The Twelve Days of Kindergarten: A Counting Book (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Carey Armstrong-Ellis (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1-Set to the familiar tune of "The Twelve Days of Christmas," this poem enumerates a child's experiences upon entering kindergarten. The youngster begins, "On the first day of kindergarten, my teacher gave to me the whole alphabet from A to Z!" and proceeds through 5 gold stars and ends with 12 eggs for hatching. The word "kindergarten" is unavoidably awkward and practice may be in order to perfect your delivery if you choose to sing it. The real charm of this book lies in the hilarious illustrations that chronicle the harried teacher's adventures with her new students. On art day, a boy spills a big jar of green paint, one kid picks his nose in every scene, bees get loose from a display on a field trip, and on and on. The style is reminiscent of Babette Cole's work not only in the drawings but also in the sense of humor. This one will pair nicely with Joseph Slate's excellent contributions to this subject including, Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten (Puffin, 2001).
Linda M. Kenton, San Rafael Public Library, CA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 1. Taking off from "The Twelve Days of Christmas," this uproarious picture book uses a cumulative counting verse to celebrate a kindergarten classroom, with a teacher and eight pupils busy with all kinds of learning fun--from chanting the alphabet and recognizing shapes and colors, to stringing beads and feeding pets. The clear, lively double-page spreads show groups as well as individual pupils. Kids will enjoy following the characters and seeing the roles they play: the self-absorbed girl in a frilly dress, always looking at herself; the rambunctious boy who makes trouble; the shy child clutching the teacher's skirt. What's great is that the characters' aren't stuck in their roles, and kids who look closely at the pictures, while taking pleasure in the chanting verse, will find a story about learning, messing up a lot, and sometimes changing. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 30 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams (August 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810945126
• ISBN-13: 978-0810945128
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 9.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #314,321 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Gift for your Kindergartener's teacher!!, February 26, 2004

By	S. Martin (KS United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

My son, Luke, who is in Kindergarten this year loves this book! He laughed so hard at the boy who picks his nose all the way through the book, no matter what he is doing. The teacher is lovable and makes you want to hug your own child's teacher after reading this. Singing the tune makes it even more fun and has your child singing with you by the end! If your child is getting ready for Kindergarten, this book has some fun ideas of how it may be on any given day.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Want this Teacher!, August 19, 2004

By	Julie Jordan Scott "Writer, Life Coach - Owne... (Bakersfield, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This book is wonderful on many different levels.

The fact that my children and I can sing it - wow, for a musical family, what could be better than that?

Now music AND repetition? What could delight a pre-schooler/kindergartner more? VERY LITTLE!

The illustrations are colorful and SOOOO expressive. I think some of the children from my kindergarten class 35 years ago are caught forever in these pages, as are the children from MY children's classes....

I just wish my kindergarten teacher, Miss Wick, was more like the teacher Deborah Lee Rose creatd for us.

Brava - beautifully crafted.....

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Five Gold Stars!, November 14, 2003

By	Michelle "michellesays" (U.S.) - See all my reviews

5 Gold Stars
4 Puzzle Shapes
3 Pencils
2 Picture Books
And the whole alphabet from A to Z!
Remember the class cut-up who always made a mess? The weird kid who picked his nose? The girl who wore frilly dresses each day? This multicultural kindergarten class has that and more. You can't help but hum, or even sing, the melody of the popular Christmas carol as you read this book aloud. There are numerous counting books on the market, but the comical illustrations rendered by Carey Armstrong-Ellis elevate this to a class by itself. My daughters (ages 3 years 9 months and 2 years) enjoy a picture book all the more when the pictures provide plenty to look at while Mama reads. Be sure to watch class pets Chuck and Joe Gerbil and the fish as the story progresses! Poor teacher cracks by Day 12. We were cracking up by the end of the book.