A free copy of this book was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Kahlo's Koalas is a counting animal picture book where all the animal pictures introduce a famous artist and are drawn in the style of that artist. There are also short biographies of the artists in question at the end of the book.
This is a great counting book that introduces art - it's a real shame that it isn't longer or counts up to 20 as it is lovely to look at. All the animals are represented wonderfully in the different art styles with a wide range of artists from different periods selected. Some of them are quite tongue-in-cheek such as Lichtenstein's llamas and Warhol's warthogs, but I have to admit that my favourite was Kandinsky's kangaroos. The bright colours and different styles all require more than one look.
A fantastic book for both early counting and introducing children to different art and artists. 5 stars.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A very unique concept. Not anything I'd ever seen before. Children will not only focus on counting but learn about different artists and their styles.

I loved this colourful and bright counting book. Not only does it help to teach young children how to count, but it also contains beautiful illustrations depicting animals that are painted in the style of some of the greatest artists, including Van Gogh and Picasso. Highly recommended. Rating: 5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the complimentary ARC. This is my honest and totally voluntary opinion.

Art history meets learning to count in this whimsical book for toddlers and the pre-K set. Illustrations for each number, 1 through 10 are based on famous paintings or drawings of the pictured animal. While the works of the artists in general will appeal (perhaps) to much older children and adults, the premise is novel. If you collect counting books, you'll want to add this to your collection. Two pages with brief bios of each artist presented appear in the back of the book. Animals by Picasso, Kahlo, Lichenstein, Matisse, Pollock, Kandinsky, Seurat, Van Gogh, Warhol, and Monet are pictured.

I really loved this book and so did my granddaughter. The arts, appreciation of it as well as the opportunity to express yourself through art is extremely important in a developing mind. To introduce young children to various styles of art while learning to count and about different animals is a win for them. This book has beautiful illustrations in the style of famous artists such as Frieda Kahlo, Roy Lichtenstein, and Vincent Van Gogh to name a few. I love the text in this book as well. It is written in alliteration form using the artist's name that is being demonstrated, such as Matisse Monkeys.

Even though this is a board book, I recommend it to parents and teachers of preschool, kindergarten and primary aged children. It would definitely work in an art lesson showing different styles in a fun and different way.

'Kahlo's Koalas' by Grace Helmer is a counting book with a unique idea.

This is a counting book with animals, but the animals are done in the style of famous artists. So starting with a panda in a Picasso style, then moving on to the title koalas, the reader is greeted by fun animals and different styles with every number. Lichtenstein, Warhol and Monet are here along with others.

I liked this bright, colorful counting book. The book includes some short bios on the artists, but for this kind of book, it seems perhaps a bit too advanced. It's still a fun board book and I liked the illustrations.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

First off, i think you need to change the subtitle. This book is a pretty typical number counting book, but each animal/number pair have been illustrated in the style of a famous artist like Frieda Kahlo, Picasso, etc. The illustrator does a great job making this standard book interesting and colorful.

The concept of this book is to show children renowned art while counting with them. I absolutely loved the art (of course, I did. It is renowned). However, I really didn’t see the point of the book. I get that we want to introduce this art to children. The problem is that those looking at the book would be pre-school children and younger. I cannot see them appreciating the art when they could count using a book with fun illustrations of frogs, cars or princesses. As much as I would like to say this is an awesome idea and it works, I cannot.

I do not think children will appreciate the paintings as hoped. They will enjoy the colors, but not more than the bright colors of other counting books.


I received an ARC from Andrews McMeel Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book.

This children's picture book is filled with illustrations of animals that reflect the artistic styles of some of the most famous artists in history. Cute, simple, and colorful, this is a great book for introducing young children to the endless possibilities of art.

This book is AMAZING! It's hard to read in ebook form, but both my boys loved it. This book has so many ways to ingage with them while reading. It not only teaches one how to count, but helps foster a live of animals and art. We will be purchasing this book in print form. Thanks for the opportunity to review and share it with my little ones.

This is the most adorable counting book i have come across! It's a must have if your a parent.

Each page has a number & a picture of an animal in a different famous artist art style. This is very unique and such beautiful works of art. Does this artist's true justice. It's an awesome way to introduce art styles to kids while learning to count.

My favorite pages are the Picasso & Frida Khalo 😍👌

I definitely recommend.
I received this via Netgally in an exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I loved this book. The illustration was my favorite part. Colorful and fun, it's the perfect book for little ones to flip through on their own after having it read to them.

On the one hand, this teaches the littlest ones to count to ten. On the other, it does so while showcasing various styles of art, with the famous painter’s name being alliterative with a particular animal, such as in the title. This gets weird in a hurry, as it starts with Picasso.
Most favorite: Monet’s mice.
Least favorite: Pollock’s poodles.
It’s a weird way to teach numbers, and I don’t know how effective it would be.
At the end are small bios of the artists, though if the reader is just starting basic numbers, there’s no way they’re gonna be able to read this, or care when it’s read to them.

A very interesting counting picture book that uses concepts of artists, animals and counting all in one easy to read picture book.

Loved this little book! There are only so many ways to incorporate animals and counting, but this one really broke the mold! Not only will little ones learn basics, but also experience art history. Highly recommend.

This book is introducing art to young children in a playful way. Very nicely done.

I didn’t really know what to expect and wasn’t sure if I would like this book. I was also worried that the combination of art and counting might not work, creating an overload of colors and shapes, making focusing on counting difficult.

I need not have worried. All objects were easily distinguishable from the background and from each other and thus easily countable.

Because of the book cover and title, I somehow thought that all art would be in Kahlo's style. But every animal from 1 to 10 is drawn in a different style, including Picasso, Lichtenstein, Warhol and Monet. I actually got really excited in anticipation over every next page and what style it would show.

There is even a “Gallery of Artists” at the end of the book, explaining each artist’s style in child friendly terms. This part is probably more suitable for parents and older kids who already know how to count. But I am sure even older kids will be able to enjoy this bouquet of art styles.

Thank you NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is one of those books for me where it’s cool, but it misses being super successful for any specific age demographic. Too little for older kids, too much for a little one to really grasp the different artists and their little bios in the back.. an awesome concept and super fun to look at.. I’m just not entirely sure of the use. It’s quite beautiful ( and clever and fun if you know the artists styles!) and I liked looking at it, so maybe it’s supposed to be charming for adults? ....but that sort of misses the point for reading a counting book with a little one.. Many thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I see this book as a lovely first introduction to artists for young children, and a way to spark interest in different artists throughout history and a jumping off point for exploring more of their work.
It would also be a great tool for learning to count, pointing at the animals on the brightly coloured pages.
It is beautifully illustrated throughout, and the pages at the back with a short biography and details about each artist mentioned in the book is a lovely touch and really important for context and continued study.
I can imagine using this book to introduce counting in English to my young students studying English as a second language, as well as to introduce different artistic styles to my other students who are a little bit older, eg to introduce cubism to my primary school kids. It is also a nice way to learn some animal names.
Even if your students or kids are native English speakers this book is a lovely resource.
All in all I can see myself using it in the classroom a lot!!

This book ended up not being anything of what I was expecting it to be. I was a little disappointed the first time I read it, but after rereading, I use more intrigued. There were so many different teaching points that could be made while reading aloud to young children (preschool age or earlier). This book is a counting book but also focusing on different letters.
This book is something that I would utilize during math because students can count the objects on each page as well as learn sequential counting.

Such a pity that it is so short!

I really enjoyed this; it's such a fun way how to introduce different artists!

My favourites are Monet Mice and Seurat Sloths.

And I was surprised by Pollocks Poodles, I was expecting Dalmatians, but of course, the author wanted to keep the alliteration.

I never believed this could actually work, but I'm very pleasantly surprised!