Our favourite counting books

My children love books. I have 4 kids and they all love books, reading and being read to. I want to share the love, so I am recommending our favourite counting books to read together.

There are many, many, generic counting books that contain pictures on each page of so many items that you are meant to count together with your child. But these are not the ones that set my world on fire. I like my counting books to have a story to go along with them so that the counting is almost incidental and you can still get caught up in the story. These choices all have a story and are all accompanied by amazing illustrations with many fun details to spot and talk about as well as named objects to count.

My one year old daughter loves all these books, for the rhythm of the story and for the pictures. She does not have many words yet but she does make noises to the rhythm of counting as we read these books and 'count' together. But these books really come into their own when you have a preschooler who is actually learning to count with 1-1 correspondence and they will properly count along with you.

My Granny Went to Market: a round-the-world counting book, by Stella Blackstone and Christopher Corr (Barefoot Books)

This book is wonderful on many levels. The story is fun and quirky - who wouldn't love a granny who flies around the world on a magic carpet collecting a variety of interesting objects? The pictures are intricate, colourful and detailed - my children spend a very long time analysing the details in each one and my one-year-old particularly enjoys searching for the different animals in each picture. 

Discussions about geography and different cultures and countries of the world are also bound to arise from this book. The first time we read it my older children rushed to get a map and trace Granny's journey and then a lovely discussion ensued about which countries we would travel to on our own magic carpet. My eldest (9) was even inspired to write her own version of the story. Definitely a favourite in our house!

One Ted Falls out of Bed, by Julia Donaldson and Anna Currey

The story is what drew us into this one. It is an exciting recount of a bear who falls out of bed and all the other toys in the room rush to help him back into bed before the child wakes up and they are discovered. It is great for reading aloud as there are many sound effects to be added! It is characterised by Julia Donaldson's fantastic use of rhyme and rhythm and the beautiful drawings of Anna Currey. This is a really fun book to read and my children get very caught up in the dilemma of whether Ted will make it back into bed or not.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle

This is a book that I remember fondly from my own childhood, but which is definitely still loved by children today. The interactive nature of the pictures is what does it for me, how you can put your finger through every single thing that the caterpillar eats (great for counting with 1-1 correspondence) and the bright and colourful illustrations. 

The story of the caterpillar who eats more and more outrageous things each day, before turning into a chrysalis and then a beautiful butterfly, is captivating for young children and again provides opportunities for so much more learning and discussions. You can use it to talk about life cycles, days of the week, or simply to expand vocabulary (particularly of fruit and other foods). A brilliant book.

One Mole Digging A Hole, By Julia Donaldson and Nick Sharratt

Another Julia Donaldson classic! This time her characteristic rhyme is accompanied by the bold and colourful illustrations of Nick Sharratt. My children find the exploits of the animals in this book, who are all gardening in some way or another, very amusing and there is always something to talk about in the pictures. 

Do check these out, and please recommend any of your own favourite counting books.

Happy Counting!