Book Review - Used Any Numbers Lately?

Used Any Numbers Lately? (Millbrook Picture Books)

By: Susan Allen and Jane Lindaman
Publisher: Millbrook Press
Publication Date: January 2013
ISBN: 978-1467708647
Reviewed by: Deb Fowler
Review Date: April 2013

There are numbers all around us, but where can you see them? If you run and play in a hallway in an apartment building you'll see an "apartment number." A is for apartment, but if you get ready to hop on a school bus with your friends, you'll know which bus to get on when you see the "bus number." B is for bus, but when you have calendar time you need to point to "calendar numbers." Ah, but when the school day is done you can head to the candy store. There you'll be able to make your selection and will know how much you have to pay when you see those "dollar numbers.' D is for dollar, but what comes next?

If there is a little fire on your picnic table when the candles fall over, Dad knows just what to do. He'll call 911, an "emergency number." Not to worry because things will be fine. E is for emergency, but when you go on vacation it's fun to swim in the hotel pool. If you get in the elevator, you'll know when to get off when you see a "floor number." F is for floor, but when you are back in school you have a "grade number." G is for grade and everyone in Mrs. Wellington's 1st grade class is hamming it up for the camera. When the day is done, you'll head back home where the mailman has delivered your mail. He knows your "house number." H is for house, but can you think of other numbers to make your way through the rest of the alphabet?

This is a delightfully charming alphabet book based on numbers around us. Although the title of this book indicates a focus on numbers, it also focuses on the alphabet. Each letter is printed out in lower and uppercase letters on one side with a number to the left. Each number relates to things that most young children either see on a daily basis or are familiar with. The artwork is quite busy and very appealing. The book was unusually ingenious with some of the more "difficult" letters seen in alphabet books. For example, for the letter V we see grandma and grandpa dancing away as their young granddaughter puts the "volume number" on 35. This would be an excellent book to read and discuss during circle or storytime in the homeschool or classroom setting.

Quill says: This is the perfect book to acquaint young children with number and alphabet concepts!