More then Just Your Typical Numbers Book - One Wolf Howls by Scotti Cohn, Illustrated by Susan Detwiler

When you go to the bookstore or your local library, there are tons of number books to choose from. We probably own a good 20 of them - they mostly count to 10, involve animals, and rhyme. This is a pretty successful formula. This particular book - One Wolf Howls by Scotti Cohn, kicks things up a notch and takes the learning thing to higher levels. My soon-to-be 5 year old son really enjoys this book - and it has done more than just reinforce the numbers 1 through 12.

Ricky's impression of wolves was largely based on the mean wolves who served the Ice Queen in the Chronicles of Narnia movie and the mysterious pack of wolves in the Polar Express. When we read this book he is able to view them as animals who have a family, who hunt for food, and take care of their pups.

In addition to the nature element, the book has reinforced the months of the year - along with the corresponding seasons and the weather those months bring. Scotti Cohns' writing is appropriate and engaging for preschoolers and very enjoyable to read aloud for parents. The illustrations are picturesque and look very life-like. I feel that this age group has too many books that are cartoon-like already - and they are old enough to start looking at more accurate and life-like pictures. In other words, it's good to mix it up!!

There is a surprise at the end of the book for readers - a matching activity, fun facts, life cycle, and a calendar activity. There is also a page that discusses hunting and endangered wolves.

I highly recommend this book for preschoolers. It goes beyond your ordinary numbers book and tricks your child into learning months and seasons. Since I'm committed to looking into more educational materials for my kids, I've chosen this as my very first review for the new year.

THE BEST Sticker Activity Book for Toddlers EVER!!!

If you have a toddler, this book and other variations of it are an absolute must. This book keeps my 2 1/2 year old busy for 20-30 minute intervals at a time and it is incredibly fun and educational.

There are sections of this book devoted to ABCs -uppercase and lower case, Phonics, Numbers, Counting, Colors, Shapes, Trucks, Animals, and Vocabulary. There are stickers that go along with corresponding workbook-type pages and you sit with your child, peel off the stickers he/she wants and have him/her put it in the right spot. This reinforces so many different important concepts that they need to learn at this age.

The book is so big that it will take your toddler months to actually finish the book, but there are so many different sections that he/she will never be bored. Admittedly, Ricky is devoted to the Trucks section and we always start there but then we do manage to navigate to other sections of the book.

I have seen variations of this book by the same publisher and I am hoping and praying to God that they manage to produce more kinds. This is by far the best activity book I have come across for Ricky. It is engaging and so very educational. I have recommended this book to all my mommy friends. But the funny part is that I have only seen these books sold at Toys R Us. Not sure why.

Minnie's Diner: A Multiplying Menu by Dayle Ann Dodds

This is a really cute book. It's the story of a farmer who has several sons and they are supposed to work hard on the family farm. They are each distracted by the smells coming from Minnie's Diner and as each son goes to the diner to eat, his order is doubled from his brother before him. Even though Ricky is no where near multiplying yet, he did recognize the numbers alone and enjoyed the idea that these people ate so much food! I definitely see us checking this out of the library several more times!