One Hungry Heron - Hardcover

Beck, Carolyn

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 155455361X ISBN 13: 9781554553617

Publisher: Fitzhenry and Whiteside, 2023

Synopsis

1

One hungry heron,
tall and still,
crooks her leg
and tips her bill.

2

Two drowsy catfish,
way down deep,
snuffle through the muck,
then go to sleep.

3

Three darting dragonflies
hover and dip.
Whiz! Pause! Whiz!
Zoom! Zoom! Zip!

The scene starts out quietly enough, but soon the lone heron is joined by two lazy catfish and three darting dragonflies. Before you can say ten tiny turtles, the pond is alive with a great array of wetland wildlife.

Told in clever rhyme, this is a counting book with a difference. Numbers are spelled out in bold text, decorated numerals adorn each page, and amounts are depicted by groupings of swimming, flapping, paddling, darting pond creatures. Up to ten and down again, the count goes forwards and backwards, as thunder rumbles in the background. Plip, plop, the rain begins and lightning flashes. Everything dives for shelter and stays hidden - until the sun comes out. Then life returns to the pond providing a delightful search and count last page.

Rarely is so much delivered in one spectacular counting book.

About this title

About the Author:

Carolyn Beck is the critically acclaimed author of Dog Breath and Wellington's Rainy Day. She lives in Toronto.

Karen Patkau is an award-winning author and illustrator of many books for children including Don't Eat Spiders, Python Play and One Watermelon Seed. She lives in Toronto.

Review:

"Beck's unique take on the conventional counting book is filled with beautifully descriptive imagery that brings to life each creature using simple words and short poems. . . The cadence of each animal perfectly suits its actions, and evokes the rhythm of each creature for young readers.

"The colourful collage illustrations by Patkau will provide hours of absorbed study, with realistic details. . . The best counting books are those that encourage the child to participate in the process, and One Hungry Heron succeeds in spades with a search-and-find technique."
— Canadian Children's Book News

"Counting book, vocabulary builder, nature book and more, One Hungry Heron is one of this year's absolute must-buys by early years/elementary school libraries and public libraries.
Highly Recommended."
— CM Magazine

About this edition

• Publisher: Fitzhenry and Whiteside
• Publication date: 2023
• ISBN 10: 155455361X
• ISBN 13: 9781554553617
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Patkau Karen