Up to Ten and Down Again (Paperback)

by Lisa Campbell Ernst (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-K When a lone duck paddling across the clear blue water of a pond observes two cars filled with three dogs, four boys and five girls who have come for a picnic, he quickly swims to the lower corner of the picture and crawls into the border. From this vantage point, he watches as the children play with balls, sail toy boats and, with two adults, eat a picnic lunch. When the wind blows billowy clouds and rain into the picture, causing the people to pack up and leave, the duck returns safely to his pond, where he is joined by nine of his friends. This is a counting book extraordinaire. At the bottom of each page a large numeral is shown in a box along with the name of the object featured in the illustration. The objects (cars, balls, boats, etc.) also appear in boxes at the top or bottom of the page. Thus, each illustration offers two chances to count the objects, as well as the opportunity to match each boxed object with its counterpart in the picture. Single- and double-page illustrations of charming animals and children done in bright pastels are outlined and detailed in red ink. The book has the semblance of a photo album, for each illustration appears to be attached with corners to its gray-green border. The result is an imaginative wordless story book that will delight children young and old as it reinforces counting skills. Susan Scheps, Bertram Woods Library, Shaker Heights, Ohio
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
The numbers from one to ten are introduced as a picnic is begun, enjoyed, and then rained out.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Paperback: 40 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (August 24, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688143911
• ISBN-13: 978-0688143916
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 9.4 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,877,763 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars 4 1/2 An Excellent Counting Book Within a Story!, July 30, 2006

By	M. Allen Greenbaum (California) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Up to Ten and Down Again (Turtleback)

Although this is an engaging counting book, it appears that Ms. Ernst did not use the technique she employed in her great "Walter's Tail." In that book, she gets very luminous illustrations by building layers of pastels, and drawing over them with ink and pencil. Still, The illustrations here show action, have nice crosshatched shadings, and are easy to follow, but they pale (literally and figuratively) in comparison to MS. Ernst's splendid work in 'Walter.'

Ernst has written an interesting and creative counting book, however. There's a plot--a picnic--that drives the number-linked events. One lone duck, for example, watches and eventually swims outside the borders of the illustrations!) as 2 cars, 3 dogs, 4 boys, 5 girls, 6 balls, etc. arrive at the park. In a clever twist, the duck steps ourside the borders of Ernst's pictures and looks in on the action just as the reader does. ALong with the main scene, there are small squares containing something referred to in the 2-page spreads, and these small focused sub-pictures facilitate counting. For example, when 7 boats arrive on the scene, your young counter will see them in the river, but will also see 7 much smaller pictures--one for each boat--at the top of the spread. ERnst put a lot of thought into the book's design.

The phrase "10 clouds" is repeated, and the picnic-goers look at what seems like a gathering storm. In fact, 9 hats are blown off of 9 heads! They begin packing up the picnic party objects in reverse order of their arrival, as rain begins to come down. It's a great lesson in counting forwards and backwards to ten, all within a completely plausible narrative. After they leave, our 1 duck jumps back intothe pond; after all, water rolls off this bird like...well, water off a duck's back! THere are two unexpected but well-done extras at the back of the book. In another 2-page spread, the numbers 1 through 10 are listed, with the matching number of small objects next to them. ("5," for example, has five small pictures of girls to the right of it.) This is a great visual summary of the 1-10 numbers, and shows how each succeeds the other by just one additional box. Finally, the book's "mascot," the duck, is joined in the rained-on pond by a number of fellow ducks. How many ducks exactly remains another fun counting lesson. An entertaining book that doesn't demand counting, but shows instead why it can be be useful.

5.0 out of 5 stars good for teaching ESL, February 4, 2003

By	Robertson Thomas (Hongcheon, Gangweon, South Korea) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Up to Ten and Down Again (Library Binding)

The text is written of a pattern of numbers followed by plural nouns. This makes it easy for students of English as a second language to understand.

If you are teaching Asian students, who usually have trouble with the plural form, you might like this book.