We Need More Nuts by Jonathan Fenske

Liesel Schmidt is a children's librarian at Denver Public Library's Central Library. She enjoys exploring the wonders of the world alongside all sorts of kids.

How many nuts are enough for two hungry squirrels? Find out in Jonathan Fenske's goofy counting book, We Need More Nuts! An exuberant squirrel tosses nuts into their friend's mouth and, as the friend's cheeks fill with "One nut. Two nuts. Three nuts. Four nuts," the happy squirrel proclaims, "Fun. Fun. Fun! These nuts are great!" The friend catches all the nuts tossed their way, with ever-expanding cheeks, leaving readers to guess: Will they ever reach the point of too many nuts?

Fenske, who won a Geisel Honor in 2016 for A Pig, a Fox, and a Box, merrily addresses many of the needs of a beginning reader. This is a counting book that, unusually, goes all the way up to twenty-four, guiding readers through the tricky teens and into the twenties. The text is entirely made up of the squirrels' speech, presented in speech bubbles. Vocabulary is repeated frequently throughout the text with lots of clues to build confidence, although a few contractions may throw learners for a loop.

Bold, cartoony illustrations provide visual clues to the text. In fact, the illustrations carry much of the storyline. While one squirrel cheerfully counts while passing nuts to their friend, the other squirrel's reactions are not written. The reader can see the second squirrel's growing frustration, although that aspect of the story is told exclusively through the artwork. Dynamic illustrations will leave young readers laughing--and motivate readers to keep reading.

As nuts are passed around, the squirrel's speech provides the written word for each number, while the image of the nut itself has the numeral marked on it. In this way, young readers are supported as they connect numeral to written word. For twelve, a number that can be particularly difficult for young learners, extra support is given. "Our old friend twelve," says the squirrel, pointing at the numeral. "Where one...meets two!" Readers who already know how to recite the numbers one through twenty will feel confident pairing the written words with the numerals as the book moves along.

We Need More Nuts! expertly pairs the structure and simplicity needed in a beginning reader with humor. Fenske has given us another silly read that manages to subtly push beginning readers toward greater skill.