Count My Kisses, Little One by Ruthie May

Count My Kisses, Little One is a new book I’m adding to the list of mathematics literature under topics on this blog. Illustrated by Tamsin Ainslie, this padded board book shows a little girl playing with her toys: a stuffed dog, bear, and rabbit. The cute dog, with a patch over one eye, is her “baby,” whom she shatters with a total of ten kisses, all represented by pink and red hearts. The rhyming text will be fun to share with little ones.


The images are against a white background which makes the pastel colors even brighter. The hearts are clear and visible, making it easy for young readers to find and count them. Yet, some readers might find it hard to focus on the hearts since some of the pages include other alluring images. For example, when the narrator has “Five kisses for baby along the garden path,” readers will probably be drawn to the tree, flowers, butterflies, and the girl’s friends.
Note:
Take a look at Lisa Rojany Buccieri's review. She writes more about the little girl's parental roleplay and the book's time sequence.