way that Rayner curves Abigail into the page or bends her down to see the ladybug. Wonderful story for little counters and anyone who loves a good giraffe book.
September 13, 2014
A simply wonderful picture book with enchanting ink and watercolor illustrations, which are quite large enough to share in a group setting. This is not a typical counting book, with a number on each page and a number of objects to match the number. This is a story of a giraffe attempting to count various objects, which won't stay put. Only on one of the last pages are there 10 flowers and the numbers 1 through 10 floating across the double page spread. Then the real challenge: Abigail and her friends decide to count the stars.
September 4, 2015
I love everything Catherine Rayner does. Seriously. "Abigail" is no different. It is a nice story that helps children practice counting/numbers. Rayner's illustrations are so beautiful, I want to use them as artwork in my home! ...and I just may...
August 23, 2014
Abigail the giraffe loves to count but her friends aren't good at counting. So Abigail teaches them. A cute counting book with beautiful illustrations.
January 24, 2021
Beautifully illustrated with a creative approach to counting
November 26, 2020
The book is set in Africa. It follows the story of Abigail, a giraffe who loves to count. The issue is everything she tries to count keeps moving or disappearing, so she can’t count it. In the end, her friends come up with an idea and they all decide to count the flowers, but her friends aren’t very good with counting, so she decides to teach them. When they are done it is too dark to count any more flowers, so instead they decide to count the stars.
It has very easy to understand language, short and simple. The sentences are short and straightforward. The story is told through pictures and text, as they correlate to each other, showing what is happening in the text. At the end there is a pull out section, showing the stars, which adds an extra level to the enjoyment of the story.
In terms of experiences brought to the text, this story links very strongly with maths. Not only does it involve bringing an understanding of counting, it also shows people struggling with maths, and how friends can help you with it. This is something that children can relate to, drawing on their own experiences of learning to count. This would be a great text to relate to a maths lesson, leading on from reading it, and maybe teaching animals to count like abigail did (reinforcing their work on counting) or counting different things you may find where Abigail lives. You could even take a leaf out of her book as a class and go on a walk around the area they live and count the things that they find, like trees or leaves or flowers or bricks.
The pictures are quite unique to Catherine Rayner and her style. It would be interesting as a class to explore the different aspects of her pictures, look at some of her other work and explore her style. At the end of the book there is a fold out section that reveals more of the book. It would certainly be interesting to look at the use of a fold out section, how they could incorporate that into their own stories, if they were to create their own picture book, and analyse how this adds to the text.
Catherine Rayner’s books all tend to link nicely to one another. There are often recurring themes such as friendship and working together. It would then be interesting to see what is similar and what is different between her books and to explore her use of pictures and art style. I think this would be a lovely book to read aloud to class, it's not too long and quite engaging. It would be nice for the children to be able to see the pages quite clearly, maybe even engage in the repetition of the counting, reinforcing their knowledge of numbers, especially for younger children. This book could then be used to model some writing, looking at short sentences joined with pictures. They could make their own picture books taking inspiration from Catherine Rayners stories, maybe looking at something they struggle with and the idea of friends helping each other.
It has very easy to understand language, short and simple. The sentences are short and straightforward. The story is told through pictures and text, as they correlate to each other, showing what is happening in the text. At the end there is a pull out section, showing the stars, which adds an extra level to the enjoyment of the story.
In terms of experiences brought to the text, this story links very strongly with maths. Not only does it involve bringing an understanding of counting, it also shows people struggling with maths, and how friends can help you with it. This is something that children can relate to, drawing on their own experiences of learning to count. This would be a great text to relate to a maths lesson, leading on from reading it, and maybe teaching animals to count like abigail did (reinforcing their work on counting) or counting different things you may find where Abigail lives. You could even take a leaf out of her book as a class and go on a walk around the area they live and count the things that they find, like trees or leaves or flowers or bricks.
The pictures are quite unique to Catherine Rayner and her style. It would be interesting as a class to explore the different aspects of her pictures, look at some of her other work and explore her style. At the end of the book there is a fold out section that reveals more of the book. It would certainly be interesting to look at the use of a fold out section, how they could incorporate that into their own stories, if they were to create their own picture book, and analyse how this adds to the text.
Catherine Rayner’s books all tend to link nicely to one another. There are often recurring themes such as friendship and working together. It would then be interesting to see what is similar and what is different between her books and to explore her use of pictures and art style. I think this would be a lovely book to read aloud to class, it's not too long and quite engaging. It would be nice for the children to be able to see the pages quite clearly, maybe even engage in the repetition of the counting, reinforcing their knowledge of numbers, especially for younger children. This book could then be used to model some writing, looking at short sentences joined with pictures. They could make their own picture books taking inspiration from Catherine Rayners stories, maybe looking at something they struggle with and the idea of friends helping each other.
December 9, 2017
This book is absolutely adorable! The book tells the story of Abigail, a giraffe that loves to count anything and everything, from the spots on ladybugs, to the leaves on a tree, and even the stripes on zebras. Abigail loves to help her friends, and exhibits her patience in teaching each and everyone of them how to count! This book would be perfect for children in preschool or early elementary, as they can thoroughly enjoy both the story and the artwork. The artwork is a more realistic cartoon style, with depictions of animals and nature as cartoons. The illustrations are truly beautiful; the watercolor paintings represent the story perfectly. The colors are light and usually pastel, adding to the calm nature of the book. The actual layout of the illustrations is simple, and the artwork flows across each page as double-page spreads. One of the most intriguing parts of the book is the addition of a full page flap; when the animals are counting the stars, the book has a flap that shows just how long Abigail the giraffe’s neck is, along with how close she is to the stars! Children will enjoy both the storyline and the illustrations of this cute book! This book would be of perfect use in the classroom, especially for counting instruction. Children can read a story that they will definitely enjoy while also learning to count!
October 24, 2017
This book was such a joy to read. This picture book follows a friendly giraffe that isn’t shy about her love for math and helping others. I thought this book was an inviting and heart warming story about friendship and sets a good example of patience. This books would be appropriate for children preschool age to even early elementary grades. The watercolor images are inviting for young beginning readers and captures their attention in with the simple illustrations of the characters. The use of pastel colors is not overwhelming for a small child to engage with. The larger images displayed throughout the book can be described as a double spread, seeing as they cover a span of two pages. The use of artistic style in this story displayed throughout is cartoon. Using cartoon images allows children to become familiar with their characters and the setting of the book. If I were to incorporate this story into instructional time, I would use it as an aid when teaching numbers and practicing counting our numbers. A major theme of this book I would focus on with the children is how friendships sometimes require patience. Abigail is a sweet book for children to discover not only educational knowledge, but also to teach lessons on friendship.
November 15, 2019
Such a lovely picture book with outstanding illustrations. Since reading some of Catherine Rayner’s other books I have noticed that animals are a consistent theme because many of them are based on a story about a particular animal, for example, a hare, polar bears and a crocodile. I found this to be unique to the authors style and the amazing illustrations add to this even more! In this book I really like how the author has illustrated Abigail the giraffe and all of the other animals using paints because this technique adds a bit of character to each animal and makes them look slightly real (particularly through the authors colour choices). I think the illustrations could be used as inspiration for children to create animals of their choice in the style of Catherine Rayner and this would make a fantastic display which could be explored in a cross-curricular way (habitats, literacy writing, geography etc). The use of numeric symbols throughout the story also adds an element of maths and could be used alongside other resources to teach number recognition, counting or ordering of numbers from 1-10.
Such a lovely story and I would recommend exploring Catherine Rayner’s other books!
Such a lovely story and I would recommend exploring Catherine Rayner’s other books!
October 11, 2018
Abigail is a beautifully illustrated book about a giraffe who really loves to count. Unfortunately for her, everyone around her make counting extremely difficult. So, her friends decide to help her and together they go find things to count.
This book is wonderful to use in Key Stage 1. Children can discuss the different types of creatures, their characteristics and what they all have in common. Abigail is such a great text to open conversations about differences and friendship. The book ends on a beautiful scene of the four friends looking up at the sky, their greatest achievement, counting all the stars; a beautiful scene of friendship, team work, and individuality. But also, Abigail teaches us about aspirations; she started counting only to 10 but, eventually reaching a thousand. Children can learn through this book that there is no limit, not even the sky!
This book is wonderful to use in Key Stage 1. Children can discuss the different types of creatures, their characteristics and what they all have in common. Abigail is such a great text to open conversations about differences and friendship. The book ends on a beautiful scene of the four friends looking up at the sky, their greatest achievement, counting all the stars; a beautiful scene of friendship, team work, and individuality. But also, Abigail teaches us about aspirations; she started counting only to 10 but, eventually reaching a thousand. Children can learn through this book that there is no limit, not even the sky!
December 6, 2019
~ Catherine Rayner is the study of an author project I am doing so excuse the sudden influx of her books ~
My absolute favourite so far of this author.
I love the relationship between the group of friends and the titular character. I enjoy the importance of numbers and counting. I love the opportunity for children's interaction with the counting itself during reading and the simple sensory interaction of the extendable page at the end as a final flourish to re-engage children and add to that sense of wonder Abigail has.
I also think it of of note that the main character of a maths based book is female, which really makes me happy.
My absolute favourite so far of this author.
I love the relationship between the group of friends and the titular character. I enjoy the importance of numbers and counting. I love the opportunity for children's interaction with the counting itself during reading and the simple sensory interaction of the extendable page at the end as a final flourish to re-engage children and add to that sense of wonder Abigail has.
I also think it of of note that the main character of a maths based book is female, which really makes me happy.
February 21, 2019
It seems this book used to go by another title. I picked this book up from the library and the title is "Counting Stars". From the book summary it looks like it's the same story. Regardless, my son enjoyed this book and I enjoyed reading it to him. The animals are friendly and fun, the words don't rhyme but they aren't a mouthful, the pictures are beautiful, and Abigail is the kind of protagonist I can root for (not damseled, rude, in distress, or naive).
September 26, 2017
Note: this is not my review but the review of my daughter who can't have her own goodreads but does love herself a book! Therefore I will be writing them for her. She is currently 6 months old.
Had no dragons or crocodiles and baby was disappointing. Also seems frustrated at the prospect of counting. Will revisit as mom thought this was a simply stunning book.
Had no dragons or crocodiles and baby was disappointing. Also seems frustrated at the prospect of counting. Will revisit as mom thought this was a simply stunning book.
February 1, 2019
This book is fabulous and I need to get copies for all of my EYFS team ASAP. Abigail is struggling to count and she discovers why. There are lots of strategies that we employ when counting and it helps to start with if the things we are counting with stay still! This is a heartwarming tale and my eyes welled up at the end because the friendship element of it is so beautiful.
October 11, 2019
Such a sweet story! This counting book is unique compared to most and teaches children not to give up and to help others in need. Perfect for younger years to help teach counting in a more fun way. A very engaging book with stunning illustrations and a fun fold-out page that allows the giraffe to stretch up her head to count the stars. This book could also be used in the older years to teach them textures and a more interesting style of painting in art.
September 12, 2020
Przyjemna, pięknie zilustrowana książeczka, która uczy liczyć do dziecięciu i pokazuje, jak zdobywa się przyjaciół. Nie jest to opowieść skomplikowana, a największy jej urok w obrazach, ale podobała mi się i mogę ją spokojnie polecić. Abigail to ciekawa żyrafa, która matematykę ma we krwi i dzięki niej zawiera nowe znajomości.
November 12, 2020
I really enjoyed this story because it was all about not giving up and being determined to count the flowers and the stars. I think that this story has a good moral of carrying on and also it is about helping each other if one person is struggling.
I love the illustrations and the problems that Abigail faces and I would read this to any KS1/KS2 class as it is important to learn to not give up.
I love the illustrations and the problems that Abigail faces and I would read this to any KS1/KS2 class as it is important to learn to not give up.
May 4, 2022
A wonderful story about a giraffe named Abigail who just wants to count things but is struggling to find something that won’t move or change.
A lovely opportunity to practice counting with children and discuss lots of different questions:
- how many spots do you thing a giraffe has?
- how many stripes might a zebra have?
- what do you think Abigail should count?
A lovely opportunity to practice counting with children and discuss lots of different questions:
- how many spots do you thing a giraffe has?
- how many stripes might a zebra have?
- what do you think Abigail should count?
March 28, 2018
Abigail is an arithmomaniac. She simply MUST count. Anything. Spots on the ladybug. Stripes on the zebra. Leaves on a tree. Flowers in a field. Stars in the sky. Her friends good naturedly oblige her.
Children enjoy this story and love counting with Abigail.
Children enjoy this story and love counting with Abigail.
September 5, 2019
Abigail the giraffe loves to count, but that's kind of hard when the things she counts moves - like spots on her best friend the cheetah and zebra. Luckily, with a little help from her friends - Abigail finds better things to count.
November 30, 2021
Poor Abigail just wants to count, but oh boy these rambunctious pals aren't great at it. Solid parent-child tale that kids will enjoy and parents will go, "yeah..."
Rowan likes it very much, because animals, counting, and stars. No down sides here.
Rowan likes it very much, because animals, counting, and stars. No down sides here.
February 17, 2017
Light humor and beautifully illustrated. Would be a good numbers introduction to a child.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews