Review: Uno Dos Tres

Uno, Dos, Tres: A Sephardic Counting Book

by Sarah Aroeste, illustrated by Nathalie Belhassen

PJ Publishing, 2025

Category: Board Books

Reviewer: Claire Freeland

Learning to count from one to ten in Ladino is only one aspect of this delightful board book. Sephardic culture is presented in ten illustrations with brief explanations in the backmatter. Adults will undoubtedly learn along with children. As a student of Spanish, I loved discovering, for example, that 5 is sinko in Ladino (there are other slight deviations from Spanish that fascinated me). The art is wonderful. Along with meaningful Sephardic objects, the illustrator depicts adorable children and an appealing family.

This short but compelling book introduces Sephardic heritage. Although meant for ages zero to three, I highly recommend it for any age. I know it will be facing out on my home bookshelf.

 

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Reviewer Claire Freeland is a Baltimore, Maryland based children's book writer. She has co-authored seven books, published by Magination Press, that guide children and teens in new ways of thinking about feelings and behaviors, and introduce the science of psychology. Her current work focuses on Jewish-themed board and picture books.