Expressing one number in a variety of ways is an excellent exercise for small children beginning to understand the nonlinear nature of math. In this book, Harris uses familiar objects--pennies, bees, toes, blackberries--to demonstrate this concept in an enjoyable way. If, for instance, you pick seventy-five blackberries and your Mom picks twenty-five more, what do you get? 100 berries and (Oh, my) blackberry pie. Each way of making 100 is shown with a similarly fun rhyme and an extra fillip. The illustrations are decorative and cheerful, though the racially diverse children in the pictures appear rather stiff, with many having strikingly similar facial expressions. Useful as an adjunct to classroom math lessons. (Reviewed November 15, 1999)

A variation on traditional counting-book fare shows that different combinations--10 children's toes, 99 polka dots plus one more, and so on--can all yield 100. The text's use of humor will leave many young readers blissfully unaware that they are beefing up their skip-counting and mental math skills. The rhyming text is somewhat awkward, but friendly illustrations further convey the message that math is fun.

100 Days Of School (32 pp.; $21.90; Sept.; 0-7613-1271-4): Readers will want to try the more interesting variations on math Harris has devised, e.g., addition and subtraction using clowns, trains, blackberry pie, and centipedes. Harris demonstrates that numbers can be broken down into recognizable units that can be manipulated and remembered: If "10 tired children all take off their shoes, what do you get? Lots of bare feet . . . and 100 toes!" Johnson's brilliant artwork will make children forget they're learning, complementing the whimsical text as it slyly works in the basics. A math-class must, but also at home in story hours. (Picture book. 5-8)