Storybook Guide Based on Annie Watson's "Is 2 a Lot?" ⋆ DREME Family Math

Activity Summary

Use this storybook guide with the book “Is 2 a Lot?”
Many public libraries have this book. This book is a Mathical Award winner.

Reading guide

About the Story

Riding in a car, Joey asks, “Is 2 a lot?” Mom says, “Two is not a lot of pennies, but two is a lot of smelly skunks!” To avoid the skunks, Mom turns onto a magical road where she and Joey encounter 5 freckles and 5 cowboys, 10 dinosaurs and 10 pieces of popcorn, and much more. Are these numbers a lot or not? At the end, Joey gives a deep answer to the question. The illustrations are hilarious.

A mother driving a car swerves when she sees two skunks in the road. Illustration from "Is 2 a Lot?"

Words to Learn

MATH WORDS
two, three, four, five, ten, fifty, one hundred, one thousand, a lot

OTHER WORDS
shelf, broken bones, freckles, chomping, aspen tree, stump, hot air balloons

About the Math

While reading the story, your child can learn:

Numbers tell us exactly how many there are in
a collection.
But the meaning of the numbers depends on context. For example, 10 pieces of popcorn are not a lot compared with a whole bag of popcorn,
but 10 dinosaurs are a lot compared with the amount we see every day (none!).
To read written numerals (1,000) and number
words (one thousand).

Two dog walkers get tangled up in their dog’s leashes while on a walk. Illustration from "Is 2 a Lot?"

Talk During Reading

DESCRIBE WHAT’S ON THE PAGE
What’s happening on this page? How many pennies do you see? Do you see two of anything else besides the skunks?
COMPARE THE NUMBERS OF TWO GROUPS
Are there more children in the school bus or more dogs on the street Are there more dinosaurs or more pieces of popcorn?
JUSTIFY A JUDGMENT
Why are four children on the school bus not a lot of children, but four dogs to walk at once are a lot of dogs?
IMAGINE A LOT AND NOT A LOT
Can you think of something (besides pennies and skunks) for which two things are a lot and two other things are not a lot?

Try to come up with some of your own questions and comments, too!

Activity After Reading

DRAWING
Let’s make some drawings of five things that are not a lot and five other things that are a lot.

Download this activity

English version

Download the Storybook Guide

For Educators

See how you can use this activity with a family

Activity Author

Herbert P. Ginsburg