Don’t let the title fool you into thinking that this is just a number book. In the introduction Lola writes that this is a book that shows how many times one particular animal performs one behavior or grows one feature in its lifetime. The book does not contain a bibliography but Lola shows credibility by writing that she worked with experts to compute the most accurate approximations. The text is spare but rich in facts and the illustrations invite the reader to actually count things such as the 30 roosting holes a woodpecker will drill in its lifetime. The back matter should not be overlooked: additional facts about each living thing, an explanation of computing averages, and an amazing page of how Lola uses math and other clues to figure out answers to questions that haven’t ever been published.
Lola Schaefer has written extensively about the wonders of the natural world. She herself is fascinated with nature and most of her books begin when a question enters her mind. As she explores answers to her questions the books emerge. Lola lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of north Georgia and enjoys reading, writing, hiking, and gardening. She is passionate about helping children learn the tools of writing and I have used her books as mentor texts on numerous occasions. She reads for fun but also like a writer—watching how others build suspense, introduce characters, or paint pictures with words.
Teaching Points: Math problem solving, Reluctant readers, Reading stance (the book invites slowing down), Complex text. As a literary nonfiction mentor text I would use the book to demonstrate writing an introduction, providing acknowledgments, use of a repeated phrase as an organizational structure, creating an authoritative voice, engaging the reader, and use of strong verbs.
Pathways Theme: Living Things
Winner of Orbis Pictus Award for Nonfiction
Reviewed by Krystal Bishop, EdD
Professor of Education
Southern Adventist University
