One Thing
Lauren Child
Orchard Books
The author tells us the idea for her new book came because she ‘loves the way little children start counting almost before anything else’ and she assuredly brings a deliciously creative and exciting slant to the topic of numbers with the help of Charlie and Lola. Mum is taking them to the shops and they are allowed to choose one thing – one thing each that is – and they have TEN minutes to get ready:

so, in comes the idea of numbers in relation to time …

and addition, and possibly multiplication.
But they haven’t even set out yet for Lola has already become distracted – albeit with counting the dots on her dress.
Finally they’re on their way but of course, once again Lola is side-tracked and it’s ladybirds that have captured her attention; she’s full of questions: “How many shoes would fifty or twenty-seventeen ladybirds need, Charlie” … “What about socks?” (potential for some audience calculation after the story perhaps?). On they go past the water meadow –

lots of birds to count there and up on the telegraph wire.
If you’re wondering if they ever reach the shops , the answer is yes, eventually after a lot more procrastination, well counting I suppose.

And yes they do each choose one thing – kind of – and guess who has nothing to show for her choice by the time they all reach home once more.
Numbers and counting in real life situations is by far the best way for young children to begin to develop mathematical concepts: well done Charlie (and Lola) for finding lots of fun ways to do this and well done Lauren Child for crafting a wonderfully funny story wherein they (and listeners/readers) can learn so much about numbers. Every spread is rich in potential and could well be the starting point for an interesting session for early years educators who might be challenged to see what maths potential (apart from the obvious) they can find at every turn of the page.
Great fun and a brilliant way to promote the ‘maths (in particular numeracy) is exciting ’ idea to young children.

Another book that promotes the idea of numbers being exciting while at the same time fostering in children of all ages creativity and interest in design is:

Numbers
Paul Thurlby
Hodder Children’s Books
Newly in paperback is graphic artist Thurlby’s creative, wonderfully thoughtful and thought provoking book illustrating numbers – numbers 0 to 9

and then ten, twenty, thirty, forty

etc. through to one hundred.
The artist speaks of his style in the book’s preface as‘retro-modern’ and his work reminds me of vintage railway posters …
I particularly love the way he so cleverly and wittily takes each number and incorporates the digit(s) into the scene illustrated opposite …

Some of the striking (humorous) number representations will mean much more to older children/adults

than to very young children learning to recognize the numerals (I’ve yet to discover a child who really has learned to recognize 0 to 10 by using counting books). Indeed this whole enterprise is much more about art and creativity than numeracy: I’d love to have some of these illustrations on my own walls.

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