A fun and colorful way to teach math and environmental conservation. ( )

All of Graeme Base's books are absolutely stunning from the story to the illustrations. The story is wonderful and only exceeded by the gorgeous illustrations. This book can be read cover to cover but then it is also fun to go back and solve on the hidden puzzles. ( )

When Uno moves to the forest he is surrounded by 100 plants, 11 imaginary animals, and zero buildings. As more human development occurs, the focus on the importance for finding balance with nature is seen.

I love this book. It's a little sad to watch the population growth. Parents will see what is happening after just a few pages, but the children will take a little longer to catch up. There are many stories that address disappearing habitat and conservation; but I've never seen one that puts the math in numeric and visual terms so the reader truly absorbs the impact. ( )

Where did all of the Snortlepigs and Magnificent Moopaloops go? They use to inhabit the forest where Uno has decided to live and build his garden. As more people come to the forest to construct their own buildings, the fewer animals they see. It goes on like this until the forest no longer exists and the only thing left is an abandoned city, Uno, his Garden, and the Snortlepig. Sadly, both Uno and the Snortlepig died. Luckily, Uno’s decedents care for Uno’s garden and soon the forest and animals began to return, but not the Snortlepig. The book illustrates the importance of finding a balance between people and nature. It uses math to demonstrates how the number of buildings affects the number of animals and plants—a great mentor text! Children will be mesmerized by the cartoonish features and funny names of the people and made-up animals (Who wouldn’t want to see a Leaping Lumpybum?!). The pages feature little whitespace and are consumed with elaborate illustrations. The author also uses a diverse color palette that adjusts to the changing mood of the story. The text consists of only two or three sentences on the left-side of the page and illustrated math equations on the right-hand side. A great picture book that involves entertainment and a learning tool for ages 5-10 years old. Highly recommended. ( )