Ten Lively Lorikeets: Let’s Subtract

 

Ten Lively Lorikeets: Let’s Subtract (Little Big Sky Publishing) Grace Nolan & Nancy Bevington

PB RRP $24.99 ISBN 0781922896599

Reviewed by Karen Hendriks 

Ten Lively Lorikeets is Book 3 in a picture book series for learning to count, add, and take away with Aussie animals. In Book 3, ten lively lorikeets are chatting in a line until… one chases a kookaburra. Each lorikeet disappears with the help of a different native Australian bird until there are none left, and then something surprising happens.

Grace Nolan is an author, script writer, composer and performer. She was a reviewer for the Children’s Book Council of Australia. Her love of nature and Australian wildlife inspired the One to Ten and Back Again series, which draws on her educational background and love of children’s literature.

Nancy Bevington’s artistic career spans over three decades, encompassing painting, illustration, and concept creation and execution. Picture books are one of her real passions.  She uses traditional media, including gouache and watercolour, as well as photography.  Many of her books have been sold worldwide and nominated for awards.

Grace Nolan's educational background as a teacher is evident in this story. As a teacher, I taught the ‘Friends of Ten’, and this lovely book is a perfect teaching tool.  The verbs are concise and suit the actions of our lively Australian birds. The text does remind me a little of the Five Little Ducks kids’ song, with the repeated refrain, "then there were…". Nolan’s love of nature, and particularly birds, shines. The added introduction of ten different types of Australian birds is a great way to teach kids how to identify our native birds.  The language is delightful and lyrical, and the text is concise. The backmatter is a wonderful way to practise subtraction and visually see it too.

Nancy Bevington has not only created realistic Australian birds but also added a touch of fun by having the lorikeets wear jester hats.  They are cheeky birds, and I think that is a little play into this. The use of big, wide blue skies and white space allows the birds and their actions to shine more brightly than the noise of too much colour. The birds have personality and bring lots of life to each page. The illustrations draw the eye from left to right across the pages so that the reader can see which individual lorikeet is meeting a new bird. Delightful, fun, and uniquely Australian are great ways to describe Bevington’s illustrations.

Ten Lively Lorikeets: Let’s Subtract is a lively subtraction picture book that is not only a fun read but educational too. Parents, teachers, and librarians alike will love using this book. This vibrant tale, told through birds, teaches not only counting but also subtraction. It’s a great interactive read-aloud for children from birth up to seven years old

Ten Lively Lorikeets: Let’s Subtract

Ten Lively Lorikeets: Let’s Subtract, written by Grace Nolan, illustrated by Nancy Bevington (Little Big Sky) HB ISBN 0781922896599

Ten Lively Lorikeets is a picture book series for learning to count, add, and take away with Aussie animals. Fun and learning go hand in hand in this engaging series. Perfect for children from birth to seven, these books introduce counting, addition and subtraction through playful rhymes and vibrant illustrations. Over the series, young readers will discover 30 native Australian animals while developing early numeracy skills in a joyful, interactive way. Each book includes simple reinforcement activities to extend learning and keep the fun going.

In this book, subtitled ‘One to Ten and Back Again with Friends Series,’ readers are invited to learn the first steps in subtraction with the happy, larking lorikeets who are busy doing flying tricks. They do this with the help of ten different native Australian birds. These include galahs, magpies, wattlebirds, and a variety that most children can observe in their own environments, except maybe a lyrebird or emu chick.

“It’s so easy,” the lorikeets say, “Minus just means take away!”  (Some pages even feature simple sums for the reader).

The book starts with ‘ten lively lorikeets chatting in a line’; however, when one chases a kookaburra, there are only nine. Eventually, of course, after ten birds are chased or found, etc., there are none left (though they met again at the end of the book, and then there are ten).

The book is brightly coloured with lots of empty space and details of Australian fauna (such as gum blossoms, berries, and wattle). 

Something idiosyncratic the illustrator has done is to put red-and-white-striped jesters’ hats on the lorikeets, which might annoy parents reading the book to their small child/ren.