Title: How Many Bugs in a Box? A Pop-up Counting Book
Author and Illustrator: David A. Carter
Genre: Pop-up, Counting Book, Fiction, and Animal
Theme(s): insects and boxes
Opening line/sentence: “How many bugs are in the red box?” (on pull tab) “1 One tough bug”
Book Summary:
This pop-up book is very interactive and brightly decorated. Throughout the book it is a combination of informative, counting aspect of the book, and decorative, pop-up assets. The boxes, which the counting bugs dwell within, have a matching decorative style to their inhabitants. The book by David A. Carter is humorous and creative, which will keep student preoccupied for ages playing with the pull tabs.
Professional Recommendation/Review:
Publishers Weekly (Publishers Weekly)
Raising the flaps on each spread of this lift-up counting book reveals fanciful insects in increasing numbers, from "one tough bug'' with barbells, to``seven space bugs'' surrounded by stars and planets, to `ten saw bugs,'' whose snouts indeed consist of saws. Startlingly bright illustrations and elaborate paper engineering should attract young children's attention. However, the cleverness to the made-up insects varies widely; groups such as``three pretty bugs'' and `nine very long-necked bugs'' seem rather tame in contrast to the rest. Ages 3-6. (February)
(PUBLISHER: Simon & Schuster (New York:), PUBLISHED: c1988.)
Marilyn Courtot (Children's Literature)
David Carter is a paper engineer who creates very clever books. This board book version of his original large format pop-up is a real delight. Kids learning to count will enjoy pulling the tabs to see the strange and colorful array of bugs that appear. Carter s imagination has run wild as he presents four fast fleas in a small box and five mellow-yellow fish bugs in a big blue box. Not only are numbers presented with a chance to count all the little critters, other concepts, such as size and color, are also part of the text. It is fun, funny, and educational, and it will hold up to many tugs by little hands. 2006 (orig. 1988), Little Simon/Simon & Schuster, $10.95. Ages 3 to 5.
(PUBLISHER: Little Simon (New York:), PUBLISHED: 2006 c1988.)
Response to Two Professional Reviews:
The professional recommendations drew me towards this book, especially the review by Marilyn Courtot. She gave a detailed description about the book and made me interested in wanting to read the book to my class. While the author at publishing weekly also used descriptive details, it lacked some key descriptive words that Ms. Courtot used such as “mellow-yellow fish bugs”. Overall, I believe they are a positive feedback of the book and illustrations.