Only One

by Marc Harshman, Barbara Garrison (Illustrator)

A novel counting book, centered around a county fair and featuring delightful illustrations, shows how single things can combine to make something unique, new and utterly wondrous.

Genres: Mathematics, Picture Books, Childrens, Counting, Storytime, Number

32 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 1993

About the author

Marc Harshman is the poet laureate of West Virginia, appointed by Governor Earl Ray Tomblin in May 2012. His poems have appeared in such publications as Shenandoah, The Georgia Review, The Progressive, Appalachian Heritage, Bateau, and Fourteen Hills. Other poems have been anthologized by Kent State University, the University of Iowa, University of Georgia, and the University of Arizona.

His eleven children's books include ONLY ONE, a Reading Rainbow review title on PBS TV and THE STORM, a Junior Library Guild selection and Smithsonian Notable Book Parent's Choice Award recipient. Booklist has called this same title "a knowing book that will speak to all children about self-image and hard-won success."

Mr. Harshman was honored in 1994 by receiving the Ezra Jack Keats/ Kerlan Collection Fellowship from the University of Minnesota for research of Scandinavian myth and folklore. He was also named the West Virginia State English Teacher of the Year by the West Virginia English Language Arts Council in 1995. More recently, he was named the recipient of the WV Arts Commission Fellowship in Poetry for the year 2000 and the Fellowship in Children's Literature for 2008. His children's titles have been published in Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Danish, and Swedish.

Marc is fondly known by many as a storyteller who served for over twenty years as a judge for the WV Liar's Contest held at the Vandalia Gathering in Charleston, WV. He has also served as an instructor for the historic Appalachian Writer's Workshop at the Hindman Settlement School in Hindman, KY.

Marc holds degrees from Bethany College, Yale Divinity School, and the University of Pittsburgh. He recently received an honorary doctorate from Bethany College in recognition of his life's work.

In honor of West Virginia's Sesquicentennial, Marc was commissioned by the Wheeling National Heritage Area to write a poem celebrating this event. This poem, "A Song for West Virginia," was presented in both Charleston and Wheeling as part of the day-long festivities held that day.

Reviews

[Jamie L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Text-to-Teaching
"Only One”, written by Marc Harshmann and illustrated by Barbra Garrison is a simple, quick read for emergent readers, to add an element of distinctive thought when using arrays for counting a part of an object making an orderly arrangement for teaching math. The introduction and usage of this book will enable the students to visually connect with counting groups and sets of objects translating to numbers. The illustrations are pleasant and entertaining for students. Either using my finger or a small pointer, as the students and I count together, will add another component of distinctive thought. As some of the numbers are large, I will use the method of counting by two’s, five’s, and ten’s. I find this book, in my opinion, a Good Book for whys and wherefores that it teaches what I want to teach, and it has simple vocabulary for students of primary grades.

[Miss Pippi the Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoughtful and wonderful way to look at counting! It takes a group of numbers that count individually, but also count as one. For example, 10 cents, but one dime.

From the book, "The artwork for this book are collagraphs. The word "collagraph" is made up of "collage" and "graphic." A collagraph plate is made up of pieces of paper and other materials glued down on cardboard which is then inked and printed on an etching press. Once dried, water washes are applied for color."

Reviewed from a library copy.

[Matthew · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an okay picture book about how when things are bunched/grouped, there can still be only one. This might not be very clear when teaching children numbers and things, or helpful. It all takes place with things you find at a county fair. I will give it this: the illustrations are detailed and unique in style. My rating - 2/5

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Counting book with a focus on units of measure.

Relies on the reader understanding that 10 pennies and 1 dime are the same amount of money.

Like the 9 players, but one [baseball] team. Uses numerals for all numbers other than one.

[Ms Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://smithlitblog.wordpress.com/20...

[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly uses numerals, pairing one collective thing (like a team, or a dime) with more smaller things that equal or compose it (nine players, or ten pennies).

[Patrice]

BookTree
S&E really liked learning the concepts but don’t need to buy.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Math books that help children learn more than one math concept are wonderful because they show how math is used in our world. Only One is one of the great ones. First it is a counting book that counts backwards, which challenges children to use counting without the rote learning of counting forward. Second it offers the reader the opportunity to count real objects demonstrating number sense. Third it introduces that parts make up a whole, for example nine players on one baseball team. The last page gives the child the feeling of how unique and important he or she is because we only have one of each child. Only One has great illustrations and teaches so much math and the children love it and ask to read it often in my preschool classroom.

[Yue Zhou · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book teaching children numbers. The author has exploratory eyesight in finding only one thing among a serious of another aggregation. The book gives numbers related some common phenomena such as “a million stars”, “50,000 bees” and “4 wheels”; it is easier for children to understand. The illustrations of this book look like etching. The color of light brown and the grain of wood make the illustrations qualitative. This is a good book for two to four years old children to learn numbers.

[Chelsea Ulrich · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book could be used with Pre-k or Kindergarten students as they understand the groups that make up a set. I could also see using this book to help students with one to one correspondence and allowing students the opportunity to see how they can have one group but many parts inside that group. This book could work with students who are struggling to understand how there can be different parts in a set and could be something to use with struggling math learners in the class.

[Megan Willis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This beautifully illustrated book shows how single things come together to make something totally different. It is a good introduction to sets, and it can also be a counting book. Students will be able to see how math and numbers are used in every day, real life objects and tasks. This is a book that students will open again and again just for the illustrations, and they will be doing math at the same time!

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the pictures here, which showed things and scenes found at a country fair. The book introduced two concepts: counting backwards from 12 to one(although the book starts with 500,000 and then 50,000, for some strange reason before settling down to 12) and one whole can be divided into many parts. Not an exciting book, but the illustrations are interesting.

[Katie Williams]

This book is very similar to More Than One as it deals with one thing having subsets (i.e., a dime beging 10 cents or a wagon having four wheels). A multiplication lesson could be used with this book by asking students, if there were three wagons, how many wheels would there be altogether? Students could also come up with their own math stories based off of items mentioned in the book.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like that this book introduces the concept of grouping. For some children that's a tough concept to grasp. This book uses real world objects to make grouping a more concrete concept. It is also a useful book to engage students in critical thinking about grouping and number place value. The book is simple to read, but it will engage a young reader with more questions and thoughts.

[Bekkah Riecke · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first I was not impressed by this book. However, as I kept reading, I realized that this book would be a great way to introduce the concept of place value. The whole point of the book is taking groups of objects and discussing them as part of a group. By reinforcing this idea of grouping the students may be more prepared to discuss place value and grouping by tens.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this is a counting book and after a couple of pages the text begins to count down from the number 12. Illustrating the title, only one, the real concept shown here is how many items or parts make one whole. For example: two ropes but only one swing or nine players but only one baseball team.
I enjoyed the illustrations done by Barbara Garrison.

[Lucero Hernandez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Who expected to find so much math in a county fair? This book allows for students to review/practice their counting. This would be a good book for students in pre-k or kindergarten. Great for discussing sets and having students work on one to one correspondence.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for working with kids on parts and wholes. I think it would really help kids with learning unitizing and realizing that different numbers can equal a different interpretation. For example 12 eggs= 1 dozen.

[Shelly Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is good for teaching groups that make up a set and one to one correspondence.

[Sharonta Johnson]

This unique counting book shows how multiple things make up one object. For example five hundred seeds make up one pumpkin.

[Buxmont Uu]

CC 1, 7,10, & 36

[zar · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was kinda good. I don't know why.