Numbers Dance: A Counting Comedy

by Josephine Nobisso, Dasha Ziborova (Illustrator)

Twirling and whirling, zigging and zagging, numerals dance across the pages, enticing children to play with numbers and develop a better understanding of numeric values in this fun and informative comic approach. Three groups of numerals make mightily concerted attempts to maintain the quirks of their distinct personalities in the face of persistent peer pressure. The irascible 1, 2, 3, and 4, though frail and wiry, would like to impose their ballroom dance style on the robust 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. 5 and 6 cannot help reverting to raucous jazz dancing, no matter how hard they sportingly try to conform, and 7-10 don't see the point of being anything but what they truly are--western line dancers. Scuffles, rumbles, round-ups, and coercions ensue until 1-4 have their way and 5-10 go back to dancing like they want to, again! The book's rousing, impeccably-metered rhymes provide the cadence of each dance style, and the spare accompanying art lends a clean energy to the numerals' challenge to accept each other as they are.

Genres: Picture Books, Counting

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cleverly done, and in rhyme.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Numbers Dance: A Counting Comedy by Josephine Nobisso

1. Genre: Picture Book

2. Summary: The numbers one to ten dance across the dance floor and the pages of this book. Some dance elegantly and some are wild, but they all have their own style.

3. Critique:
a. Area for comment: The author’s style of page arrangement using words, pictures, and space helps show the motion and commotion of the dancing numbers.

b. Comment: The different font, size and color of the numbers, along with rhyming phrases make the setting and the numbers dancing to a beat come alive on the pages.
c. Example: The numbers on the front end pages are orderly and neat, while the back end pages show the numbers mostly out of line. This prepares the reader for what’s inside the book. Numbers one, two, three, and four are pastel colors and they dance daintily across the floor. Bold green five and purple six are rumba partners and drive one, two, three, and four off the dance floor. Then seven, eight, nine and ten, even bolder in color and shape than five and six, come “Leaping and hoofing and tramping, these prance, Kicking up heels in a wild Line Dance!” These numbers are having fun.

4. Curriculum Connection: After reading this comical book, students could add more numbers and make more dancing rhymes. They could do this in groups or pairs and then share with the whole class.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

(4-5)