One Hundred Days (Plus One) (Ready to Read: Level One: Robin Hill School)

K-Gr 3-Eagerly anticipating the party celebrating the first 100 days of school (and "That is a long time to be in school"), Hannah bounces around with excitement. As part of the festivities, students are invited to bring a similar number of "little things" to share with the class. Over the course of the week, the girl carefully collects and counts out 100 buttons, some white, some mixed, some shaped like cats, and even a few shaped like diamonds. Unfortunately, on the day of the event she comes down with a cold, sneezing her neat pile of buttons into a big mess. Disappointed to have missed the party, Hannah returns to school on Monday, resolutely taking her button collection with her. Happily, the children are marking "one hundred plus one" that day, and the large orange button on her sweater makes her collection complete. This entertaining easy-reader contains lively color illustrations of active kids and classroom scenes that will engage the audience. New readers will relate to the theme, and although the ending is a bit tidy and anticlimactic, children learning to read on their own will enjoy this simple tale.-Piper L. Nyman, Fairfield/Suisun Community Library, Fairfield, CA

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