Counting book 1 2 3

Connie Snoek worked as a theater maker when she discovered her passion for illustrating. She wrote the stories and designed the decors, clothing and figures of her own children’s puppet theater. In 2009 she decided to focus entirely on illustrating children’s books. She’s inspired by nature and by her journeys to Asia. Connie received an Honorable Mention for her picture book Cas de cat by 3x3 magazine of contemporary illustration in New York. Her work is exhibited all over the world.

"A group of animals help little ones count from one to 10. Each page of this wordless picture book includes a different number (or two) and animal combination. We see three yellow beetles, each with three black dots, nestled into a tree; the contrast of the red tree against the white space results in the number three. Snoek invites readers to practice numeracy and one-to-one correspondence but also gives the pages extra illustrative depth, cleverly incorporating the shape of the number into the image. On one page, we see angular touches to the birds’ beaks and necks so that they appear to resemble the number seven; the llamas’ bodies and necks evoke the swirl of the number six. Another page features eight spiders, each with eight legs and a figure-eight–shaped body. Unlike counting books that simply provide readers with objects and numbers, Snoek’s version invites lingering with each page turn. Though the palette is limited to primary colors and black and white, the visuals are nevertheless intriguing, each page different than the last thanks to shadowing and inspired color combinations. There are counting books aplenty, but this take provides readers with an intentional, artistic experience. Rests cheerfully at the intersection of art and (early) math." - Kirkus ReviewsChildren's Book Council April 2023 Hot Off the Press reading list