TEDDY BEAR COUNTING

McGrath’s latest math concept book (The M&M’s Brand Counting Book, 1994, etc.) successfully and rather simply presents young children with not only the concept of counting, but also colors, addition and subtractions, shapes and sets of 12. Although it is not introduced in the text, observant readers will also notice the patterning in the teddy bears’ presentation. Rhyming verses give children the chance to participate with their voices as well as with their counters as they follow the teddy bears through their paces: “One red marches in / to make five bears in all. / When yellow joins, too, / six teddies sit tall.” Nihoff’s digitally hand-drawn illustrations accurately reflect the colorful plastic counters familiar to so many, while his tweaking of the arm and leg positions keeps the pages lively. White backgrounds keep the focus on the concepts. The wide availability of teddy-bear counters makes this book useful to many audiences, not just those in educational settings. (Picture book. 3-6)