I’ve got a Q&A with the author coming up later today, be sure to check back then!
1 2 3 Count with Me on Granddad’s Farm
by Valerie Johnson, Cee Biscoe (Illustrator)
DETAILS: Series: Count with Me Publisher: West Oak Lane Kids, LLC Publication Date: August 30, 2022 Format: PDF Length: 32 pg.
What’s 1 2 3 Count with Me on Granddad’s Farm About?
Every summer this family goes to grandpa’s farm—there are several things around this farm—crops, animals, and so on—to count. We spend some time looking at those things, learning a bit about the farm—and as the title suggests, counting them.
Special Features
Since none of the intended audience for these kind of books spends time reading book blogs—especially book blogs that feature as much Crime Fiction as mine does—I tend to focus on how things will be for adult reading to/with the intended audience.
On that front, this book excels. Counting the number of horses or tomatoes is easy enough to do, and the book provides plenty of opportunities for that.
But after the story part of the book are 3 pages of bonus materials designed to help the grown-ups use the book more effectively and to apply the skills practice in the book outside of the book. There are general prompts and specific questions to use.
I love both the idea and the execution of this—more people need to do this kind of thing.
A Word About the Art
Biscoe’s art walks the line between cutely exaggerated and realistic. Let’s see if I can explain that (long time readers will know this is not a strength of mine).
All the animals and people are drawn in a true-to-life manner, they’re not cartoonish, nothing’s overblown. But everyone from people to horses and deer are smiling.
I think it’s catchy and attractive.
So, what did I think about 1 2 3 Count with Me on Granddad’s Farm?
The only negative I can think of is that the text might be a little small—but it’s hard to tell that sort of thing with a PDF. I might have no complaints if I was looking at a hard copy to have a better idea of scale. Basically, this is designed for the adult to read and guide the child/children.
When read by the adult—especially using the helps provided—I think this’d be a fun and educational read. I think the interactive nature of the book plus the art will grab the attention of the child and will bring them back for more.
Parents/grandparents/caregivers who are wanting a little more out of story time will do well to give this a try. If my kids were a couple of decades younger, I know I’d be grabbing a copy.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this from the author in exchange for this post and my honest opinion.
This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
