This is an absolutely adorable book with dynamic, colorful illustrations. In particular it should be noted this book counts up to ten and then from ten down to one, something many counting books don’t do. Because a checklist is mentioned for school, making up a checklist for your child would be a good task for both of you! I received a copy for review from LibraryThing’s member giveaway—thanks! ( )

I Can’t Sleep, Bring in the Sheep!

Bo is excited because tomorrow is the first day of school. But he is so anxious about it, he can’t go to sleep.

Desperate, he asks sheep to come so he can count them. The sheep show up, but not the way he wanted. The sheep do everything but behave, and instead, they make lots messes.

They grab Bo’s backpack, spilling everything inside it all over the place. After finding his crayons, they break them all, along with drawing a big mural on the wall. After scaring themselves they wreck the house more. Then they decide to have a pillow fight until the feathers come out and fly everywhere.

The tale is told in the form of a rhyme that tickles the tongue. That is sure to bring laughs and giggles—along with helping to diffuse the worry about tomorrow.

Bo knows he must clean up the huge mess the sheep made. By doing that, it does take his mind off worrying about school, but there are consequences!

Besides the fun rhyming and the situations the sheep get into, this tale also shows little ones the foolishness of worrying about something in the future. Nothing will be changed by that, and it will only cause you to waste your time.

“…don’t worry about tomorrow…today has enough trouble of its own.” –Jesus Christ (Matthew 6: 34 NET Bible)

This would be a great book to read the night before school starts, but it is a tale that is readable any time of the year. Hard-backed and over-sized, this pictures book is filled with funny illustrations that will be much loved. This 5-star book will be enjoyed by children through third grade.

Worthy Kids has provided Tickmenot with a complimentary copy of, The Night Baafore the First Day of School, for the purpose of review. ( )

The Night Baafore the First Day of School is an adorable children’s picture book. I love the title. The play on words really sets the tone for this amusing, action-packed story.

Young Bo is really excited about his first day of school, so after going over his list of things he packed in his backpack, he sets his alarm and goes to bed. The only problem is, he can’t sleep! He decides to count sheep, but they aren’t cooperating. Ten mischievous sheep have plans of their own, and total mayhem ensues. Bo worries he won’t be rested for school in the morning, so he cleans their messes and attempts to make the sheep behave.

This rhyming story carries a fun cadence, and the colorful full-page illustrations are detailed, charming, and hilarious. These disobliging sheep do everything except what Bo wants them to do. They draw on his walls, bite the tips off his crayons, squirt out his glue, have pillow fights, and more. The hijinks are comical and it’s easy to connect with Bo and feel his frustration.

This is an entertaining story with great visuals and a fun resolution. This one goes on my 2021 Favorites list!

Dɪsᴄʟᴏsᴜʀᴇ: I ʀᴇᴄᴇɪᴠᴇᴅ ᴀ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟɪᴍᴇɴᴛᴀʀʏ ᴄᴏᴘʏ ᴏғ ᴛʜɪs ʙᴏᴏᴋ. Mʏ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ ᴡᴀs ɴᴏᴛ ɪɴғʟᴜᴇɴᴄᴇᴅ. ( )