1 Is One

Every child should have this book experience. Its a mainstay in our little ones library.

As ever, when it came time to give a gift book to a new mother --this one came to the forefront of my mind. In gentle watercolors illustrating not only beautiful children, but plants, flowers, small pets-Tasha yet again leads the child, to hear and see the first set of numbers to learn. The ever-beautiful pictures stay in the mind's eye and help imprint the numbers of all the favorite items as we count up to ten.

Tasha Tudor's 1 is One teaches children numbers with a lyrical, poem-like text. The illustrations look like they would be perfect for a spring calendar. I would recommend this book to anyone whos children are bored with the semi- mediocre picture books out today. 1 is one duckling swimming in a dish 2 is two sisters making a wish 3 is three swallows up in the sky 4 is four sheep nibbling rye 5 is five eggs in a pretty round nest 6 is six children all dressed in their best 7 is seven apples on a little apple tree 8 is eight daffodills you are picking for me The book goes on the the number twenty. This is one for the picture book lover in all of us.

A classically illustrated Caldecott Honor Book counts to twenty in rhyming short sentences. The author notes, "There will...always be children who must learn to count. Teach them also to enjoy the process and to count those things that are important to them," and she does.

1 is One is classic Tasha Tudor. The illustrations are of days gone by ~ bonneted girls and a boy writing on a slate; simple, natural settings with some of a whimsical nature (I especially enjoyed the "12 baby birds learning how to sing"). In addition to being aesthetically pleasing, the text teaches the numbers 1 through 20 in a rhythmical way. A joy for adult and child alike!