Counting with Tiny Cat

From the opening spread you can sense that this is not a conventional counting book. On the right hand page squats a cat with an aghast expression while on the opposite page the word NONE stands in stark solemnity. On the next few pages, an increasing number of red balls of wool appear for Tiny Cat to juggle and play with. However, the exact numbers soon cease as the quantities rise rapidly and are replaced by terms that encourage discussion about mathematical concepts around capacity in a light-hearted way.

Effective use of white space is made in the deceptively simple pictures, in which the only splashes of bright colour are the red balls of wool. This allows for focus on Tiny Cat who is clearly having lots of fun. He can be found engaging in other playful activities in the drawings which are sketched in black on a red background on the endpapers.

This picture book began life in a workshop session with teachers led by Viviane Schwarz on CLPE’s Power of Pictures course.

Also: Animals with Tiny Cat (9781406381603), Walker £7.99