Emily Gravett

First sentence: 10 dogs. 10 sausages. 1 dog with all the sausages. 9 dogs with none. 2 dogs each with half of them. 8 dogs wanting some. 3 dogs with more sausages. 7 dogs with less. 4 dogs guard the sausages. 6 dogs not impressed.

Premise/plot: Is it a story? Is it a math lesson? Why not both? This makes for a fun early-elementary read aloud. Back in the day I wouldn't be surprised if teachers had chosen to extend the book's activity with flannel figures--dogs and sausages.

My thoughts: I enjoyed this one. I thought it was fun, playful. I don't always "love" math problems, but an entertaining story with sausages and dogs???? YES please.

Definitely recommend this one to early grades.… (more)

A small green frog finds an old book of spells, including "a spell to become a handsome prince." The spell goes hilariously awry a number of times; pages in the book are split horizontally so readers can make different combinations of the top half and bottom half. When at last the frog becomes a prince, he kisses a princess...and turns back into a frog. The final endpaper shows a small scrap from the spell book ("small print / please read carefully...").

Doesn't mention Halloween specifically, but perfect for a spooky/silly fall storytime!… (more)

Adorable dogs, sausages, and more than a little mayhem mix to make counting and quanities fun.

Ten dogs of all sorts of sizes and breeds have their eyes on ten sausage links on the table. When the first dog is daring enough to try to snap them, the others follow suit. Soon, havoc breaks loose in the silliest ways as the dogs play their strengths (or suffer) in their attempts to grab a sausage themselves.

The dogs in these illustrations are super cute and range in breeds and sizes, which works great for the humor and various situations. Each one is recognizable and carries personality. They bound and twist in the most mischievous ways, which will have young readers smiling and pointing things out from one page to the next. The calming end rounds off the chaos in a charming manner.

The text is written in short rhymed phrases, which works well for even slightly younger listeners. While counting skills are addressed, the words surrounding quantities (more, less, few, etc) seem to be the focus of this read. These come across alongside the humor and encourage for discussion to help listeners understand the meaning of each one. It's a whimsical way to bring across the themes and simply a cute read on all fronts.
I received an ARC and found it to be a very fun read.… (more)