A silly book where you count to one for unexpected parts of the spread (more find it than counting).

A hilarious premise and faultless execution. The fourth-wall-breaking voice in this book insists that readers are only counting to ONE, starting with an apple and an elephant, then moving on to the worm...in disguise. Or the picture of the cake...on an entire double page spread of framed pictures (only one of which is of a cake). Absolutely perfect for 4- and 5-year-olds, who will catch on quickly. Fantastic for preschool or kindergarten storytime! ( )

First sentence: Hello! Welcome to a fun new counting book. Are you ready to start counting? As we go through the book, follow the instructions. Don't worry if you make a mistake! Let's start with something nice and easy. Do you know what an apple looks like? Good! Simply count how many apples you see.

Premise/plot: This is an interactive counting concept book with a twist. The twist is to trick little ones into breaking the rules and counting higher than one. Every page actively discourages little ones from counting higher. The text and illustrations keep getting sillier. Will your little one "accidentally" learn to count higher than one?

My thoughts: I enjoyed this reverse psychology interactive concept book. It was silly, amusing, fun. It kept surprising me. I knew the general idea of it going in, but I didn't know what silly situations would pop up next as I kept turning the pages. This one is a bit on the oversized side. I haven't decided if it would be best shared one on one or if it would be good for a group read aloud. ( )

I haven't made it straight through the book yet because my toddler has a short attention span and likes to turn pages, but it is a fun, colorful and unique counting book.

What an ironic, fun parody of counting books that has a fabulous narrator. Written in the second person, this book engages readers by asking them to count...to one. Each page is set up so you think you're following the standard one, two, three, but nope, it's always one. As the pages move on, there may be say five ducks, but the narrator asks you to count only the one wearing rollerblades. I can't wait to use this as a read-aloud. I know there will be great moments with the group where they count and just by pausing the sentence, you can hook them. "Count all the ducks (pause, pause) with rollerblades." Of course, readers can go back and practice counting all the items on the pages for a second or third or fourth read.

The illustrations and font are perfect for this style of book: colorful and simple, flat designs with incredibly expressive eyes. Add How to Count to 1 by Caspar Salmon and Matt Hunt to spice up your counting book collection.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program in exchange for an honest review. ( )