José and the Coconuts: A Folktale from the Philipines

The Philippines, where this story comes from, is an archipelago in Southeast Asia. The archipelago is located in the Philippine Sea, between the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean. The people of the Philippines produce (grow) and export (send) coconuts to other countries. Coconuts grow on palm trees - if you go to the Philippines, you will see many tall coconut palms, but did you know that the coconuts are a pale green color? Watch out for them in today's story! I wonder how many you can count?

One day an old man called Jos?decides to collect coconuts to fill his larder at home. He sets out in his horse and cart to the nearest coconut grove, where he struggles to find just one, two, three, four, five coconuts. Eventually he does, putting five sacks each filled with one coconut in the back of his cart. However, the story is not over yet... Find out what happens on Jos?s bumpy ride home! In this wonderful tale from the Philippines, children will experience beginning to record numbers using a simple tally system. Enjoy reading the story and recording numbers with Jos?