Twelve Ways to Get to Eleven by Eve Merriam; Bernie KarlinReview by: David J. WhitinThe Arithmetic Teacher, Vol. 41, No. 2 (OCTOBER 1993), p. 123Published by: National Council of Teachers of MathematicsStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41195938 .

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Well-known poet and anthologist Lee Bennett Hopkins has chosen sixteen poems that focus on the passing hours of a child's day. Some poems address activities that occur at the beginning of the day, such as waking up with a burst of energy . Harry Behn nicely describes this enthusiastic start to the day when he writes, "I go to sleep at night/and just wake up wound." Also included are morning poems about waiting for a turn in the bathroom, brushing one's teeth, and heading off to school. The continuing day is revealed in poems about having an imaginary lunch with a dinosaur, playing with a puppy after school, and completing homework with an afternoon snack. Finally, other poems tell about eating a "slishy, sloshy" spaghetti supper and then reluctantly going off to bed, wishing all the while, "If only I could find a way/to chase/away/the/night."

On each page an analog clock appears to show the time of these daily events, represented either on the hour or half past the hour. Unfortunately the times do not follow any predictable pattern; they jump from one- to one-and-a-half- to two- hour intervals. However, the diversity of activities that are discussed in this anthology would present a good starting point for young students to share important events and times in their own lives. Teachers may want to share other books that represent daily activities, such as Bruce McMillan's Time to . . . (New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1989).- David J. Whitin.

Mother Earth's Counting Book, Andrew Clements, illus. by Lonni Sue Johnson. 1992, 40 pp., $15.95 cloth. ISBN 0-88708- 138-X. Simon & Schuster Children 's Books, 15 Columbus dr., New York, NY 10023.

Here is a most unusual counting book that enumerates features and creatures of the planet Earth, going from one up to ten and then back down to one again. The counting sequence begins with one earth and describes our planet as both an object of many different features and as a place that is a home to many different life forms. Some of the features document the total number on the planet, such as two poles, three climate zones, four oceans, and seven continents; other features include only a small set of those found on the earth, such as "five islands and many more," "seven seas and many more," "three rivers and many more," and so on. Some of the plant and animal life on the earth are also mentioned, such as birds, mammals, fishes, plants, peoples, and insects.

One of the strengths of the book is the additional information at the end, which explains how the general categories and specific selections were chosen and also includes more detailed measurement data. For instance, the oceans and continents are listed in order from largest to smallest in square miles; the height of the tallest mountains and the length of the longest rivers are also given. The illustrations nicely complement

OCTOBER 1993

some of this statistical information. For instance, the mountains are drawn as triangles that are superimposed on each other to show their rela- tive comparison in height; lakes and islands are drawn proportionately for easy comparison as well. This book could certainly be a good beginning point for discussing and exploring other unique features and creatures of our planet. - David J. Whitin.

Sunday Morning, Judith Viorst, illus. by Hilary Knight. 1992, 30pp., $13.95 cloth. ISBN 0-689-31 794-8. Atheneum Publishers, 866 Third Ave., New York, NY 10022.

Anthony and Nicholas, two young boys with a lot of energy and imagination, are told by their parents not to wake them up until at least 9:45 on Sunday morning. As the clock on the wall shows different times during the night, we see that Anthony is quite a restless sleeper - rolling, jumping, and falling from his bed. When 5:00 a.m. arrives Anthony jumps out of bed, throws himself into his clothes, and finally manages to wake up his brother. It' s shortly after 6:00 a.m. as Anthony humorously tries to dress his younger brother by shoving his two legs into one dungaree pant leg and attempts to wash his face by holding his head under a streaming faucet.

As the clock ticks away and the story progresses, the children create all kinds of havoc; they fight by jumping on beds and crayoning in books; they spill cereal and milk everywhere as they prepare their breakfast; they play music on the record player, rearrange the living room furniture, and pretend that Nick is drowning on the living room rug. When their parents can't stand the commotion any longer, having threatened to intervene several times before, they stumble into the rearranged living room. But before they can get angry, they see that the clock says 9:45 a.m., and they sit back happily on the couch with their two children.

One of the strengths of the book is the illustrations. They are executed in black silhouettes with occasional blue silhouettes for towels, curtains, and furniture. The use of the silhouette accentuates the humorously dramatic facial expressions of these energetic boys and frustrated parents. The clocks on the wall throughout the story encourage readers to wonder how long these antics are going to last! Children of all grades will enjoy the humor of this story. The book may lead to a discussion of how children use their time. - David J. Whitin

Twelve Ways to Get to Eleven, Eve Merriam, illus. by Bernie Karlin. 1993, 28 pp., $14 cloth. ISBN 0-671-75544-7. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 15 Columbus dr., New York, NY 10023.

Here is an unusual counting book that begins with a puzzle: "One, two, three, four, five, six,

seven, eight, nine, ten, , twelve. Where' s eleven?" The rest of the book describes a variety of scenes in which we find eleven: nine pinecones and two acorns from the forest floor; six peanut shells and five pieces of popcorn at the circus; and three turtles, two frogs, one lily pad, and five dragonflies in a pond. Some of the sets that comprise eleven are easy for students to count, such as those examples that were previously mentioned. However, others are more difficult to count, such as a mailbox crowded with letters, postcards, and catalogs. On other pages it is unclear what objects ought to be counted, and part of the confusion lies in the inconsistency of the language used. For instance, on some pages we count objects that are clearly described by a number, such as four banners and five rabbits; on other pages we sometimes count objects that are merely listed, such as "a flag, a ladder, and an anchor," whereas at other times we count only some of them, for instance, "past the house with two chimneys" (we count chimneys but not the house). In another instance the language is not precise enough to match the illustration: the illustrator represents eleven chicken eggs in various stages of development, but the written text begins "In the hen yard: five eggs, three cracking open, two beaks poking out, and one just hatched." The initial description of "five eggs" is misleading, for clearly we see eleven eggs. Inserting the adjective "unhatched" would clarify this description of five eggs. Another drawback of the book is that it contains Stereotypie illustrations of African- American and Asian babies. Thus, the idea of the book is good because renaming numbers is an important strategy for students to use. However, the disadvantages just described make this book less than appealing. - David J. Whitin.

Two Feet, Gwen Pascoe and David Kennett. 1992, 16-pp. big book + teaching guide, $16.95. Macmillan Whole-Language Big Book Program, P.O. Box 938, Hicksville, NY 11802-9820.

We follow the adventures of two feet in this big book for young readers. Two feet are covered with blue socks and placed in yellow boots. They then go walking in a puddle that gets deeper and deeper and muddier and muddier. Finally, these two wet, muddy feet are scrubbed clean in the bathtub as the story ends. The predictable story language makes this an excellent book for young readers. Its emphasis on the set of two would lead to a good discussion of other things in the world that come in sets of two, three, four, and so on. A good companion book to this story is Suzanne Aker's What Comes in 2's, 3's and 4' s (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1990).- David J. Whitin.

What Do I Do at Eight O'clock? Carla Dijs. 1993, 20 pp., $8.95 cloth. ISBN 0-671-

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