First look at How to Two makes it look like a book about kids playing. And it. However, David Soman twists it up a bit with the how the kids start to play. Over all this is a terribly clever book. It has rich, deep, solid illustrations. The story works well for a classroom or one-on-one reading. It is educational and fun.
What it is not, however, is one of my OMG LOOOOVE this book! The idea of counting from one to ten by each child adding one more child to the play time is a great idea. Then, when it is time to go home we reverse that and count ten to one. It is poetic and a pleasant treat to the eyes. Great colors pop off the page. If you look closely you can see who the next child is going to be add to the friendships started. The “afterwards” has a list of the animals you could find and the number of them (this is a clue to what page to look at). There is the hidden gems of the last page that show you the types of people who are “out there” as a family. You see two moms, one dad, different religions, and colors. It is sweet. It is simple. It is fun to read.
Yet, I had no interest in rereading it or keeping it in my collection. What I have interest in, is finding the right home for it. I think preschool teachers and kindergarten teachers (or homeschoolers) could be the best audience for this. As well as a reader who is little farther along in solo reading or with a little help, as the simpler text allows it to be adapted to ages preschool to first grade.