Ten Black Dots

One dot can make a sun or a moon when day is done. Two dots can make the eyes of a fox.... Count all the way to ten with Donald Crews and delight in the simple rhymes, everyday objects, and stunning graphics of a master of the picture concept book.

A counting book which shows what can be done with ten black dots--one can make a sun, two a fox's eyes, or eight the wheels of a train.

First published in 1968, Ten Black Dots is a counting book, a book of simple rhymes, and a book of everyday objects.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2 This revised and redesigned edition of Crews' 1968 book contains several changes that give the title more appeal. The larger format makes the book a more useful choice for story hour sessions. Larger and more legible type makes reading easier for beginners. Although the rhymed text to introduce objects from one to ten remains almost unchanged, the colors of the objects have been altered, and textures have been added for visual variety. The rake now moves through tiny grass bits, for example, and the piggy bank looks more like a pink porker than did its brown predecessor. Crews' unmistakable graphic style is still evident, and the striking visuals are the book's strong feature. Unfortunately, Crews does not avoid one pitfall that plagues many picture books: the relationship between objects of different sizes. The two dots that are the fox's eyes are the same size as the two in the eyes of keys on the opposite page. Hence, each key is almost as large as the head of a fox. An addition in the new version is a series of black dots to be counted at the end of the book. Despite some weaknesses, the book is a good choice for collections in which straightforward counting books are in high demand.Kathy Piehl, Mankato State University, Minn.

Donald Crews is the renowned creator of many celebrated children's books, including the Caldecott Honor Books Freight Train and Truck. He and his wife, Ann Jonas, live in New York's Hudson River Valley.

Donald Crews es el renombrado autor de dos libros merecedores del premio Caldecott, Tren de carga (Freight Train) y School Bus. Vive con su esposa, Ann Jonas, cerca del RÍo Hudson, en Nueva York.