A handsome companion to Underwater Counting: Even Numbers (Charlesbridge, 2001). Pallotta still counts by twos, but slips into the realm of odd numbers, which may prove a slight challenge to readers conditioned to even numbers. However, he does slide into the "evens" for the numbers 50 and 0 at the end of this eye-catching book. Bersani's bright, realistic colored-pencil illustrations will lure readers into perusing the factoid-loaded, simple, conversational text. From "1 Striped Bass" to "23 Horseshoe Crabs" to "50 Blue Sharks," this book offers a colorful, engaging, and intriguing slant on the technique of counting.
-- School Library Journal, March 2005

# Ocean Counting blends primary grade mathematics with facts about sea creatures. Each page features an odd integer from 1 to 49 and an illustration depicting the corresponding number of an ocean-dwelling animal. A few sentences on each page offer interesting tidbits about the organism. Nineteen lumpfish, for example, are noted to have suction cups on their bellies so that they can "attach themselves to things" during times of rough water. The reading level is generally suited to upper elementary school, but with a few instances of rather sophisticated terminology. A blood star, for example, is said to be an echinoderm, which is defined as "rough skinned." the book could also be read aloud with younger children, for whom the math will tend to be more appropriate.

The mathematical content falls within the category of number sense. Each image provides a concrete representation of the associated numeral, thereby helping children to appreciate, for example, what 49 of something looks like. In addition, there are plenty of creatures to count, and even for children with a strong sense of a one-to-one correspondence, the counting becomes quite challenging at the higher numbers. Skip counting by two's is presented, as is the concept of odd numbers. The combination of sea creatures and mathematics makes this volume rather unusual, but ultimately, it's the book's beauty and the detail of the illustrations that set it apart.
-- Science Books & Films, July 2005

The world’s oceans are full of creatures of all kinds. Some, like mackerel and perch, have backbones, while others, like crabs, have a hard exoskeleton. Some of the animals don’t have a skeleton at all. Whelks, moon snails, and razor clams all have a shell that protects their soft bodies from predators. These are just some of the animals that you will meet in this interesting counting book as you count from one to fifty. Jerry Pallota combines interesting facts about marine animals with humor to give young readers a unique counting book experience. In all, he tells us about twenty-seven animals, each one of which is distinctive and perfectly adapted to its environment. For example, the pipefish can swim both vertically and horizontally and they have "teeny-weeny eyeballs." He explains that horseshoe crabs use their tails to flip themselves right side up if they find themselves on their backs. This is one of two ocean counting books that Jerry Pallotta has written. Readers who enjoy this book might like to read Underwater Counting: Odd Numbers as well.