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Summary
Summary
1 told 2
and 2 told 3,
"I'll race you to the top
of the apple tree."
One hundred and one numbers climb the apple tree in this bright, rollicking, joyous book for young children. As the numerals pile up and bumblebees threaten, what's the number that saves the day? (Hint: It rhymes with "hero.") Read and count and play and laugh to learn the surprising answer.
Author Notes
Children's writer Bill Martin, Jr. was born and raised in Hiawatha, Kansas. Ironically, the future early childhood educator had difficulty reading until he taught himself, before graduating with a teaching certificate from Emporia State University.
After graduation, he taught high school drama and journalism in Kansas. He served in the Army Air Force as a newspaper editor during World War II. He wrote his first book, The Little Squeegy Bug, for his brother, Bernard, an artist, to illustrate while recuperating from war wounds. It was published in 1945 and the brothers would go on to collaborate on 10 more books by 1955.
He earned a master's degree and doctorate in early childhood education from Northwestern University and became principal of an elementary school in Evanston, Ill., where he developed innovative reading programs. In 1962 Martin moved to New York City to become editor of the school division of Holt, Rhinehart and Winston where he developed the literature-based reading programs Sounds of Language and The Instant Readers.
Martin returned to full-time writing in 1972 and ended up writing over three hundred children's books during his career. His titles include; Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do You See?, Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What do you Hear?, The Ghost-Eye Tree, Barn Dance, and Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom. He died on August 11, 2004 at the age of 88.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (2)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3-This fun and lively counting tale written by Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Sampson and illustrated by Lois Ehlert (S & S, 2004) is the companion book to the authors' Chicka Chicka Boom, Boom (S & S, 1989). In this story, the numbers race up a tree, beginning with 1, 2, and 3 and ending with 100. Zero offers the common refrain "Chicka chicka 1, 2, 3-Will there be a place for me?" As the tree becomes full of the various numbers, they are threatened by a swarm of bees. Delightful narration, music, and vocals are provided by Crystal Taliefero. Appealing sound effects add to the telling. Ehlert's simply animated, brightly colored cut paper artwork is enchanting and will appeal to young viewers. The bouncing, rhyming text is perfectly suited to the video and audio formats. There are page-turn signals on one track of the audio format, while an uninterrupted version of the story is told on the other. A bonus track features the fun and lively "Chicka Chicka 1 2 3" song that's certain to have children singing along. Useful for math and counting units as well as 100th day celebrations. Sure to be a popular choice in school and public libraries.-Maren Ostergard, King County Library System, Issaquah, WA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Martin and Sampson (co-authors of I Pledge Allegiance) and Ehlert present an exuberant follow-up to Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (which Martin wrote with John Archambault, and Ehlert illustrated in 1989). Here numbers take over an apple tree, rather than letters tumbling from coconut tree branches. Launching the appealingly absurd antics is a challenge framed in the familiar rhythm: "1 told 2/ and 2 told 3,/ `I'll race you to the top/ of the apple tree.' " As the subsequent numbers climb one by one with equal enthusiasm (after 20, the counting goes up by 10s), a worried zero (as indicated by a stray bead of perspiration) chants a refrain, "Chicka Chicka/ 1, 2, 3.../ Will there be a/ place for me?" The climbing comes to a halt when bumblebees arrive, ordering the numbers to vacate, which they do in reverse order ("90, 80,/ 70 fall,/ hit the ground/ in a free-for-all"). A fun twist involves a missing number and zero, who finally realizes where he belongs and leaps atop the leaves, a move that scares off the bees and clears the way for the other numbers to return. Featuring electric colors and an amalgam of basic shapes, Ehlert creates cut-paper compositions as wry and buoyant as the rhyming text. Several embellishments offer additional whimsy (5 wears a top hat, 70 sports long hair); endpapers and jacket flaps brim with brightly-hued numbers. Cleverly calculated verse and visuals add up to numerical mayhem that will entertain as well as reinforce counting skills and digit identification. Ages 3-7. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved