There are three reasons I like this book. First I love the moral or big idea this story offers. This book shows you that families can look many different ways; there are people of all cultures represented in this book as one big family. It also shows things that families can do together as a whole. The big idea shows children that not all families look “normal” but instead they can look so many different ways. Another reason I like this book is the counting scheme it has going on. It starts counting from one through ten, then counts by tens up until one hundred! This counting scheme is helpful for readers because it allows them to pick up on the pattern and use that as they read. Lastly, I like this book because of the detailed illustrations. Each page depicts a new number and a new activity that families can do together and the illustrations of these activities are very clear and detailed. These illustrations are also helpful because if you are unsure of the number being represented on that page you can count the number of people in the picture to show you. ( )

This book shows how many different people can come together to raise a child. Told with an incredible rhyme scheme and counting Ryan shows how it really does take a village to raise a child.

Teaching Ideas: teaching family dynamics

This creative counting book teaches children how to count in various ways while they learn about different families. While they count through an adventure they discover special bonds that are shared by friends and families. This book is a fun book to use when teaching diversity to young ones. ( )

I really liked this book for many reasons! The rhyme scheme, the illustrations, the counting/number inclusion and the central theme/message of family all will benefit a class of younger elementary students! First, the rhyme scheme allows the students/readers to read/hear the connection between each word and phrase and it can also be used as an assessment tool. The teacher can show the pictures and read the majority of the phrase and have the students guess what the ending word/phrase is based on the illustration and the previously read phrase. Second, the illustrations themselves are fabulous because they are engaging and they also contain the number that is being discussed! Within the first ten pages, it is easy to count the members of each family, but even continuing all the way up to 100 the number of people on each page is fairly close to the number, if not exactly accurate! Third, the inclusion of the numbers and the concept of counting also benefits the students/readers because it brings in the subject of mathematics during a reading/language arts lesson. The students who do not like reading as much and would prefer to do mathematics are able to stay engaged during the read aloud and can participate in answering questions such as “What number comes next?” and “What are we counting by now? Ones or tens?” Fourth and finally, the central theme/message of this message is family and can be discussed before, during and after the reading of this book. The teacher can have the students make personal connections by asking how many people are in their family. But regardless of the amount of people in each family, the teacher should stress that the importance is now how many people you have in your family but that everyone in each family is loved. ( )

There are three reasons why I like this book. First, this book displays persons and families of different race and culture. I believe that books should always show multiculturalism. This enables young readers to see the different types of families that make up the American “fruit salad” ideology. Young readers can see the importance of different cultures if they are displayed more often. The second reason why I really like this book is the content. For every page, a new number is presented. For each number, an activity or tradition that families may do together is shown. Young readers can relate to this book because many of the activities and events presented are very realistic. It is easier for young readers to comprehend stories when they are able to relate and connect. The last reason why I like this book is the rhythm and the pace. Each page has enough words for the reader to understand and the illustrations flow well. On every page, it begins with “[a number] is a family… [listening to campfire tales], or [remember other times and places], etc…” The book flows very well and the teacher could easily use this book as a read aloud. ( )