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Summary
Summary
With his trademark colorful and compelling images of animals both familiar and exotic, acclaimed British illustrator, Christopher Wormell, brings a uniquely artful point of view to the traditional counting book. Wormell's inventive approach to illustrating the numbers from 1 to 20 highlights intriguing parts, behaviors, or features of specific animals, rather than simply increasing the numbers of the animals themselves. This new perspective presents an opportunity for further parent-child exploration of the animal-How many legs does the camel have? What color is the ladybug?-in keeping with the current trend toward interdisciplinary education for the very young.
Author Notes
Christopher Wormell is the celebrated English wood engraver whose illustrated books are collected and loved throughout the world. His first children's book, An Alphabet of Animals , won the prestigious Graphics Prize at the Bologna International Children's Book Fair and has been reprinted in numerous editions. His other children's book titles include Mowgli's Brothers , Blue Rabbit and Friends , Blue Rabbit and the Runaway Wheel , Animal Train , Off to the Fair , and George and the Dragon . Wormell lives in London with his wife and three children.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-In this companion to An Alphabet of Animals (1990; o.p.) and The New Alphabet of Animals (2004, both Running Pr.), Wormell's stunning graphics once again serve a concept-this time the numbers 1-20. Spreads depict each numeral, its spelling (in capital letters), and a reference to a body part or characteristic of an animal featured in linocut prints on the right (e.g., 2 camel humps, 5 starfish arms, 13 caterpillar segments, 19 crocodile teeth). The luminous prints feature mostly close-up illustrations of animals that will be a mix of the familiar and unusual to this audience. Each one is framed in a thick black line. The book ends with a picture of a whale's nose emerging out of the water with the line "20 barnacle shells on..." followed by a print of the animal's tale and the accompanying words, "1 humpback whale." Brief notes at the back next to smaller reproductions of the artwork give a bit of information on each creature, its habitat, habits, or featured body part or characteristic. Younger children will enjoy the concept book aspect, while older kids can study the artistry of the illustrations and learn a little more about each animal.-Tana Elias, Meadowridge Branch Library, Madison, WI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Publisher's Weekly Review
High Concepts New picture books promote and chicly present educational concepts. In a kind of companion to his The New Alphabet of Animals (PW described the art as "strikingly iconic"), Christopher Wormell uses his bold, lino-cut prints to count animal characteristics in Teeth, Tails, & Tentacles: An Animal Counting Book. From "one rhinoceros horn" to the "20 barnacle shells" on a humpback whale, he hits many of children's favorite inhabitants of land and sea. Brief paragraphs on each creature and an elegantly designed cloth cover complete this handsome presentation. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
Wormell introduces the numbers from one to twenty using parts of animals. The lino-cut prints are visually stunning, but some of the pages are problematic. The book lacks consistent internal logic as readers count parts of one animal (twenty barnacles on a humpback whale) or count many animals (five arms of a starfish). (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
As the title indicates, here's a variation on the traditional animal counting book: rather than counting multiples of animals, readers are encouraged to counts their parts. Luscious lino-cut prints on creamy, heavy stock take readers full circle, from one rhinoceros horn to 20 barnacles on one humpback whale, with such diversions as eight octopus tentacles, 15 leopard rosettes, and 19 crocodile teeth in between. The counting ranges from easy (five starfish arms) to challenging (17 zebra stripes), but heavy black lines and vivid colors help to prevent frustration and confusion. Each animal is placed in a square frame opposite the number and feature to be counted, one per spread; thumbnails at the back give more--but not too much for the audience--detail on the animals depicted. Purists will cavil that the starfish ought actually to be called a sea star, but that nit aside, this cloth-bound volume is a perfectly gorgeous piece of bookmaking. (Picture book/nonfiction. 4-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
PreS-Gr. 3. Far from a simple counting manual, this dramatic picture-book offering places children face-to-face with 20 animals from across the world, one animal at a time, and focuses on a few exciting facts about their physical characteristics and behavior. From 1 rhinoceros horn and 5 starfish arms to 8 octopus tentacles and 19 crocodile teeth, the beautiful, clear, full-page, brilliantly colored linoleum block prints are full of surprises. Count 17 thick black stripes on a zebra's back, 18 diamond markings on a curling rattlesnake, and more. There is so much to talk about. Why does the chameleon's color change? What's stored in the Bactrian camel's humps? Integral to the book are notes set down on 10 attractively designed, spacious pages at the back, with a miniature block print of each animal and intriguing information about its habitat, physiology, and conservation. Preschoolers can point and count and learn the names. Older children will be caught by the zoology. A great book to use across the curriculum. --Hazel Rochman Copyright 2004 Booklist