How Do You Count a Dozen Ducklings?

by In-sŏn Chʻae

A mama duck with a dozen eggs has to do a lot of counting. Mama counts her ducklings one by one as they hatch, but soon she finds clever new ways to count to 12--by twos, threes, fours, and sixes. How many ducklings will it take to trick the hungry wolf who is counting on them for lunch? Full color.

Genres: Counting, Picture Books, Mathematics, Childrens, Animals

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Lauren]

This book is a very easy book for k-3, it does count up by a few different numbers which may confuse the younger children. This book has a lot of lessons to offer! The main lesson is showing how many times the number 12 can be divided up and grouped. This would be a great book for the first-grade level. Kids could catch on very easily to the grouping and begin to have knowledge of multiplication and division. The thing that stood out to me right off the bat when it comes to art is the actual ducklings. All the ducks are very unique and they are all very different.

[Christopher Nierman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book about grouping numbers, which would serve great for a math lesson on grouping and the benefits of different types of groups.

[Samantha Gacke]

A mother duck finds ways to count her 12 ducklings to make sure that they are all there and that the mean wolf hasn’t taken any of her ducklings.

The thing that stood out to me right off the bat when it comes to art is the actual ducklings. The book is about 12 baby ducks, and in most books there wouldn’t be much variation in the ducks. This book is completely different, though! All the ducks are very unique and they are all very different. The bodies are pretty similar, but the illustrator used a variety of shapes, sizes and lines to make 12 different heads for the ducklings. It’s quite humorous looking at the different ducks and the ways in which the illustrator used to make the ducklings different. It really supports the fact that everyone is different, and it’s ok if you look a little different than someone else.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

My five-year-old son picked this book out from our library this week. Because, you know, ducks.

I love that the concepts of multiplication and division are introduced in a picture book. I don't expect children to understand them, but when the same children encounter multiplication and division later in life, the concepts will not be entirely new and foreign to them.

There isn't much of a story. Until the wolf appears. Then everything gets interesting.

The artwork is delightful. I love how different each duckling looks from the others.

[Emily Goodin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has a lot of lessons to offer! The main lesson is showing how many times the number 12 can be divided up and grouped. This would be a great book for the first grade level. Kids could catch on very easily to the grouping and begin to have knowledge of multiplication and division. There is also another theme that comes into play when a wolf tries to eat the ducklings; it teaches that working together can defeat tough situations. I will definitely use this book in the future!

[Kaytlyn Rosynek · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought "How Do You Count A Dozen Ducklings," was a great counting book. It incorporated counting to 12 as well as multiplication. The pictures in the book were eye catching, with think outlines around the ducklings. I also liked how each page had the ducklings visible to where a child could actually count along with the words. This would help young children learn to count by ones, twos, threes, fours, and sixes!

[Tanika · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a mother duck that one day lays twelve eggs and they all hatch at the same time. To make the ducklings easier to keep up with, the mother duck goes through many different strategies to divide them and keep them close all at the same time. This book is great for counting to twelve. It teaches many different ways to count to twelve like addition, multiplication, and division.

[Sherie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book for children K-3. It helps them understand how multiplication works.

[Brandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a perfect math read aloud for younger students. Students will love this book for math concepts.

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

12 ducklings is too many to count, so mama duck comes up with new and faster ways to count to 12 - by 2's, by 3's, by 4's, and by 6's.

[Cheira Combs · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked to read this book because I like when books incorporate math and counting into the story. It was a good, capturing story that showed the different ways the mama duck could count her ducklings. It introduces multiplication in a simple way which is nice.