How Many Jelly Beans?

This utterly delightful oversize book takes on big numbers, using jelly beans as counters. When Emma and Aiden are asked how many jelly beans they want, they carry on a boasting match, resulting in escalating amounts of candy ("He can have twenty? I'll have twenty-five!"). Five hundred beans cover a coffee table, and 1,000 beans are divided out over the days of a year on calendar pages. The bright jelly beans are one of the few sources of color in Labat's loosely sketched spreads, which culminate in a jaw-dropping 10-panel foldout finale for one million jelly beans. Next stop: the dentist. Ages 4-8. (May)

Gr 2-5--Emma and Aiden begin a competition when asked how many jelly beans they would like. One asks for 10, the other asks for 20, then 25, and on through the hundreds, thousands, to a million. The actual number of jelly beans is displayed on each page in bright hues. As the quantities get larger, the beans get smaller and smaller, eventually making it impossible to count them individually but the math concepts are clear by comparing the masses. The children have fun adding, dividing, and comparing numbers of jelly beans to the height of a building. When they reach one million (an impressive 20-page gatefold), they concede that it's too many for any child to handle. Labat's artwork consists of bold black cartoon sketches and large expressive speech bubbles. Reminiscent of David M. Schwartz's How Much Is a Million? (HarperCollins, 1985), this book will help children grasp the concept of large numbers in a playful way. The gatefold gives an accurate account of what one million looks like but it is difficult to unfold and refold, and it requires an adult's assistance to prevent tearing. This oversize book is sure to catch the eye of curious kids and hold their attention.--Diane Antezzo, Ridgefield Library, CT