1, 2, 3 Salish Sea: a Pacific Northwest Counting Book

by Nikki McClure

In this counting book, papercut artist Nikki McClure uses her
distinct illustration style to count marine creatures found in the Salish Sea.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Counting, Animals, Nature, Stem, Number

33 pages, Hardcover

First published February 16, 2021

About the author

Nikki McClure of Olympia, Washington is known for her painstakingly intricate and beautiful paper cuts. Armed with an X-acto knife, she cuts out her images from a single sheet of paper and creates a bold language that translates the complex poetry of motherhood, nature, and activism into a simple and endearing picture.

Nikki McClure is a self-taught artist who has been making paper-cuts since 1996. As one of the more prominent visual artists involved with Olympia-based record labels K and Kill Rock Stars, as well as the Riot Grrrl movement in the early nineties, her work still embodies the fiercely independent fire that fueled the passion and creativity of that time period. She lives in Olympia, Washington.

Reviews

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art is really beautiful in this nature-based counting book, and it's the sort of striking color combinations that are particularly pleasing for babies who might not understand the text but can appreciate the patterns and colors. I love the artwork and love that so many unusual creatures are featured, and also like that the numbers go up to a million instead of just 1-10. I wish there had been a little pronunciation guide and explanation of the sea life profiled at the end, as I wonder how many parents aren't going to know how to pronounce words like nudibranch or know how to explain them to curious kids. It's a lovely book though, that sets a really beautiful mood and also introduces children to lots of sea life native to the Pacific coast.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.

[Charlotte Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely beautiful book. The illustrations are captivating and bold. It's important for children's books to introduce children to a wide variety of animals and cultures from a young age and this is a perfect counting book for that.

[Westveil Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was granted complimentary access to an eARC of 1, 2, 3, Salish Sea by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was drawn to this book because of Nikki McClure's stunning artwork and the Salish theme. I grew up in the Pacific Northwest as well (British Columbia) with friends (and teachers and babysitters) in the Stó:lō Nation, so Salish culture is near and dear to my heart. I also grew up admiring all of my mother's Roy Henry Vickers prints on the walls of my childhood home, and Nikki McClure's style reminds me of his, though the mediums are obviously different.

Unlike many children's counting books, this one makes jumps, which was interesting. We get 1-10 as expected, but then 100, 500, 1,000 and so on, and that was really unique and cool to find in a book like this. I will say for the sake of those who prefer books like this to rhyme that it doesn't, but I didn't mind at all. I'll also warn those with arachnophobia that an illustration of crabs and kelp momentarily looked like spiders to me, so be prepared for that one!

I can't express clearly enough how much I absolutely love the artwork in this book. I don't even want to call it illustration, because this is fine art worthy of a gallery and I want prints of so many of them! Especially the cover image, the orca scene within, and the Salish Sea map just inside the front cover. Absolutely stunning!

[Colette Denali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning art, as always!

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a counting book that uses woodcut prints of wildlife from the area to illustrate the different amounts. Each number has a different species rendered artistically but with fine attention to detail.

While the book starts with the basics: one to ten, it also includes larger scales of numbers. These are illustrated with things like flocks of birds and dozens of microscopic sea creatures.

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[Literature Lattes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blogger's Note: Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Counting books are a vital part of every children's library. "1, 2, 3 Salish Sea" is a book filled with so much more than a traditional counting book. Yes, there are numbers inside the pages but there are also animals and glorious watercolor paintings that will leave even adult readers imagining the sounds of seals and other native species from the Salish Sea!

As a parent, I loved reading this book with my family. We are not native to the Pacific Northwest, so we used the book as an opportunity to not only practice our counting but also to learn about new animals and do some background research! My little ones loved the banana slugs which they thought had a funny name while I loved the orcas. I also really enjoyed that the counting did not stop at ten. Traditional counting books usually end there, but this one pushed the number envelope by introducing larger numbers like one thousand and even one million!

Reading this book helped to teach my little ones... but it also brought me back to my last trip up to the PNW and perfectly expressed the magic that can be found in the great outdoors. I can't imagine a better way to enjoy learning to count than to sit down with a loved one and enjoy this beautifully crafted book!

Recommendation: Author Nikki McClure has created a beautiful piece of art in the form of a children's counting book that should not be missed! Anyone with a love of the Pacific Northwest or a young child in their life should pick this one up!

[Theediscerning · Rating 5 out of 5]

The negative thing to say about this counting book is that it does rather scupper certain things when it features nudibranchs and other uncommon animals. The many positive things include how it aims to inspire a much closer and different outlook on the world and environment in the reader, and how it does that by definitely escalating the numbers beyond what a typical counting book would have, and in how the artwork was created. To think of how the swarm of birds here, or the maze of sculpins (told you about the odd animal choices), are just a photograph of one sheet of paper peppered to within an inch of its life with cut-outs, stamping-through and excisions, boggles the mind. So I really hope this book, one of many hundreds (count 'em) of counting books, gets to stand out – the creator certainly went above and beyond to create something you might not initially see as so distinctive. A remarkable work, for all its initial apparent simplicity.

[Deke Moulton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is quickly becoming a PNW classic (I have seen it at every single kids bookstore or you store in the area!) and for good reason. The illustrations are simple, realistic and boldly colored. The numbers feature animals and plants that are common in the area, so is a fitting way to introduce the natural world to PNW kids. You could tie in the counting book with a stroll along the shore, looking for the same creatures as are mentioned in the book, or counting other Seaside things. The fact the numbers jump all the way up to a MILLION can help discuss the absolutely huge numbers of the tiniest animals and how those animals are the foundational building blocks of life.

[Amy Sutton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is SUCH a beautiful counting book! We traveled to the PNW last year and the Puget Sound and Salish Sea were full of amazing wildlife and history. I will admit there were many creatures in this book that I have never heard of and had no idea how to pronounce (auklets, nudibranchs, lumpsuckers, surf scoters... I learned a lot!). For that reason, this may be a book aimed at a slightly older audience than a typical counting book. Overall, this is a great homage to the PNW wildlife.

[Donna Maguire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to be added to Amazon UK and US on 9th February 2021 – publication day!

I liked the images in this book and you could get a feel of what you would fine if you looked beneath the surface.

I liked the comments that were added with the illustrations too which added more depth to the pictures.

It is 4 stars from me for this one, I would buy this for my daughter and myself - it is a colouring book that would work for all ages.

[April Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

This lovely counting book features some really gorgeous cut paper artwork highlighting various fauna from the Salish Sea region of British Columbia and the state of Washington. Seriously, McClure's art is so striking and beautiful, I'd love to have several of these spreads framed! We learn the numbers one through ten, then jump to larger quantities- 20, 50, 100, up to one million -and meet both familiar and unfamiliar creatures that inhabit the area. Just lovely!

#123SalishSea #NetGalley

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

The subtitle is misleading on this one. I got it because I was excited about it being the Pacific Northwest, it has nothing to do with Oregon, but rather Washington state. Maybe that was my mistake having never heard of the Salish Sea. It has a lot of unique animals in it that I've never heard of. It covers 1-10 then skips to 20, 50, 100, 500, 1,000, 10,000, one million. It just wasn't what I was expecting.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Available in Canada.

Gorgeously created counting book by artist Nikki McClure. She uses an X-Acto knife to create art out of paper along with watercolor & the results are captivating. This title uses the wildlife located at Salish Sea to help young readers learn counting and visualize bigger numbers.

Orca Books provided a free advanced copy of this book for review. :) Thanks!

[Žaba Čita Novine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm very sad to say that I liked nothing about this book.

Some illustrations were nice, but most seemed grim.
And I expected a bit of rhyming for a cute counting book.

A big thank you to Sasquatch Books and NetGalley for providing me with an early version of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the cutest counting book for any child learning to count. Also, if your child loves the ocean, this book would be wonderful for them. The illustrations make you feel like you are in the water with the sea life that you are learning about. You count to 10, learning about different life under the water. I would recommend this for a classroom or for a home library.

[Aolund · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gorgeously illustrated counting book. I liked this book's specific focus on the natural world of the Salish Sea, where the author lives, as well as the choice to include BIG numbers ("1,000,000,000 rain drops returning to the Salish Sea") along with smaller numbers.

Themes: Counting, Nature, Sea, Animals
Age range: baby-preschool

[Emilee (emileereadsbooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and Sasquatch Books, Little Bigfoot for a free digital copy for my review.

With striking illustrations, this counting book is a fun way for children to get exposed to the living things in the Salish Sea.

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simple but wondrously illustrated book about sea creatures found in the PNW's Salish Sea.

Recommended for storytime. Could also be used to introduce little known sea creatures such as the Nudibranch.

[M.T. Zimny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this for my four month old since she seemed to like the high contrast artwork on each page when I held it up for her at the bookshop. Her little face lights up every time I turn the page. She’s engaged from cover to cover and it’s an instant favorite.

[Jeimy · Rating 5 out of 5]

McClure’s distinctive artwork pays homage to the ecosystem that surrounds her house in Washington State.

[Megan Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty illustrations!

[robin vanguard · Rating 5 out of 5]

beautiful and magical; exactly the kind of book you want your kids to read because it seeps with mystical wonder for the natural world.

[Elaine Fultz, Teacher Librarian, MLS]

Straight forward count with nw sea creatures.

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous pictures