Author Marilyn Sadler combines two important learning concepts—early reading and early math—into one fun story! Gwen Hen knows it is bad luck to count your chicks before they hatch, so Red Rooster doesn’t know how many chicks they are expecting! When one chick hatches, he happily gets one worm for it from the Worm World store. He returns home to find that two more chicks have hatched, and later even more chicks. The stylized art of Michael Fleming captures the silliness of the situation and makes it easy for readers to count along as the chicks keep hatching. Red Rooster’s many trips back and forth to Worm World reinforce both counting and simple addition skills, but more than that, they add up to giggling fun for readers!
Tie-in Activity: Pretend play can be a great way to incorporate counting. Encourage your child to have a "party" for a group of stuffed animals, and then ask questions that require early math skills. How many "guests" does she have? How many cups will she need? How many more cups if two more guests come to the party?