Baby & Toddler
Pre-K
10 Counting Books That
Won’t Bore You
by Janssen Bradshaw
The thing about counting books is that there aren’t going to be a lot of surprises. Nine is always going to come after eight and before ten. Still, a good author and illustrator can make the simplest type of book fun and engaging.
Here are ten counting books that will help your little one learn to count, but won’t leave you yawning. Win-win, I’d say.
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Counting with a Ladybug
The tiniest of readers will love following the ladybug across the pages of this hands-on board book. Featuring tactile finger trails, this read counts up from one little ladybug to ten noisy ducklings.
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10 Little Ninjas
In this twist on the familiar rhyme starring little monkeys, a group of children refuses to go to bed. At first, there are ten children, imagined as little ninjas. After one little ninja hits the hay, nine children are left — but this time they’re little astronauts. Then there are eight race car drivers, seven tigers, and so on. A delightful and imaginative book that features counting as its backbone.
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One
Starting as a color book and morphing cleverly into a number book, the storyline is terrific and the art makes it even better.
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1 Big Salad: A Delicious Counting Book
In this creative picture book, simple yet impactful line drawings seem to transform the everyday ingredients of a healthy salad into something extraordinary. As readers count from one to ten, clementines are transformed into kittens, cucumbers become crocodiles, and romaine lettuce leaves resemble dogs.
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Count the Monkeys
You may set out to count monkeys in this book, but unfortunately something terrifying scares away the monkeys on every page. So you’ll have to count those intimidating items instead. My 4-year-old was obsessed with this book for many, many weeks until it was finally due back at the library.
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123 Dream
If you’re looking for a super-interactive counting book, try 123 Dream by Kim Krans. Counting from one to 20, this book combines catchy alliteration with a search-and-find element that’s sure to keep kids entertained as they turn the pages.
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Each Orange Had 8 Slices
This is one of those fantastic books that works for children with a wide spectrum of arithmetic skills. Whether your child is counting, adding, or multiplying, this book is perfect for honing those skills in a fun way.
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One Leaf, Two Leaves, Count with Me!
Flip the pages of this picture book and count the leaves on a tree as the four seasons go by. Count from one leaf to ten in the spring, take a moment to appreciate the “breezy, blue-sky” of summer, then count down from ten to one as the tree drops its leaves in the fall. At the end of the book, after a leafless winter, the leaves return with spring!
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Pride & Prejudice: A BabyLit Counting Primer
Have you seen this series? It’s so darling I could die. In this story, four is for proposals, five is for sisters, and ten is for 10,000 a year. Perfect for classics fans and their babies.
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10 Hungry Rabbits: Counting & Color Concepts
Mama Rabbit needs ten different vegetables and fruits to make a soup and her ten baby rabbits are ready to help! Count along as they gather each ingredient from their garden in this simple and sweet story.
