2 x 2 (by 2): Dancing Feet! & 1+1=5

For some reason (and that reason is Happy Feet), I expected Dancing Feet! to be about penguins. It is not.

This book, though, charmed the socks off of me and it was one of Ella’s favorites of the 2×2 books.

Each page introduces a new animal’s dancing sounds (“stompity-stomp” for an elephant, “tippity-tippity” for ladybugs) and has the most delightful collage-y illustrations of those animals dancing across the pages.

The rhythm is strong without being stupid, and I found myself chanting the words even when Ella wasn’t around (makes me glad I don’t have an office job where this might be embarrassing).

We loved this one and the other book by this pair, Farmyard Beat. Definitely winners in the art and text department, which can be surprisingly hard to come by.

Ella liked looking at 1+1=5 and Other Unlikely Additions, but the concept of this book was way over her head.

Each page gives an equation that’s out of the norm, but does, technically, work. For instance: 1 ant + 1 spider = 14 legs. Clever, yes?

I like books that deal with math in some way, though, and I’ll definitely return to this one when Ella’s a little older and understands at least something about addition.