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My son is all about numbers right now. He counts his carrots and counts his blocks. I catch him chanting numbers, trying to make it past the next 10 on his way to 100. If your child finds the number world fascinating, pull out some counting books. In this post we’ll share with you five counting books your preschooler will love.
Why Use Number & Counting Books
Counting books may not be something you’re drawn to when browsing the library shelves. After all, what kind of plot can a story about numbers really have? Not the best read aloud material when you’re in the mood for a story.
But kids love counting books!
Counting books are an easy way to tie math and literacy together. Children can have fun identifying the written symbols for numbers and practice counting skills while doing what they love. Curling up with a book with mom!
Five Counting Books Your Preschooler Will Love
One Moose, Twenty Mice by Clare Beaton
In this board book, children learn to count to 20 while searching for the elusive orange cat on each page. Clare Beaton beautifully illustrated One Moose, Twenty Mice (affiliate link) using felt, embroidery, and a wide array of sequins, buttons, and beads. In the end, the cat finally shows itself when it sees something it’s interested in…20 mice!
Hardworking Puppies by Lynn Reiser
Hardworking Puppies (affiliate link) will help your child develop an understanding of subtraction. It starts with “Once there were ten hardworking puppies. The puppies worked hard keeping busy. But one day, just keeping busy was not enough. The puppies wanted more. The TEN puppies all wanted jobs!”
Each time you turn a page someone comes along needing a hardworking puppy. A firefighter, a photographer, a hospital volunteer, a guide-dog instructor, and so on provide jobs for the puppies until there is only one puppy left. In the end, that little, lonely puppy gets one of the best jobs of all!
Two at the Zoo: A Counting Book by Danna Smith
A little boy and his grandpa enjoy a day at the zoo counting animals. The rhythmic text of Two at the Zoo (affiliate link) makes reading this book perfect for a child just learning the numbers one through ten. When you read, “Baby gators snap at me. Sneaking, peeking…we count 3” pause before you say “3,” allowing your child to chime in with the correct number. Then he can identify the number 3 written on the page and count the alligators.
Anno’s Counting Book by Mitsumasa Anno
This counting book is pure genius. Don’t let the fact that it’s a wordless book deceive you into thinking it’s anything less than spectacular. You can spend hours studying the illustrations with your child, counting all the sets of buildings, animals, people, trees, etc.
I love how Anno’s Counting Book (affiliate link) begins with page zero, a number that’s often neglected in counting books. The illustration is a blank canvas of snow. By the end of the story, that blank canvas is transformed into a small village where you’ll see people celebrating Christmas. A whole year has passed. Each number in the book represented a month of the year.
Ten Black Dots by Donald Crews
Donald Crews is a master of simplistic, colorful illustrations that capture the attention of young children. In this book, ten black dots (affiliate link) represent knobs on a radio, wheels of a train, and pennies in a piggy bank, making it easy for preschoolers to count with their fingers. In the back of the book there’s a table showing each number with corresponding black dots, which my son loved to use for counting practice.
Final Thoughts
You’ll find many counting books on the market, but these are five counting books preschoolers will love. I’ve used all of the books with my kids and they’ve proven to be winners. So pick up some counting books at your library, so your preschooler can enjoy learning to count while reading with you.
Your Turn
What’s your favorite counting book to use with preschoolers?
