Ten, Nine, Eight

It is important to me that my kids grow up identifying with kids that look differently than they do. In our house, we talk about race often, but unfortunately, there are not a lot of black families in our little community. This counting book featuring a little black girl being put to bed by her daddy is a wonderful introduction for the youngest children to a black protagonist

Title: Ten, Nine, Eight
Author/Illustrator: Molly Bang
Publication Year: 1983
Website: www.mollybang.com
Age Group: Babies/Toddlers, Preschool
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Comments: This book is intended for children who are learning to count to ten. Once a child has mastered this skill, this book will probably not hold a child’s attention long as there isn’t a plot. However, for those young little ones who are still learning their numbers, this is a beautiful introduction.

The child will have fun counting the items along with the author. Rather than being straightforward and simple, the items to be counted are diverse and interesting. For example, when counting the “soft friends” all of them are stuffed animals except for one, which is a cat.

The fact that the book features a non-white character is a bonus in my book. I want my kids to grow accustomed to faces with different shapes and skin tones and this is a very unassuming, simple, delightful way to achieve this goal.

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