COUNTABLOCK BOARD BOOK

One of those board books that makes adults stop and look twice. Countablock is the companion volume to the celebrated Alphablock — and it is every bit as cleverly conceived. Each thick page is die-cut into the shape of a number, so children literally hold and see through 1, 2, 3 as they turn the pages, peering through each numeral to glimpse the illustrated scene on the next spread before the page turns to reveal it fully.

The concept is simple and brilliant: one egg becomes one chick. From snowmen to puddles, acorns to oaks, each quantity is illustrated twice — before and after its transformation — reinforcing both counting and narrative thinking in a single turn of the page. The die-cut format also means children are physically tracing the shape of each numeral with their eyes and hands as they play, building number recognition in the most tactile and natural way possible.

The illustrations are by Peskimo, the hip British design duo whose work is bold, graphic and completely irresistible — vivid colour, crisp character design and the kind of layered visual detail that gives toddlers something new to find on every read. A genuinely beautiful object as well as a genuinely brilliant counting book. Ideal from around age 2, and the kind of gift that stays on the shelf for years.

• Written by Christopher Franceschelli; illustrated by Peskimo
• Die-cut board book — pages cut into the shape of each number for tactile peek-through play
• Counts 1–100; each number illustrated before and after transformation
• Published by Abrams Appleseed, September 2014
• ISBN: 9781419713743