Anno's Counting Book

My children, and now my granddaughters, love this book. Imaginative way to learn to count. Hunting for the objects was like a game. I have given this book numerous times to babies. Anno is a genius in his drawings!

This is the most beautiful number book we own. It also works great if your kids need to learn numbers (and other things!) in more than one language.I highly recommend this book.

My children have two of Anno's books, this one as well as Anno's Italy. As an adult, I find the books beautiful in a very clean and simple way. The illustrations in Anno's Counting Book have a very classic look, and there are no words at all. I'm always surprised that my kids continue to request this book at bedtime, since there is really no story. The idea is pretty simple: there are 12 scenes, and scene number one has one of each item. Scene two has two of each item, etc. It took us a minute to realize that the 12 scenes also represent the 12 months of the year. What makes the book work is really the simplicity and universality of the illustrations.It's great for younger kids in particular. My three year old just recently started understanding what numbers and counting really mean, so this book is a great way to continue developing his number sense. My five year old gets excited to pick items on each page to count. He's convinced he's going to find the wrong number of items on one of the pages (though he hasn't yet). My seven year old has mostly lost interest at this point.

The book itself is great, the condition of it was disappointing. It looked as if it was dropped before packing, as the corner looked “smashed”.

I found this book on a recommended Early Math reading list posted on the PBS Parents website.Since there are no words in this book, there is nothing to actually read to your child. But it is likely one of the longest 12 page books I've read. And it is by far the most significant number book my 3 year old has read.Anno uses a town to depict and define numbers 0-12, the seasons, and the months of the year. The seasons and months are recognizeable, but not the focus like the numbers are. For the number 0, you see a blank landscape with a small river. When the child turns the page, he sees a large number 1 on the right side of the book and in the landscape one lone building, one tree, one sun, one snowman.... There is also a set of blocks on the left side of the book, with one block colored in. Thus, the child can see the number 1 represented as a numeral, as a block (of a set of 10), and as an object (one building, one tree, one person). As you turn the pages and the numbers increase, a village forms. The final page is the number 12 -- a full village at Christmas time, complete with 12 reindeer in the sky.As a parent, I enjoy having my daughter "read" to me. But I am most amazed by how the book has helped her to grasp the concept of numbers. As she explained, "0, Mommy. Because there's nothing there."

Our second generation is now loving this beautiful, clever, playful book. Although there are no words, the story line is a delight. A watercolored village develops one page to the next starting with 0 and ending with 12. The pictures add one item in each category for each new number, building on the previous scene. Readers can find and count buildings, children, adults, pine trees, cherry trees, and an assortment of animals. In addition, in a lovely subtle manner, the four northern hemisphere seasons pass from January to December. The details of adult and child activities through time and seasons can be noted. Anno's creativity in this genre is unsurpassed. For my children, and now for my grandson, this book evokes fascination on several levels both aesthetic and intellectual. Start using it as a baby word book, and it will last as a joy throughout early childhood. Not every baby book must be a board book. Teaching children to turn pages gently is easy to do and adds to the amazing, shared experience.

Read this over and over with my own children and they loved it. Buying for friends' children/grandchildren and they are loving it, too. Timeless, lots to capture kids' interest and counting. The suggested age is 3 and up, but we used it earlier than 3 years of age; it depends on the child. We're buying them now for newborns figuring they'll "grow into it."

My kids loved it when they were young and now I read it to little friends who visit us. Every little kid that comes over is fascinated with this book. It is definitely one that gives the reader and the child opportunities to interact as you point and count the tiny pictures. You’ll notice something different every time.

Ein Zahlenbuch voll Schönheit, Harmonie und Trost - voll Sympathie für Europa - so schön wie alle anderen Bücher des Künstlers auch.