One Hungry Heron by C. Beck
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20361/G2CC8WAbstract
Beck, Carolyn. One Hungry Heron. Illus. Karen Patkau. Toronto, ON: Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2014, Print.
Carolyn Beck’s One Hungry Heron is a simple counting book. Karen Patkau has provided colourful and vivid illustrations. Each text and illustration pair cover two pages. The illustration dominates the majority of the pages, and the text appears on the left side of the first page. In the upper left corner, there is a number that is colour-themed and a small animal image. Targeted towards pre-readers and early readers, this book provides an enjoyable read where motion filled imagery, onomatopoeia and rhyme help children to master basic counting skills. For example, the number 5 is accompanied by the rhyme, “Five bustling beavers -/a building crew - /lug and tug/and chew, chew, chew!”.
The Canadian environmental theme of the book also provides children with images of animals that they might encounter. For each number in the count of 1 to 10, a vibrant wetland scene is painted with that number of a specific kind of animal. The visual aid helps to reinforce the meaning of that number to a child who is reading the book or listening to a reading. Beck’s storytelling also contributes to the children's learning. Using the numbers, the children are taken through all the animals that live on this pond and then watch as a storm comes, causing the animals to flee and take shelter. Once the storm passes the animals are free to return, culminating in a final page with all the animals present, along with a review of the numbers 1 through 10 to help children remember what was learned through the cover-to-cover reading. Overall, this is an excellent book with wonderful illustrations that allow children to learn basic counting skills. It would be a good acquisition for school and public libraries.
Recommended: 4 stars out of 4
Reviewer: Neil C. Borle
Neil C. Borle is a University of Alberta graduate student, studying Computing Science and is interested in how people learn.
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