Official Review: Livy Little by Gabriella Gugliotta-Comes

Post by **bookowlie** » 18 May 2018, 11:02

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Livy Little" by Gabriella Gugliotta-Comes.]

3 out of 4 stars

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Livy Little: Learn to Count with Livy Little by Gabriella Gugliotta-Comes is a children’s picture book that explores the joy of counting. Livy Little is a little bear who loves to count basically anything - her toes, cats, butterflies, food items during a meal, etc. Her only frustration occurs when she miscounts and has to figure out what she did wrong. Follow along as Livy finds adventure in numbers throughout the day.

I enjoyed this short book as it introduces counting skills in an entertaining way. It shows kids the practical application of simple math in everyday life such as counting how many types of food you are eating or how many fingers you have. Livy is shown having fun which can encourage children to enjoy math from an early age.

The little bear’s enthusiasm is contagious. You can’t help but smile at the joy she exudes while counting. This is reinforced with the refrain, “What wonders can be done with numbers!” Even routine tasks are included; Livy counts the number of brushstrokes while brushing her hair and keeps track of how many chores she completes before bedtime. Kids might not find chores so bothersome if the tasks could be part of a counting game.

The story has an easy-to-understand plot and overall theme. However, there are a few word choices that seem too advanced for children, such as “profusely,” “privilege,” and “appeased.” Also, each page contains multiple paragraphs that are relatively long for this type of story. As a result, the book seems better suited as a read-aloud rather than a learn-to-read story. The breakfast scene, in particular, is busy and goes off track a bit with Livy’s introspective musings.

The author’s colorful and whimsical illustrations are a good fit with the narrative. The only issue I had is that a few of the pages contain more than one type of item Livy is counting. For example, one page discusses a wide range of items that Livy is adding within each classification – cats, mice, sashes, fingers, toes, eyelashes, hats, and doormats. I think having so many items on the same page can be overwhelming at a young age. Also, the fingers, toes, and eyelashes are not emphasized in the picture; instead, the bear is just shown standing in the middle of the room surrounded by the cats, hats, and other items.

This book has earned a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. It is a fun, educational read that introduces simple counting skills to the younger set. The sometimes busy storyline and advanced words prevent me from giving the highest rating. I would recommend the story to children ages 2-6. Hopefully, the author will consider writing more books featuring such a cheerful, appealing character.

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Livy Little
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Libs_Books · Post by **Libs_Books** » 19 May 2018, 13:20

Great review - and a great idea for a book, but the issues that you've picked up on are important, so I think the 3-star rating is spot-on.

lydiasmoot21 · Post by **lydiasmoot21** » 19 May 2018, 18:20

I like that is presents a great way for kids to get into counting. This is a great review.

gali · Post by **gali** » 19 May 2018, 23:46

A children’s picture book that explores counting sounds like a fun read. It is good that it shows kids the how to apply math in an easy-to-understand way. A pity the book missed his mark on some issues. Great review as always!

gen_g · Post by **gen_g** » 20 May 2018, 00:31

Thank you for the nice review, it does seem like a great book for children.

Ginnamassa19 · Post by **Ginnamassa19** » 20 May 2018, 05:26

This seems like a really good book to read to kids as a bedtime story--and also a good introduction to maths! XD It's true that the words used may be a bit too difficult for children to grasp, but overall this seems like an adorable read to me

Thank you for your review--it was very detailed!

Post by **bookowlie** » 20 May 2018, 10:24

Thanks everyone for the nice feedback! Although there are a few advanced words in the story, it might encourage children to ask their parents what the words mean. They can expand their vocabulary that way.

NL Hartje · Post by **NL Hartje** » 20 May 2018, 10:54

bookowlie wrote: ↑18 May 2018, 11:02 Her only frustration occurs when she miscounts and has to figure out what she did wrong.

I can't say I'm a children's book aficionado (although I did read my two children through their early reader stage), but I think this is the first counting book I've seen where the character miscounts. I think its a fantastic inclusion! Kids can get so disheartened by their mistakes and I love that counting errors are addressed here. I'm sold!

Kalin Adi · Post by **Kalin Adi** » 20 May 2018, 13:10

What a cute way to introduce young ones to math. I love the idea of counting the brushstrokes when brushing the hair. Kids would love to do that before going to bed. And I agree that the range of items to be counted shouldn't be so big. Indeed, as the saying says "less is more." Wonderful review. Thanks.

Post by **bookowlie** » 20 May 2018, 16:29

NL Hartje wrote: ↑20 May 2018, 10:54
bookowlie wrote: ↑18 May 2018, 11:02 Her only frustration occurs when she miscounts and has to figure out what she did wrong.
I can't say I'm a children's book aficionado (although I did read my two children through their early reader stage), but I think this is the first counting book I've seen where the character miscounts. I think its a fantastic inclusion! Kids can get so disheartened by their mistakes and I love that counting errors are addressed here. I'm sold!

You make a good point! It might make a child feel better to know he/she is not the only one who makes mistakes.

Post by **bookowlie** » 20 May 2018, 16:30

Kalin Adi wrote: ↑20 May 2018, 13:10 What a cute way to introduce young ones to math. I love the idea of counting the brushstrokes when brushing the hair. Kids would love to do that before going to bed. And I agree that the range of items to be counted shouldn't be so big. Indeed, as the saying says "less is more." Wonderful review. Thanks.

Thanks for the kind words.

I agree that kids would enjoy counting the brushstrokes when brushing your hair. It would become like a fun game.

Post by **kandscreeley** » 20 May 2018, 18:13

This character sounds so cute! I don't have children, but I want to read this book myself. I can picture little kids counting along with Livy. I can see an issue with too many things to count on the same page. Still worth a read! Thanks.

Kat Berg · Post by **Kat Berg** » 20 May 2018, 20:00

I enjoy reading your reviews on children's books. I feel like they help me know what to look for if I were to choose a book for a child, and your points are well thought out. I can tell, for instance, that I probably wouldn't buy this for my 1-year-old goddaughter, but it may make a good gift for her in a few years, as her parents like to read. Thanks for the review.

kfwilson6 · Post by **kfwilson6** » 21 May 2018, 10:40

What a fun book! Completely agree with NL Hartje about the mistakes Livy makes when counting. That is an excellent inclusion. This does sound like it would be a bit daunting for the age group that is actually learning to count. Children are taught to count at a really young age, well before they are ready to read paragraphs and difficult words. Nonetheless, I think I would read this one to my children if I had any

Lovely review.

Kristy Khem · Post by **Kristy Khem** » 21 May 2018, 15:48

I enjoy reading and reviewing kids' books also and the one thing I dislike is when the illustrations don't match up to the story. In my opinion, some of the ones I have read also need to incorporate brighter colors because that's what appeals to children the most.