Product Description

First published in 1968, Ten Black Dots is a counting book, a book of simple rhymes, and a book of everyday objects.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #78294 in Books
• Published on: 1995-09-21
• Released on: 1995-09-21
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780688135744
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2 This revised and redesigned edition of Crews' 1968 book contains several changes that give the title more appeal. The larger format makes the book a more useful choice for story hour sessions. Larger and more legible type makes reading easier for beginners. Although the rhymed text to introduce objects from one to ten remains almost unchanged, the colors of the objects have been altered, and textures have been added for visual variety. The rake now moves through tiny grass bits, for example, and the piggy bank looks more like a pink porker than did its brown predecessor. Crews' unmistakable graphic style is still evident, and the striking visuals are the book's strong feature. Unfortunately, Crews does not avoid one pitfall that plagues many picture books: the relationship between objects of different sizes. The two dots that are the fox's eyes are the same size as the two in the eyes of keys on the opposite page. Hence, each key is almost as large as the head of a fox. An addition in the new version is a series of black dots to be counted at the end of the book. Despite some weaknesses, the book is a good choice for collections in which straightforward counting books are in high demand.Kathy Piehl, Mankato State University, Minn.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author
Donald Crews is the renowned creator of two Caldecott Honor books, Freight Train and Truck. Among his other enormously popular books are such favorites as Night at the Fair, Sail Away, Bigmama's, Shortcut, and School Bus. He and his wife, Ann Jonas, live in New York's Hudson River Valley.

Donald Crews grew up in Newark, New Jersey, and says that all through his childhood the members of his family were always doing something with their hands. He was always drawing pictures. Now, in the old farmhouse where he lives with his wife, the noted author and illustrator Ann Jonas, Donald Crews is still drawing pictures.

After graduating from New York City's Cooper Union, Mr. Crews spent three years working as a designer. He was assistant art director of Dance magazine, on the staff of a small design studio, and did freelance work as a book-jacket designer. But in 1962 he was inducted into the Army, and for a time his artistic pursuits were set aside. As the end of his eighteen-month military stint in Germany approached, he assigned himself to the task of writing and illustrating a children's book to add to his portfolio. The result was the brilliant concept book We Read: A to Z (Harper & Row, 1967), which, nearly twenty years later, was reissued by Greenwillow Books. Ten Black Dots, a counting book, came next, and then several books for which he did illustrations only. But the turning point came in 1978, when Greenwillow published Freight Train, a picture book inspired by Mr. Crews's childhood train trips from Newark to visit his grandmother in Florida. It was named a Caldecott Honor Book. Since then, Mr. Crews has created several other highly acclaimed picture books (including Truck, a 1981 Calclecott Honor Book), all painted in the flat, clean colors and bright, unambiguous shapes that are the hallmarks of his striking graphics.

When Donald Crews is asked why he focuses on picture books, he frequently answers, "Why not?" All the tools necessary for the creation of any piece of art are also elements in a successful picture book. Mr. Crews chooses a subject, explores ways to develop the subject visually, writes a story, then produces his finished illustrations. And the final audience, the children, tell him that they like what he does. Why not, indeed!

Customer Reviews

What Can You Do With 10 Black Dots?
In fact, quite a bit can be done with a big dot. I gave my son and daughter some large dots and we had fun experimenting with what we could make out of them.

However, art is not my reason for giving a thumbs up to this book. I like its math side.

For toddlers there is counting. And for older children (I would say preschool age) there is an chart at the end of the book which shows dots and numbers from 1 to 5 on the first page and 6 to 10 on the next two pages (only 5 dots fit per page). Having the numbers and dots shown in this manner is a marvelous way to let little ones see the `ladder' shape of the number pyramid. And an opportunity to point out how moving up or down the stairs is equivalent to addition and subtraction.

We like this book. It has a cute concept that is appealing to young children. (Toddler to Preschool)

4 Stars for being of mathematical as well as artistic interest.

What can THEY do with ten black dots?
Great for your Kindergarten classroom. The book is simply different illustrations of pics you can make with black dots. We use black circle stickers (very cheap) and give each child 10. The class book that follows is a hit in the classroom library!

Ten black dots that stir the imagination
This is a fun book for young children. With the large pictures and font, the book begs to be touched and held and read! It could be used to reinforce a math lesson on counting objects. Afterward, the teacher/parent could give each child ten black dots, crayons, and paper and have them use their imagination to see what they could make. I think every young child should have a chance to hear or read this book!