Author(s): Virginia Walton Pilegard

Picture Books

A story set in ancient China. In exchange for warm beds and enough to eat, Chuan's father must inventory all of a warlord's many treasures. He fears that the powerful man will accuse him of stealing because he keeps losing count. Chuan sees that the task is overwhelming and volunteers to help. His father asks him to hold up one finger for every 10 boxes that he counts. When all his fingers are up, Chuan uses his toes to count by hundreds. Eventually he finds 10 switches and places 10 beads on each switch. Now he can keep track of his father's counting by using the beads. A simple abacus is invented. The book ends with a brief history of counting frames and a craft. Hues of beige and brown with rich yellows and blues create a Chinese tapestry, and the figures have a claylike stature. This book will be helpful to children learning how to count, add, and subtract and is a good choice for most collections.