In a black and white, adorably blobbish characters live an orderly existence in a world where there are no letters, only numbers. (Many pages of the book-- but not all-- are laid out the long way which makes it an interesting read.) But a small group of friends were thinking that there should be something more or different. So they sneak aside and start constructing some new things out of existing numbers. (The whole world is in an art-deco-industry style and we see LOTS of construction/manufacturing work from the friends.) When the new things-- letters-- are finished, they turn colors, and when they are released to the Numberly world, they spell out new things and make big changes. The day ends with everyone happy and the five friends 'satisfied. They had done something new, something different, something more!'
An innocent little parable about imaginative work can change the world, redeemed from pablum by the illustrative style and details. ( )

In a gray world organised solely by numbers, five Numberly friends decide to rebel and to create something new. Their efforts lead to the dawn of the alphabet, whose constituent letters spell so many things - from bright colors like yellow to pleasing foods like pizza - previously missing from the world...

The Numberlys is a creative story that looks at both numbers and letters, and it is also a gorgeously illustrated book. The artwork, whether sepia-toned, as it is in the beginning, or vibrantly colorful, as it is at the end, is simply gorgeous, while the page orientation, which alternates between vertical and horizontal, is inventive. All that said, I tend to agree with those online reviewers who have been a little dismayed at the cliched idea, expressed through the story here, that numbers (and by extension, mathematics) is boring, and letters (and by extension, language) is interesting and creative. It might surprise some to know that once upon a time music and mathematics were taught together, and were considered interrelated subjects. They might also want to consider that letters only go to make up our descriptions of things, and that the things themselves are actually created from chemicals, chemicals whose composition could be described equally well with numbers, as with letters.

While it may not have been the creator's intent - some have even made the counter-argument that the letters here are made out of the numbers, thus linking them - I do feel that he fell into the trap of thinking of numbers and letters as somehow oppositional. This is one Joyce title I recommend primarily for the gorgeous artwork, rather than the concept or story. ( )

What an imaginative, exciting read for my first grader (and me). Both of us being story tellers, we especially lived how the words came to life and brought color and happiness to the Numberlys. And the illustrations were really stunning. ( )

Once upon a time there was no alphabet, only numbers…

Life was…fine. Orderly. Dull as gray paint. Very…numberly. But our five jaunty heroes weren’t willing to accept that this was all there could be. They knew there had to be more.

So they broke out hard hats and welders, hammers and glue guns, and they started knocking some numbers together. Removing a piece here. Adding a piece there. At first, it was awful. But the five kept at it, and soon it was…artful! One letter after another emerged, until there were twenty-six. Twenty-six letters—and they were beautiful. All colorful, shiny, and new. Exactly what our heroes didn’t even know they were missing.

And when the letters entered the world, something truly wondrous began to happen…Pizza! Jelly beans! Color! Books!

What would we do if the world didn't have letters? This book and that prompt will really get students thinking, and tap into their creative thinking skills. ( )