The Numberlies.

Numbers can be confusing for kids – a six looks a bit like a nine, and sometimes one looks like seven. Colin and Jacqui Hawkins’ Numberlies 1-10 (Numberlies) series, however, takes the puzzle out of numbers and injects some fun into the learning process.

The Numberlies One to Ten live in Number Lane. Number One lives at One, Number Lane and has one of everything. So it goes for the rest of the Numberlies. Each has his/her own quaint little house and quirks of character that lead to interesting situations. Number One, for instance, has a tiny lunch each day of one bean and one big chip. Number Eight is a musician who discovers a new way to make music after all eight of her instruments are damaged in a fall down the stairs, while Number Ten lives in a rickety, unsightly old lighthouse that irks all his neighbours but comes in handy during a storm.

I started Alison on the Numberlies when she was around 2. At 4, she doesn’t read them as often as before, but she knows all her numbers very well and can do basic addition and subtraction. I like to think it’s because of an early introduction to numbers with these funny little number people and their stories.