Kindergarten Countdown

June 1, 2007
PreS-K -This cheerful story is just right for kindergarten-bound children and their younger siblings. It works equally well as a counting book and as a school-readiness primer. Often leaping or prancing, a little girl shares her excitement on every page as she starts with seven and counts down to the big day. Both the rhyming verse and the pictures are filled with humor and energy (the sleeping child counts "kindergarten sheep" that wear school backpacks). The computer-generated illustrations are detailed and vibrant. Because the format is small, this book is most appropriate for one-on-one sharing.Barbara Katz, Parish Episcopal School, Dallas, TX

Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2007
The author of Ready, Set, Preschool! (2005) offers an equally cheery title for the kindergarten bound. In the week before she starts kindergarten, Lucy can barely contain her excitement. Bouncy, rhyming coupletsdescribe howshe plans and prepares each day, from imagining what she will bring to show-and-tellto choosing her confidence-boosting outfit (my superhero sweater / that makes me feel / strong and better). The computer-generated images, executed in strong geometric shapes and glossy, jelly-bean shades, offer plenty of opportunities for practicing basic concepts. The name of each day appears on each spread, an image of Lucy playing with blocks shows the whole alphabet, and a counting review of the numbers one through seven concludes. Simple, straightforward, and relentlessly upbeat, this energetic title is a welcome complement to the many entr'es to kindergarten that focus on kids anxieties.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2008
A pleasant rhyming text details a little girl's eagerness to start kindergarten. Lucy counts down the seven days before school starts: "Three more days / and this week ends. / I can't wait / to make new friends!" The digitally created illustrations, busy but perhaps appropriately frenetic, offer lots to look at and count.

(Copyright 2008 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)