Countdown to Kindergarten by Alison McGhee, Harry Bliss (Illustrator)

From the Publisher

It's just ten days before kindergarten, and this little girl has heard all there is to know—from a first grader—about what it's going to be like. You can't bring your cat, you can't bring a stuffed animal, and the number one rule? You can't ask anyone for help. Ever. So what do you do when your shoes come untied, if you're the only one in the class who doesn't know how to tie them up again?

Told with gentle humor by Alison McGhee and brought to exuberant life by New Yorker cartoonist Harry Bliss, this lighthearted take on pre-kindergarten anxiety will bring a smile to the face of every child—and parent—having first-day jitters.

Publishers Weekly

"This witty children's book combines a puckishly structured counting book with an amiable exploration of new-school anxiety, " according to PW. Ages 3-7. (July) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 3-In this bibliotherapeutic book written by Alison McGhee and illustrated by Harry Bliss (Harcourt, 2002), a five-year-old girl struggles with her fears in the ten days leading up to her first day of kindergarten. She channels her fears through the anxiety caused by her inability to tie her shoe laces, a requirement for kindergarten. As the first day of school approaches, the young heroine grows increasingly dramatic as her last-ditch efforts to learn to tie or rid herself of the offending shoes are thwarted. The narration by Rachael Lillis is well paced and appropriately bouncy and childlike. Much of the story is told in thought balloons and included in the illustrations, potentially creating an uneven narrative flow, but the sound effects and varying voices help keep the story moving along with minimal confusion. One track of the recording has page-turn chimes and the other is straight narration. This pleasant package could help youngsters heading off to kindergarten face their first-day fears-Jennifer Iserman, Dakota County Library, Burnhaven Branch, Burnshide, MN Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

McGhee debuts for children with a very funny story about a girl who tries desperately to cope with not knowing how to tie her shoes. She's been told that this is a requirement for kindergartners, but she just can't get the knack. So she tries to rid herself of the problem: ditching her shoes in a haystack (her mother finds them, "Looky here-the missing shoes and that needle I've been searching for!"), trying to feed them to the cat, and deploying one as a bath toy. But they are always returned to her. Despite her parents reassurance that many five-year-olds can't do this either, all she can picture is a phalanx of teachers droning: "Once again: You can't ask us for help. Ever. Never." If she tries to run a scam with laceless shoes, she knows she'll pay the piper-"I'm sorry," she imagines her teacher saying, "Baby shoe-wearers have to take rest time in the sub-basement. Good Luck." Or worse yet, she'll have to wear a sandwich board broadcasting the news that she is "Velcro Girl." Then the big day comes-her shoes neatly tied by her parents-and she learns that most of her comrades haven't got the goods on their shoelaces. Laughter as antidote to worry works wonders. Most inspired is Bliss's (Which Would You Rather Be?, p. 668, etc) layout: illustrations, usually divided into half-pages, march the story along to present the thrumming drama as the day draws near. His big-eyed little girl shares the panic with her cat, whose face reflects hers until "Two days before kindergarten," when he's seen sleeping in earmuffs to drown her out. Her narrative is set in standard type, but the wittiest of comments appear in balloons tying up the laughter. (Picture book. 3-7)

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