More, Fewer, Less

Tana Hoban knows what fires the eyes and minds of her young admirers the world over. And with every click of her camera, she zooms in on a new discovery—like this treasure trove, a full-color lesson on quantities. Look at the stacks of brightly colored teacups, the racks of shiny new shoes, the bin full of mouth-watering candies. Where are there more? Or fewer? Or where is there less? The questions and answers depend on what (and how) you see. Like the distinctive photographs, it's all a matter of vision.

Photographs illustrate groupings of objects in larger and smaller numbers.

Tana Hoban knows what fires the eyes and minds of her young admirers the world over. And with every click of her camera, she zooms in on a new discovery—like this treasure trove, a full-color lesson on quantities. Look at the stacks of brightly colored teacups, the racks of shiny new shoes, the bin full of mouth-watering candies. Where are there more? Or fewer? Or where is there less? The questions and answers depend on what (and how) you see. Like the distinctive photographs, it's all a matter of vision.

Children's Literature

No one would contest Tana Hoban's superb photography skills or the popularity of many of her books. However, this wordless picture book provides no more than intriguing color photographs. More, fewer, and less are quantitative concepts that many children have trouble grasping. This book would have been much more useful with captions suggesting which of the several items on the page that would be fun to examine or compare. As it is, instruction by a teacher or other adult is mandatory for any conceptual understanding. In a classroom or tutoring situation, students might enjoy counting the objects on each page and identifying the quantities of each. Children encountering this book without adult direction are likely to be completely baffled as to the purpose of the pretty pictures.

Tana Hoban's photographs have been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and in galleries around the world. She has won many gold medals and prizes for her work as a photographer and filmmaker. Her books for children are known and loved throughout the world.