Reading/Interest Level: Preschool
Author: Pamela Jane
Illustrator: Jane Manning
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Everyone is busy getting ready for Christmas in the North Pole. One elf celebrates by leaping and laughing. Two little mice nibbled and gnawed. Three gingerbread kids run. Four little carolers sing songs. Five polar bears swim and dive. Six little snowmen shiver, seven little stars wink, Santa calls his eight helpers, and then he flies with his nine reindeer. As everyone gets ready to celebrate Christmas, Little Elfie One waits for Santa so that they can all enjoy Christmas.
This counting book is told with rhyming poetry and bright, vivid illustrations. While all of the rhymes and situations told in the story might not be exactly related to Christmas, the illustrations and general feel help kids to both practice their counting and get excited about the holiday. It can be sung to the tune “Over in the Meadow” to help make reading the book more interactive for small children. This is a great book for Christmastime that can also be used for educational purposes with the counting practice.