Absolutely One Thing - (Charlie and Lola) by Lauren Child

About the Book

Sometimes, as a treat, Mom takes Charlie and Lola to the store and says they may choose "one thing." With Lola hilariously bending everyday numbers to her will, the math goes down easy in this charming picture book loaded with visual appeal. Full color.

Book Synopsis

"Sunny and energetic. . . . Plenty of math is squeezed into the text, but the joy of numbers is conveyed much more effectively." -- School Library Journal

Charlie and Lola are going to the store, and their mother says they may choose one thing. "One thing to share?" Lola asks. No, one thing each, explains Charlie, or two actual things between two. Lola is nine minutes late getting ready, and on the way, there are ladybugs to count and maybe a squillion leaves on a tree. With Lola hilariously bending everyday numbers to her will and Charlie providing the (somewhat exasperated) voice of reason, fans new and old will be hard-put to resist these utterly appealing siblings.

Review Quotes

These are mostly numbers as fun--"Or a squillion?"--numbers to roll around in your mouth, then chew and swallow to feed your imagination.
--Kirkus Reviews

Child makes mathematical concepts fun in this book featuring two counting siblings.
--Booklist

The line drawings and textured mixed-media illustrations are as sunny and energetic as those in Child's other books. The layout is busy, with a dizzying variety of fonts. Plenty of math is squeezed into the text, but the joy of numbers is conveyed much more effectively than any specific calculation technique. A must-buy for preschool and early elementary math collections, as well as for Charlie and Lola fans.
--School Library Journal

Math is not a scary, abstracted monolith, it's folded into everyday life in countless ways. Leave it to British author-illustrator Lauren Child's (I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato) ever-charming Charlie and his little sister Lola to make this point with panache.
--Shelf Awareness for Readers

Charlie's droll narration alternates between exasperation and indulgence, and kids with younger siblings will find it particularly entertaining. The animated text provides plenty of opportunities to practice counting and calculating simple operations, while corresponding numeric labels and number sentences make explicit the tallying and calculations...Use this as a springboard into a math lesson or simply share and enjoy with Charlie and Lola fans.
--Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

About the Author

Lauren Child has published many best-selling and award-winning books, including the hugely popular Charlie and Lola and Clarice Bean series and a spin-off series of novels about Ruby Redfort. She has won numerous awards, including the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal. Lauren Child lives in London.