Count on Me

Committed to pinpointing her passion, a brown-skinned girl observes her painter father, entomologist mother, and budding musician brother pursue theirs. At school, she delves into the many possibilities at hand—performance, cookery, and sports—but nothing sticks. At last, she admits to a love of math, which she takes deep pleasure in seeing everywhere: “There are geometric shapes on the playground. And when we go to the lake, I skip stones to see the concentric circles form in the water.” Muted watercolor illustrations by Tanco perfectly accompany the dreamy lilt of the text as the child finds “the perfect curve” of the slide and launches a paper airplane. The occasional appearance of complex equations may feel baffling to readers within the stated age range, but the volume reminds readers that “there are infinite ways to see the world.” Back matter includes an illustrated notebook explaining highlighted mathematical concepts. A beautifully rendered love letter to math. Ages 3–7. [em](June) [/em]