Customer Reviews

1, 2, 3 to the Zoo

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

My 15-month old daughter has learned some of her numbers withthis book. It is her favorite -- the numbers are large and clear, and the graphics are attractive without being too busy or distracting. I have checked this book out at the library so many times that it is time to buy it! Since there are no words, this is an ideal book for parents to flex their creativity and act out animal sounds or motions.

My two year old loves this book. It's fun to watch each type of animal get aboard the zoo train. We make train noises and count the animals.

When we got this book, wasn't sure it was going to be much, but loved Eric Carle. Was pleasantly surprised how much my son (18 months) loved it. He enjoys all of the different animals and counting them - and the little mouse. He especially loves the big fold out drawing at the end and pointing to everything we saw on the train.

I love the simplicity of it because I can suppliment additional info on the animals based on his experience!

Teach your children how to "count 1,2.3" while using common animals found at your local zoo. The pictures are very creative and will help the listener have fun grasping the basic numbers 1 through 10.

1, 2,3 TO THE ZOO has been a big hit at our house. The board book editions of Eric Carle's books that we have tried have all been excellent.

1, 2,3 TO THE ZOO gives us a number of things to talk about as we flip through the pages:
- 10 different zoo animals: introduced one by one, and then you can look for them on the last page, which shows all in the zoo
- Numbers: introduced one by one, so that you can acount the number of animals on each page. There are also many beautiful numbers on the inside cover pages, which my toddler loves to look at.
- A train: the first page shows an engine, and you see the boxcars with animals getting added at the bottom of each page, until the last page when all the cars are empty
- The little mouse that appears on each page: a totally inspired addition by Carle, as our baby loves to look for the mouse on each page

Our toddler seems increasingly interested in numbers, and this book seems like a great way to feed that interest. We have had the book for three weeks, so it is not brand new, and he currently asks to read 1, 2,3 TO THE ZOO three to four times a day.

An important book in the counting genre because it demonstrates the concept of zero to young children.

We are huge Eric Carle fans and found 1,2,3 To The Zoo disappointing. The drawings of the animals were great but a little description of activity would maintain the interest of the child. i.e 1 Bear is Jumping Up and Down, 2 Seals are clapping their hands, etc.

We found the book very lacking and unmotivating for our daughter.

1,2,3 To The Zoo is a delightful Eric Carle book for toddlers and preschoolers who are ready to learn their numbers. Carle combines two elements - Animals and Trains!-- to keep their interest. And most children love his artwork.

The book begins with a two-page spread of a lovely blue steam engine. The next two pages show 1 elephant on a flat-bed shipping car; the following pages, 2 hippos on their own flatbed, and so forth. The concept is that the engine is picking up the shipping-cars, making for a longer train.

What I like about this book is that there is lots to talk about. Adults can use it to teach the names of colors, as well as the names of animals, in addition to how many there are of them.

The notion of 'addition' is shown at the bottom of each page where Carle shows the train getting longer as we go along. The last pages shows an overview of the zoo with every animal where it should be.

Talking Points :::
o The artwork in this one is typical of Eric Carle.

o The big pictures done in bright colors as well as the train and animal motif ought to keep a small fry's attention.

o All the primary colors are shown. Along with numbers 1 through 10. (You "can" use this book to talk about "0" as well. The train with no animals is shown.)

o Animals mentioned are: elephant, hippos, giraffes, lions, bears, alligators or crocodiles, seals, mouse, monkeys, snakes, and a variety of birds.

For Toddlers and Preschoolers.

Pam T~
mom and reviewer at BooksForKids-reviews

My daughter really likes this book. She likes all the books that we have by Eric Carle. My only complaint is, I wish it had more words. There isn't any story to it at all. It's just counting. But maybe it's that simplicity that my 2 1/2 yr old likes. Overall, I have to say good book because it is something she will sit and listen to.

I have always loved driving to the zoo on Wednesday when the entrance fee is waived, but I have never loved counting. This is exactly the sentiment my child expressed when I made my first attempts to teach him the single-digit numbers. Of course, such pursuits are hopeless at an early age until the child develops distinct fingers around his or her third birthday. When this happens, however, it is a very good idea to pull your child aside and teach him exactly what it means to live under a decimal numeral system. Be sure to have a book just like this one at hand. I would also suggest numbering multiple species, or like me you may find your larvae calling all bears "one" or seals "two". I'm sure someone else will set him aright.