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The Twelve Days of Kindergarten: A Counting Book
A cumulative counting verse in which a child enumerates items in the kindergarten classroom, from the whole alphabet, A to Z, to 12 eggs for hatching.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
November 25, 2017
Text-to-Self
I've connected with this book in the sense of being nervous of the new school year as a kid and not knowing what to expect. This was a cute book to introduce to students that are anticipating attending kindergarten. It gives them an idea of what to expect in the new upcoming days. Also this book would be a great activity that would allow the children to express their ideas of what they expect or want to learn during the school year. Doing so will open an dialogue with the children to express their mind.
I've connected with this book in the sense of being nervous of the new school year as a kid and not knowing what to expect. This was a cute book to introduce to students that are anticipating attending kindergarten. It gives them an idea of what to expect in the new upcoming days. Also this book would be a great activity that would allow the children to express their ideas of what they expect or want to learn during the school year. Doing so will open an dialogue with the children to express their mind.
June 24, 2011
This book is a great introduction to counting. Not only does it address the nerves that come with being in school for the first time, but it makes connections to things that new kindergarten students are learning about. This book encourages them to count the things in their classroom, and it makes it engaging to read due to the rhythmic nature of the twelve days of Christmas song. I'm excited to read this book to my students in the first few weeks of school!
January 10, 2015
Cute book! A fun introduction to Kindergarten using the familiar 12 days of Christmas that makes counting fun. I couldn't help putting it to song for my girls. The 12 days of Christmas was always one of my favorites to sing during Christmas time so I really enjoyed this book. I also loved the cute and funny illustrations. I borrowed this from the library but I want to buy it for my girls.
August 18, 2017
Within a couple of pages, I knew this was not the kind of book I was looking for specifics in helping my stepdaughter be ready. Another page and I wondered who in the world this book was for and if I would like it. Then I noticed something with the pages and for the rest of the book I was constantly flipping back and forth watching all of the sub-stories unfold in the illustrations. Barely paid attention to the text! But found myself giggling more and more. Maybe in a few months when my stepdaughter is used to Kindergarten she may find this hilarious, too. And the poor teacher, portrayed quite well to add to the humor. I think all my teacher friends--especially the one who teaches Kindergarten--would have a great kick out of it!
August 26, 2018
The Twelve Days of Kindergarten has cute rhyming and repetitive counting, cleverly done. However, I am not fond of the illustrations, which while bright, have the kids and teacher too often looking mean and scary. I hated the kid with the finger in his nose on every page.
The Twelve Days of Kindergarten is one of about 25 'kindergarten' books I'm reading before I buy one for my grand who starts kindergarten this year. I probably will read The Twelve Days of Kindergarten to my grand, but it definitely is not the kindergarten keepsake book I'm hoping to find.
The Twelve Days of Kindergarten is one of about 25 'kindergarten' books I'm reading before I buy one for my grand who starts kindergarten this year. I probably will read The Twelve Days of Kindergarten to my grand, but it definitely is not the kindergarten keepsake book I'm hoping to find.
March 18, 2022
This was a cute story! I think this is a great book for preschoolers about to go into kindergarten or early kindergarteners. It is simply a math story with some kind of memory, listing, and more. I could see this also being used as a literacy lesson! I think I would use this more as a story time book to pass time than as an actual lesson on numbers or reading.
April 25, 2020
Genre: Poetry
Grade Level: Preschool-1
With this book, children will learn about counting as well as the rhythmic the story has. This book can be sang or just read aloud. Also introduction the possibility that some children are nervous about their first day at kindergarten and are just exploring the classroom.
Grade Level: Preschool-1
With this book, children will learn about counting as well as the rhythmic the story has. This book can be sang or just read aloud. Also introduction the possibility that some children are nervous about their first day at kindergarten and are just exploring the classroom.
February 16, 2015
Booklist August 2003 (Vol. 99, No. 22)
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.
Horn Book Spring 2004
On each of the first twelve days of kindergarten, the narrator's teacher gives her something that enhances her classroom experience. The cheerful text, mimicking the Christmas classic, is subverted by the hilarious illustrations: the classroom, featuring a boy who picks his nose on each of the twelve days, is in total disarray--a fact to which the busy narrator is oblivious.
Kirkus Reviews starred July 1, 2003
A delightful counting book modeled on the Twelve Days of Christmas. Rose presents the first 12 days of kindergarten through the activities of one small girl. She reads books, draws pictures, strings beads, makes puzzles, plants seeds, feeds the fish, and sorts and stacks objects. The illustrations marvelously depict the whole range of kindergarten emotions-from shy and quiet to scared or thrilled, as well as the different kinds of kids-the clumsy one, the nose-picker, the one who won't share, and the budding artist. The observant reader will pick up clever details hidden within the illustrations-the children's drawings are reproductions of famous paintings, the overfed fish gradually grow too large for the aquarium, and each turn of the page is a new step in the romance between the class hamsters. As the days go by, the poor kindergarten teacher looks more and more frazzled, while the kids make new friends, explore new things, and end up loving school. A great start. (Picture book. 4-8)
Publishers Weekly June 9, 2003
While Rose (Birthday Zoo) cheerily ticks off the touchstones and tokens of kindergarten life to the tune of a Christmas classic, ("On the sixth day of kindergarten, my teacher gave to me/ six fish for feeding,/ five gold stars!/ Four puzzle shapes,/ three pencils,/ two pictures books,/ and the whole alphabet from A to Z"), Armstrong-Ellis's (Prudy's Problem: And How She Solved It) irreverent spreads tell quite another story. She creates a rather skittish blonde girl, clinging to her stuffed gorilla, as the story's narrator. The artist conveys the heroine's steadily building confidence when, at a Fire Safety assembly on the fifth day, she takes the stage, earning five gold stars. In another humorous detail, her teacher wears a dress trimmed in a flame-like motif. The classroom is stocked with cut-ups as well, among them an extremely timid girl with a death grip on her teacher's skirt and a boy who finds the contents of one nostril endlessly fascinating. Together, they innocently wreak havoc, releasing a swarm of bees at a nature museum, aiding in the escape of the classroom hamsters' many offspring, etc. The 12th day culminates with a spontaneously generated "We Love School" banner, and a hug for a now-beloved teacher; classroom leaders with a sense of humor will enjoy sharing this book at circle time. Kids, however, will get a hoot out of spotting the new and running jokes on each spread (one horse-obsessed girl evolves into an accomplished equine portraitist by book's end), and watching the teacher's best-laid lesson plans deteriorate into comic melees. Ages 4-8. (Aug.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
School Library Journal August 1, 2003
PreS-Gr 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.
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.
Horn Book Spring 2004
On each of the first twelve days of kindergarten, the narrator's teacher gives her something that enhances her classroom experience. The cheerful text, mimicking the Christmas classic, is subverted by the hilarious illustrations: the classroom, featuring a boy who picks his nose on each of the twelve days, is in total disarray--a fact to which the busy narrator is oblivious.
Kirkus Reviews starred July 1, 2003
A delightful counting book modeled on the Twelve Days of Christmas. Rose presents the first 12 days of kindergarten through the activities of one small girl. She reads books, draws pictures, strings beads, makes puzzles, plants seeds, feeds the fish, and sorts and stacks objects. The illustrations marvelously depict the whole range of kindergarten emotions-from shy and quiet to scared or thrilled, as well as the different kinds of kids-the clumsy one, the nose-picker, the one who won't share, and the budding artist. The observant reader will pick up clever details hidden within the illustrations-the children's drawings are reproductions of famous paintings, the overfed fish gradually grow too large for the aquarium, and each turn of the page is a new step in the romance between the class hamsters. As the days go by, the poor kindergarten teacher looks more and more frazzled, while the kids make new friends, explore new things, and end up loving school. A great start. (Picture book. 4-8)
Publishers Weekly June 9, 2003
While Rose (Birthday Zoo) cheerily ticks off the touchstones and tokens of kindergarten life to the tune of a Christmas classic, ("On the sixth day of kindergarten, my teacher gave to me/ six fish for feeding,/ five gold stars!/ Four puzzle shapes,/ three pencils,/ two pictures books,/ and the whole alphabet from A to Z"), Armstrong-Ellis's (Prudy's Problem: And How She Solved It) irreverent spreads tell quite another story. She creates a rather skittish blonde girl, clinging to her stuffed gorilla, as the story's narrator. The artist conveys the heroine's steadily building confidence when, at a Fire Safety assembly on the fifth day, she takes the stage, earning five gold stars. In another humorous detail, her teacher wears a dress trimmed in a flame-like motif. The classroom is stocked with cut-ups as well, among them an extremely timid girl with a death grip on her teacher's skirt and a boy who finds the contents of one nostril endlessly fascinating. Together, they innocently wreak havoc, releasing a swarm of bees at a nature museum, aiding in the escape of the classroom hamsters' many offspring, etc. The 12th day culminates with a spontaneously generated "We Love School" banner, and a hug for a now-beloved teacher; classroom leaders with a sense of humor will enjoy sharing this book at circle time. Kids, however, will get a hoot out of spotting the new and running jokes on each spread (one horse-obsessed girl evolves into an accomplished equine portraitist by book's end), and watching the teacher's best-laid lesson plans deteriorate into comic melees. Ages 4-8. (Aug.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
School Library Journal August 1, 2003
PreS-Gr 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.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 5, 2018
Fiction - Children's Literature
This book was a gigantic hit with our kindergarten class on their first day! It's a great repetition and counting book to familiarize children.
This book was a gigantic hit with our kindergarten class on their first day! It's a great repetition and counting book to familiarize children.
September 18, 2019
A new kindergarten class is welcomed into school each day with one new object for twelve days. Set to the classic holiday song with plenty of repittion. Elementary and up
February 28, 2012
I absolutely loved the poetry book, "The Twelve Days of Kindergarten" because it has singing and repetition coming from the song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas. This poetry book was about A child's experience in entering kindergarten. The teacher in this story is very lovable and has the kindergarten students doing varies of activities. For example, 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, ect. The age range for this poetry book is pre-k through first grade. The one artistic element that stood out to me was the color and illustrations of the book. The colors are very expressive, clear, and meaningful. This book definitely should be read mainly by new enrolled kindergartners to get them comfortable entering a new grade and being around new classmates and a new teacher.
January 1, 2015
This is a great story to read/sing aloud to children. The narrative follows the song to The Twelve Days of Christmas and the illustrations are hilarious, with so many fun and educational activities and the teacher getting more and more harried as the days progress. We really enjoyed reading this book together and have borrowed it a few times from the library.
July 24, 2014
My 4-year-old loved this story (perhaps it helped that we sung it to the tune of "12 Days of Christmas"). It's a great teaching book. One page shows the classroom with all the letters along with a photo of what starts with that letter. It also has a poster hanging with labeled colors (pink pig, red ladybug, etc). For each "day", a child can count the objects. And there's always something fun going on in the photos.
March 15, 2011
Interest Level: K-3
Reading Level: 2.6
Included in These Sets/Series:
Early Childhood: School Readiness
Subjects:
Kindergarten Poetry.
American poetry.
Counting.
Illustrator: Armstrong-Ellis, Carey
Notes: A cumulative counting verse in which a child enumerates items in the kindergarten classroom, from the whole alphabet, A to Z, to twelve eggs for hatching.
Reading Level: 2.6
Included in These Sets/Series:
Early Childhood: School Readiness
Subjects:
Kindergarten Poetry.
American poetry.
Counting.
Illustrator: Armstrong-Ellis, Carey
Notes: A cumulative counting verse in which a child enumerates items in the kindergarten classroom, from the whole alphabet, A to Z, to twelve eggs for hatching.
Read
February 15, 2015It's just the 12 days of Christmas, set to a Kindergarten theme. I wasn't really impressed with the writing. The illustrations were good, as it kept my nearly-three year old looking all over the page, exploring for all the hidden details. But really, it's so monotonous and boring that I don't think I'll read it with her again.
July 19, 2012
I loved the illustrations. They made the book quite entertaining! This was probably not the best book to begin to learn counting because the illustrations were distracting from the main idea, even though I loved the illustrations!! It might be pretty self-evident that the book is a take off on the the twelve days of Christmas.
November 16, 2009
can be sung...girls really enjoyed this book showing different things done at kindergarten and frankly, they enjoyed looking for the characters on each page repeating--specifically the boy with his finger up his nose.
July 14, 2010
The pictures depict different scenes in a kindergarten classroom, everything from students picking their nose to a pulling on the teacher's skirt to get her attention. A great way to start out the school year in kindergarten and introduce some classroom rules.
August 16, 2010
Big hit with my newbie kindergartener. He loved looking for the kids on each page. Should I be surprised that his favorite character was the nose picker? He laughed out loud at the escape attempts of the class hamsters. A nice choice to start of the school year.
April 5, 2012
This book would be great for the first days of kindergarten. It is a funny book that can be sung and has repition. Plus, it can be read or sung to the familiar tune, "The Twelve Days of Christmas". In addition, students can practice counting up to 12.
November 27, 2012
This is a good book to read to students during the first week of school. It can help students to understand that their are going to be common routines established in the classroom. It also is a fun read aloud that the students can relate to since it's to the tune of a Christmas song.
April 17, 2014
I...hahahaha...loved...hahahaha....this...hahahahaha...book! I don't know how anyone could give it less than five stars. It was hilarious and t-totally cute. Seriously! You have to see the pictures. The 12 Days of Christmas have nothing on this adorable book. Hahaha...
September 19, 2014
This would be a wonderful book to sing along to with Kindergartners. I like how the blonde girl in the classroom is holding the things the teacher gives to the class on each of the twelve days. I didn't catch this until the end of the book.
May 7, 2015
OMGG this book is ADORABLE! What a cute intro to Kindergarten. Done in the 12 Days of Christmas, it talks about all the things kids learn in Kindergarten. Partner that with some really cute illustrations and you have a winner!
January 31, 2008
Read to the tune of "The twelve days of Christmas"! Very cute, watch for the nose picker and other types of children on each page.
October 3, 2011
This is a very cute book. I would use this in my classroom while teaching number and counting. This book could even be read while singing!
February 27, 2013
The book is a twist on the Christmas holiday song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas”.I really like the illustration in the book. I think that this book could help children with memory and counting.
February 22, 2014
Great for counting and a fun concept for students. Could Teach this to students as a song.
April 1, 2015
ingenious idea, but in the pictures we cannot find all the clues of the items as chanted. A bit disappointed..
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews