First Friends: Numbers
Join a class of kids at daycare as they find numbers 1 to 10 throughout the day, at drop-off, snack time, rest time, and on the playground – then say goodbye at pickup time together!
Key Selling Points:
- EARLY NUMBER SKILLS: Introduces the numbers 1 through 10, as well as simple adding, in an age-appropriate way.
- SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING: Gentle social-emotional storyline shown in the artwork depicts a child who is feeling shy at daycare drop-off but slowly warms up throughout the day.
- DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE ILLUSTRATIONS: The class of 8 toddlers and 2 grownups features a variety of skin tones and body shapes, and a child with a hearing aid.
- DAILY ROUTINE / DAYCARE SETTING: This story takes readers through all the parts of the daily routine in a daycare setting.
- INTERACTIVE: The final spread shows all the numbers of objects in the book so that readers can go back through and find them all again.
More Details
- Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 6.5 in
- Page Count: 18 pages
- Age Range: 12 to 36 Months
Awards & Accolades
Mathical Book Prize Honor Book, Simons Laufer Mathematical Sciences Institute, 2025
About the Contributors
Written by
- Mk Smith Despres
Mk Smith Despres is a children’s librarian and educator in western Massachusetts. In addition to the First Friends series, they are the author of There’s That Sun Again and Night Song, one of Bank Street’s Best Children's Books of the Year.
Illustrated by
- Aya Watanabe
Aya Watanabe is a Japanese illustrator who loves to explore imaginary worlds and to express her inner child through art. Creating fun content for kids is her passion. She lives and works in Tokyo, Japan with her pet caterpillars.
