One Cat, Two Cats: A lift-the-flap, pop-up book with 20 cats to count!

One Cat, Two Cats is my new favourite counting picture book! My toddler and I are both cat-lovers so it was a sure winner, but it is actually the rhythmic catchy text that has won us over the most - thank you, Johnathan Emmett!

The story reads, 'One cat, Two cats, Three cats, Four! Five cats, Six cats, Eager to explore...' This simple, catchy language has meant that after a couple of reads, my toddler is now able to fully engage with and verbalise the book independently. So her ability to engage with this book for pleasure has reached a whole new level.

One Cat, Two Cats teaches SO many important number elements, too. At first, we learn to recognise numerals as each cat we are introduced to has a number clearly presented on its collar. We are then able to begin supporting children to learn the word spelling for each numeral, as they match this to the hidden cat behind each flap.

We also learn to order these numbers in a sequence since Rob Hodgson strategically places the cats in a different order on each page. This provides a great opportunity to challenge the children to identify the cats and count them in order by correctly recognising the numerals. And if all that counting wasn't interactive enough, there is a physical interactive element on every page ranging from lift-the-flaps, to fold out pages and pop-up pages.

This book has so much to offer and will really support our little ones' numerical development. I would insist this book is in every early years setting and it would make a valuable addition to any home with children aged two to five years.

16 pages / Reviewed by Jessica Bunney, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 0+

Bright and beautiful, One Cat, Two Cats is quite simply brilliant! Bursting with gentle humour, children will love the simple rhyming text and the feline antics on every page.

The book is wonderfully interactive with lift-the-flaps and pop-ups galore encouraging children to count the cats along the way. Each feline is full of character and every reader - grown-ups included - is sure to have their favourite and track them through the book. Cat Number One is already called Peggotty in our house, named after one of our beloved cats, whilst Number 7 is Ebenezer, not because of the colouring or shape, but because of his cheeky expression!

The story might lead to children drawing twenty cats of their own - or making simple finger puppets - giving each a collar bearing a number, which could then be used to help children sequence numbers to 20. The illustrations in the story lend themselves brilliantly to oral story telling, developing descriptive and positional language whilst talking about the pictures.

There is so much to explore and enjoy with this book - and not just with little children as it could easily be used to inspire paper engineering projects with older ones! Robust pages and quality production make this a book which can - and will be!- enjoyed again and again! 5 stars are nowhere near enough!

16 pages / Reviewed by Sue Wilsher, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 3+