COUNTABLOCK

Have you heard about COUNTABLOCK? It’s the numerical follow up to the hugely popular ABC board book, ALPHABLOCK written by Christopher Franceschelli and illustrated by the super-cool husband and wife design-duo, PESKIMO.
We were so excited to receive a copy of this book to review and let me tell you…it does not disappoint! Following the same format as its equally chunky counterpart Alphablock, it uses die cut numbers (instead of letters) to create a peek through guessing game with a 3D effect where little ones can interact with the pages experiencing the physical look and feel of each numeral. The colourful double-page spreads begin counting from 1 to 10 where a flip of the page will reveal 4 babies becoming 4 children and 6 balls of wool becoming six sweaters and so on…..
My absolute favourite bit about the book is the fact that the numbers go beyond 10 all the way up to 100! This is the perfect teaching tool for little kids as so many counting books rarely go further than 20, so I’m always on the lookout for opportunities to introduce double-digit number sequencing in a fun and engaging way. The bright, bold illustrations are likewise just as irresistible as the playful concept and feature all the kind of things that little ones know and love like sunflowers, butterflies, popcorn, popsicles, cookies etc making it easily relatable and readable.
After the jump from 10 little ones are introduced to the concept of double digit numbers and encouraged with fun little prompts and humorous touches along the way to count what comes next… 20 caterpillars become 20 butterflies, 40 eggs become 39 chicks and one dinosaur and 90 kernels of corn become 90 pieces of popcorn!
The final 100 puzzle-piece gatefold spread features all the quirky characters and illustrative elements and objects from the book making it a satisfying final visual feast for the eyes. Little Bou enjoyed the ‘Countablock’ counting experience so much, she insisted we read it three times over in the first sitting. Now that’s what we call kiddie-approved!
Both Alphablock and Countablock have that design-savvy timeless appeal that will inspire both the kiddos and the grown ups alike with all the hallmarks of childhood classic’s in the making. As a parent this is exactly the kind of criteria I have in mind when choosing new titles to share with my little one especially when it comes to making learning feel fresh and fun. All of which both books have a plenty! We can’t wait to see what they do next…
This post is sponsored by Abrams & Chronicle but all thoughts and opinions are my own