Reviewed by Olga Markova for Readers' Favorite

Things I Did Not Knock Over is a fun, educational, illustrated children’s book by talented author Emily Krill. The book introduces numbers from 1 to 10 in an entertaining, easy-to-remember way. It illustrates numbers in a mischievous way that will get a child’s attention; someone knocks over familiar things, like a cup, a spoon, a flowerpot, a teapot, a clock, and more. As more and more things get knocked over, the readers are invited to guess who is doing it. The ever-present cat does not take responsibility and comes up with cheeky excuses. The excuses are both fun and introduce new words for children to learn, such as crooked floor, gravity, and moon. And the cat even blames you and a mouse! So, who knocked over everything if not the cat?

Emily Krill’s Things I Did Not Knock Over fascinated me with its child-friendly method for teaching toddlers and older children to count. It reminded me of the method my dad used to teach me to read with word cards because this book, too, combines minimalist text and full-page imagery to focus children on one number at a time. I also appreciated how these counting lessons used a cat’s antics as an example, teaching children to appreciate animals without tempting young learners to mimic cups on the floor! The choice of objects was perfect for little children; the examples were clearly drawn in images children could recognize because they use and see every day. I look forward to reading this delightful book with my toddler grandson and highly recommend it for young learners aged three years old and older.