WE ARE ONE

An engaging look at the component numbers in just about everything.

Hood uses simple rhymed couplets pitched to offer examples of single units composed of one to 10 separate parts. For instance, the number of acts found in each of Shakespeare’s plays, the number of dot positions in a Braille cell, and the colors of the rainbow are used for five, six, and seven. Yan’s bright, full-page illustrations in cartoon-animation style star a small, dark-haired, pale-skinned child with a diverse supporting cast of child and animal characters and give energy to every spread. A yellow panel runs across the bottom of all the pages with a longer explanatory text that includes details and further examples. “One sandwich requires two slices of bread. / Two vows make one marriage when friends want to wed,” reads the primary text. In the panel below, Hood quotes Justice Anthony Kennedy’s words in Obergefell v. Hodges: “In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were.” Though some of the references are likely to be new to the audience, the illustrations provide sufficient context to carry the meaning if not all the nuances. Backmatter includes sources for the facts as well as child-friendly sources for more information; happily, there’s also a collection of more examples for each of the first 10 integers, including the names of shapes for triangles through decagons.

Immensely satisfying for young lovers of numbers and fascinating for everyone.