Edible Numbers: Count, Learn, Eat

by Jennifer Vogel Bass

Discover a world filled with exciting fruits and vegetables in Edible Numbers , the bright, bold follow-up to Edible Colors .

Juicy apples! Plump, ripe pears! Twisted mushrooms! Counting your way through the farmer's market has never been so much fun.

This simple concept counting book will leave your mouth watering as you count from one to twelve with a kaleidoscope of tasty produce. Readers will learn about counting, variety, and color through the detailed, crisp photographs of homegrown and farmer's market fruits and vegetables!

Inspire picky eaters of all ages with a book that shows how familiar tasty foods can look very different, and new foods can can be similar to things they've already tried.

Genres: Picture Books, Food, Counting, Childrens, Mathematics, Nonfiction, Number

32 pages, Hardcover

First published May 26, 2015

Reviews

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't know there were so many varieties of some of these fruits and vegetables! Excellent photos.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I dare you not to be hungry for a colorful salad after reading this.

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a simple way to combine the learning concepts of food and numbers, but I found that it was a little too simple to hold my child's interest. Yes, it was great getting to see photos of colorful healthy foods, but there was no plot in this book so my child became bored pretty quickly. I did think it was cool and funny to see the odd names of some of the foods.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this to my 18-month-old. He enjoyed the real pictures of fruits/vegetables, but most of the fruits looked like an "apple" to him. The counting was a little tedious after number 6, so it lost his attention and he stopped listening.

[(M)Sharahyah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple, colorful, and we love how it presents varieties of each fruit or veggie. For example, a cucumber is not just a common green one but full of variety in color and shape too! My 4 year old enjoys it.

[Readwriteteachnd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has a special place in my heart because my now five year old was obsessed with it as a baby and he was so excited to share it with his brother tonight. I love the real pictures of the variety of fruits and vegetables.

[Andrés · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a unique presentation for a numbers book. One item is shown on the left of each spread, while successive numbers up to 12 are shown on the write. This book can also teach about healthy fruits and vegetables and colors. I like the quests suggested on the last page.

[Nicola · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice counting book. I liked the sheer range of fruits and vegetables being shown; it made me aware of just how limited and homogenised the range we have available in the supermarket is!

[Carrie Norris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had no idea about the different kinds of cucumbers! What a fun and informative numbers book. #readaloud

[Kitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the photography in this book and the toddler is in to counting. But apparently also not into new books? I cannot get him to read this one. I offer daily, but nope.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Beautiful photographs showing different varieties of fruit and vegetables. Lots of fun and interesting colors/varieties.

[CLesp · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy the variety of fruits, veggies and their cousins. Definitely one to go back to as my LO starts to identify fruits

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

If the goal of this book was to make me even more antsy for spring...mission accomplished.

[Cristoforo Magliozzi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice introduction to the wider range of fruits and vegetables — good for learning to count and to understand that foods come in different species and varieties

[Alice Beans]

Ocean

[Hendrix · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t wait till I’m big enough to try some of these foods! 🍊🫛🍆🫑🌽

[Maeve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Count from 1 to 12 using fruits and vegetables!

Vibrant photos of uncommon varieties of fruits and veg.

[Avery Hungrycaterpillar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love to point to the beautiful photos of different fruits and vegetables!

I am still obsessed with this book after more than a week. We have to read it every day. Every time I see it. I need to see the pea! and the potato! and the pear! I like to find the numbers when you say them. Not so sure about those two-digit numbers though.

The only thing that could make this book better is if it also had broccoli because that is a very funny word. But even without broccoli I would still give this book six stars if I could.

[Kirsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

My toddler daughter LOVED this. She loves it when I read the names of the different types of fruits and vegetables, and likes pointing out the different kinds of corn and carrots on the last page.

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Numbers 1-12 are illustrated using unique varieties of fuits and vegetables. Each spread opens with the number 1 as represented by a fruit or vegetable mirrored by the rising numbers in the sequence 1 to 12 with the rising number displaying different variations on the original fruit or vegeetable (i.e. 1 apple, 3 apples with each of the 3 apples being a different variety with emphasis on introducing some varieties not often seen at the grocery store).

I loved the Edible Colors book by this author, but this one is just okay for me. I didn't like the way the spreads were laid out with the number 1 mirroring rising numbers, especially in a 1-12 sequence instead of a 1-10 sequence. I like all of the unique varieties of food presented here, but the design choices here hold this book back.

Back matter is solid with a layout of fruits and vegetables that encourages readers to spot and count watermelon, carrots, corn etc and a number diagram that shows the fruits and vegetables arranged in a table.

PreK-2.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yummy fruits and veggies highlight the appropriate numbers in this counting book. I like how the photos show one food and then several different versions of the food; for instance, there is one Cortland apple, followed by three apples, one Golden Delicious, one Granny Smith, and one Golden Russett. Readers can note the names of the types of produce under each item as they count from one to twelve. The book also introduces the idea of grouping by showing 12 different types of citrus fruits too. As long as readers are aware that the left-hand page shows one fruit or vegetable and the right-hand page shows the increasing number, things should be all right. Gosh! I wish this book really were edible since some of these foods look quite appetizing. They never look quite as perfect on the supermarket shelves.

[Ro Menendez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful fruit and vegetable photography with a white backdrop that allows the reader to notice all the details of familiar and possibly never seen before produce. The author did an amazing job in presenting on every left page one veggie or fruit, the most common type in its family, and then proceeded to count up on each right page from the number 1 to 12 with a variety of the vegetable or fruit presented on the left side of the spread. Each spread presents young readers with the notion of diversity and variety within a specific type of produce which can lead to conversations at the farmer's market or supermarket of how many types of each kind of fruit or veggie can be found. The book's last spread invites readers to identify and count different varieties of certain types of produce, extending the experience.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

This clean-looking, fresh-feeling picture book reminds me a little bit of 1 Big Salad by Juana Medina, but with better execution. Each two-page spread shows a photo of a single fruit or vegetable on the left-hand side, labeled clearly with the number 1, and on the right-hand side a number of varieties of the same fruit or vegetable, labeled to show how many there are. Miss Muffet (age 3.5) loved seeing the many different types of familiar veggies like cucumbers and peppers, and because the numbers from 1 to 12 are interrupted on every spread by a return to the number 1, she also counts the number of objects on each page instead of just breezing through the numbers from memory. It's hard to find counting books that don't feel tedious, and this one, even after multiple readings, continues to appeal to me.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is set up like this: one type of fruit or veggie is shown on the left hand side of the spread, then 2 different species of that same thing on right.("1 pea pod. 2 pea pods.") Next page, 1 more veggie or fruit, and then 3 different species. This continues all the way up to the awkward number of 11. Besides it seeming to go on a bit too long for a read aloud storytime, the photos are terrific and children will get a kick out of seeing all the different types of mushrooms, squashes, peppers and citrus they didn't know existed. Probably best for a parent to read with a child, but might work in younger storytimes for some librarians, just not me.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is designed for toddlers, yet it would be great for preschoolers and primary age children as well. The unique format is a basic counting book with a twist; each new number set introduces a group of unusual fruits or vegetables with the number 1 and the next number in the overall sequence. Some children might be confused by the format and need a bit of guidance. The closing pages invite the reader to explore even more diverse fruits and vegetables. The clear photography and simplistic fonts will further entice young readers to read this title again and again. This title would be a great addition to any library collection.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely counting book that can lead to interesting conversations even with older children already comfortable with their numbers. The left side of each page has 1 of a typical variety of fruit/vegetable, and the right has increasing numbers of different varieties of that food. Why are there so many kinds? How are all the tomatoes (for instance) still tomatoes, even in the rainbow of varieties? Would you eat a purple potato?

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple counting concept book made sublime with gorgeous photos of fruits and vegetables. The coolest part: all the varieties. For example, we see on the left page 1 familiar-looking pear (labeled Bartlett)and on the right side, we see 6 pears of different shapes and sizes. You can take this book to the farmer's market or grocery store, find the different varieties, and compare/contrast them.

[Kerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Traditional counting book but what is really special about this book is the use of atypical varieties of vegetables and fruits. On one page you have your typical cucumber but on the following page, you have a Dragon's egg cucumber or an Asian burpless. Great to use for counting and vegetable and fruit stories.

[Patrice Sartor · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

I love food and I love attractive photographs of food, so I was destined to like this book. What a fun way to help kids learn to count and to learn about different fruit and vegetable types at the same time. Many of the varieties I had never heard of myself! Did you know there are at least 12 types of eggplants?!

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

GORGEOUS pictures and vibrant colors, with heirlooms and exotic varieties compared with standard veggies/fruit. Would be awesome for talking to kids about colors, varieties of produce, agriculture, etc.