One Big Building: A Counting Book about Construction

Children's Literature

Counting from one to twelve with pictures of dump trucks, pile drivers, and wheelbarrows will appeal to children who like to dig and build. Seeing the construction of a building from the initial plans to finished, twelve-story structure is part of the experience. The painted-paper collage illustrations are bright and engaging. Each has a small box insert with the number as a printed word, as a numeral, and as dots representing the number. Each picture also has a hidden number with the hiding place detailed at the back of the book. The book includes Fun Facts about building such as, bad weather may slow construction. Objects to count while on a walk are suggested. There is a glossary, short index, and a web site for further information with help from a doggie Fact Hound. This volume is part of a series of counting books by the author. 2004, Picture Willow Books, Ages 3 to 8.
—Carlee Hallman

School Library Journal

PreS-K-Counting, hidden numbers to find, and fun facts are included in these two books. The first one presents 11 vegetables, from 1 tomato to 11 peppers, resulting in 12 plates of salad for a family. Each page records the harvesting with sentences featuring 11 different verbs and alliteration of adjectives and nouns, which will encourage vocabulary expansion. The second title describes construction from the ground up, with "One big plan for making a big building" to a handy enumeration of the machines needed to complete it, culminating with "Twelve stories tall, the new building gleams in the sun." "Fun Facts" includes information about the world's tallest structure (the CN Tower in Toronto, Ontario) and a listing of occupations connected with construction. In both books, bright, bold illustrations on full spreads make the items easy to count. Multiple uses and learning opportunities make these titles useful purchases.-Mary Elam, Forman Elementary School, Plano, TX Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.