REVIEWS
So many wonderful Reviews! Read the complete review by clicking the link.
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Looking for a great intro the world of numbers and math? Is 2 A Lot, written by Annie Watson and illustrated by Rebecca Evans, aims to help kids understand numbers in the context of things they see every day. Head out on a road trip while a young kiddo asks his mom questions like, "Is one thousand a lot?" Mom's answer? "One thousand is not a lot of grains of sand, but it is a lot of hot air balloons!"
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Unleashing Readers
"Trent loves books like I do, but he really is more of a science and math kid than I was (am!), so whenever we can combine the two in fun ways, the book is a favorite in my house. This also shows the engagement opportunities with a book in a classroom. I love that the story is a conversation between a mom and her son. It reminds me so much of so many conversations I’ve had in my car with Trent. I really promotes the inquisitiveness of kids which is something I think we all need to keep promoting. Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: Trent actually had a hard time grasping the concept that is being discussed in the book, so it would be an amazing math activity to turn the conversations into manipulatives and bring the numbers to life!" 
"Is Two a Lot? is a wonderfully charming and authentic exchange between mother and child. Annie Watson’s story makes numbers tangible, and Rebecca Evans’s illustrations bring them to life."
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Kirkus Reviews
"A picture book that accurately depicts how children think about numbers and values in a fun and engaging way. What is a lot? Joey has many questions about what “a lot” means. “Is 2 a lot?” What about four—or 100? As Joey and his mother drive out of town into fantastical settings from the past and present (“Fasten safety belt before time travel,” reads a road sign), his mother explains that a number of anything can be a lot or not a lot at all. The examples that Joey’s mother gives are humorous (“TWO is not a lot of pennies,” she observes, “but TWO is a lot of smelly skunks") and will make people of all ages laugh as they read this book. Numbers are both written as words and shown numerically to help readers identify the two different systems, making it a great book to add as a supplement to math curricula. Evans’ playful watercolor illustrations encourage engagement. Readers will want to count the number of skunks, cowboys, and other imaginative creatures and objects Joey and his mother discuss throughout the book, and they will enjoy seeing various characters from the places they visit pile into the trunk of the station wagon. Joey and his mom present East Asian, and other humans they meet are diverse. Children who are learning the meaning of value and numbers will both learn from this book, with its whimsical examples of what “a lot” means, and find much to enjoy. (Picture book. 4-6)" |
IMAGINATION SOUP Use this delightful picture book to talk about numbers and perspective with your preschoolers and early elementary-age kids. A little boy and his mommy talk about numbers from two to one hundred. For each number, she explains that some things are a lot and some are a little. For example, 3 is not a lot of books but 3 is a lot of broken bones. Or 100 is not a lot of snowflakes but 100 is a lot of candles on a cake.
What is “a lot” to you, personally? The idea of turning that kind of discussion with a child into a book with a plot can be intimidating. Watson and Evans’ solution seems to be to inject a little time travel into the proceedings. A boy and his mother are driving and he’s peppering her with questions about numbers’ worths. Eventually she comes up with concrete examples about why a number cannot be said to always be big or small. Stuff like, “TWO is not a lot of pennies, but TWO is a lot of smelly skunks.” There’s a practicality to the book that’s refreshing.
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Librarian's Quest
We probably don't take into consideration the impact of amounts and certain things, but it is an intriguing way to look at numbers. Is 2 a Lot?: An Adventure with Numbers (Tilbury House Publishers, June 4, 2019) written by Annie Watson with illustrations by Rebecca Evans explores concepts of quantity. Readers will discover perceptions or points of view do weigh heavily on what may or may not be a lot of something or anything. You might want to buckle up and hang on tight. This is no ordinary ride. (Read the complete review by clicking the link above.) 
Joey and his mom discuss the surprising ways that quantities can be measured and compared in this creative adventure with numbers. It adds up to a whole lot of fun, and active illustrations highlight Joey’s wild imagination as he learns that 2, 10, 50, and even one thousand can seem like a lot or a little, depending on whether you are dealing with grains of sand on the beach, smelly skunks, or colorful hot-air balloons.
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