Numbers

by Sara Anderson

Dazzling in its simplicity, exuberant in its palette, Sara Anderson's landmark board book still bursts with a freshness and energy twenty years after it was first published. It's unique graduated page design encourages the youngest child to discover the joy of counting, to see the pages grow in size as the numbers increase. Numbers shows a clarity and assurance perhaps reminiscent of the most jubilant of Matisse's cut paper collage. This is a book which is entirely in its element in a museum shop, but is most at home on the floor or a lap, being paged through, over and over, by young toddlers.

22 pages, Board book

First published August 15, 1988

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.

Reviews

[Sonya Feher]

We liked Colors so much that I was psyched to find Numbers just as we've started counting things and trying to teach our two-year-old numbers. So far, he loves tapping out nine tomatoes, or putting his nose very close to the book as he looks at one beautifully colored chicken with one quiet egg. There are so many numbers book out there, but this is one of my favorites. It's simple, colorful, and functions as more than just a concept book. We make up stories looking at the five windows, drive along with ten cars. Two days ago, Cavanaugh could only count to three. Now that we're reading this book, he's up to about eight, missing six and seven more often than not, but who's counting?

[Athena]

The colorful, different sized pages are fun to turn, and the high contrast paper-cut illustrations are fun to look at.