Let's Get Ready For Kindergarten!

Linda Desimowich and Stacey Kannenberg
Cedar Valley Publishing (2004)
ISBN 1933476001Reviewed by Reina Santana and Samuel Peralta (age 6) for Reader Views (10/07)

“Let’s Get Ready for Kindergarten” is for parents, kids, and teachers.  Written in a friendly and colorful format, this book introduces early-childhood skills.  The first few pages introduce the reader to their guides— Mrs. Good and the Cedar Valley kids.  The authors cover a wide range of topics from the alphabet to shapes, colors, numbers, seasons, and much more.  My six-year-old son enjoyed the colorful illustrations, and eagerly reviewed the subjects he had learned in kindergarten.  The sturdy, laminated pages allowed him to practice his answers with a dry-eraser marker without damaging the pages.  The encouraging tips and comments on each page encourage children to ask questions and remind parents to be patient.

This well-illustrated and colorful teaching aid is great for homeschoolers, teachers, and parents looking for a fun and educational tool for their children. My son immediately began working on “Let’s Get Ready for First Grade” an equally engaging and wonderful resource.  I have passed “Let’s Get Ready for Kindergarten” on to my sister who is using it with her three-year-old son.  

Reviewed by Stephanie, Parish (age 3), and Isaac (age 1) Rollins for Reader Views (5/07)

There are 23 pages in “Let’s Get Ready for Kindergarten.”  It is short, but it is effective.  The pages are durable.  You can write on them with a dry-erase marker and wipe it off.  No longer do you have to spend money on one-use-only workbooks.  You can use this one over and over again.

In “Let’s Get Ready for Kindergarten,” Mrs. Good is the teacher.  There are seven students.  Uppercase and lowercase letters are shown in large font.  Then the letters are associated with words. 

There is a pallet of different colors.  Shapes are labeled.  There are shapes from the basic circle and square to the more advanced heart and octagon. 

Left and right are demonstrated with life-size hands that children can place their hands over.  Each finger is labeled—pinky, thumb, etc. 

Numbers are shown from 1-100.  There are also colorful examples of what numbers 1-10 really mean.  In this book, counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s are explained. 

Opposite words, positional words, and rhyming words are demonstrated.  Change is labeled.  Seasons are explained.  Telling time and using the telephone are explained. 

“What is your favorite picture?”
Parish points to the kite.  It has rainbow colors. 

“Kite starts with ‘K’'” I point to the letter “K.”

We flip through the pages.  She points to the girl wearing sunglasses to demonstrate the summer season. 

She looks at the page that demonstrates how flowers grow. 
“I want to do that.”
“You are doing that.  Remember your baby trees that we planted?” 

We skip to the blank calendar.  We fill it out, so we can count down the days until she sees her grandparents again.  I explained that she can mark off each day as it passes. 

She turns back to the front of the book where the kids are holding letters above their heads.  She starts trying to demonstrate that, but she looks like a member of the Village People.

Other than learning address, telephone number, and shoe-tying, “Let’s Get Ready for Kindergarten” has it all for preparing your child for kindergarten.  Parish likes this book.  She thinks it is a book of “games.”  I love this all-in-one book.  This is a keeper.

Reviewed by Tammy Petty Conrad for Reader Views (3/06)

Two moms, Linda Desimowich and Stacey Kannenberg, took matters into their own hands when they couldn’t find a satisfactory book to prepare their own children for Kindergarten. They worked with other parents and teachers, even their own children, to develop a tool that others could use to get ready for a child’s first year of school. What they got was a fun book that little ones will enjoy carrying around and writing on with dry erase markers.

The two friends were inspired by Oprah’s Big Dream Contest to come up with an interactive book. Parents can have fun reading with their children and encourage improvements without making them feel like it is work. Inside the front cover is a quick list of fifteen skills children should master before Kindergarten. Each concept is introduced with interactive questions in the remaining pages. The back cover includes helpful tips for parents and caregivers, highlighting how kids need ten to twelve hours of sleep. Having watched a child nap in class when I volunteered at the local elementary school, I heartily second this!

Expected areas such as the alphabet and numbers are covered, as well as others we might forget like knowing the home phone number and parts of the calendar. High frequency words are introduced as are the concepts of rhyming and classification, even coins and their values.

Ten percent of the profits from “Let’s Get Ready For Kindergarten!”, in its third printing, are given to literacy programs and the pair works to get books donated to schools. They have just completed “Let’s Get Ready for First Grade!” and hope to continue with the series through the elementary years.

“…we wanted something where children are learning without realizing it,” Kannenberg explains. The bright colors accomplish that along with pictures of a cheerful teacher and multi-cultural classroom students. When looking at existing books, Desimowich said, “We didn’t see anything that was concise...fun.” Mission accomplished!

I would recommend this to anyone who cares for young children and believes in the power of education. Using “Let’s Get Ready For Kindergarten!” before school starts increases a child’s chance of success and his or her level of happiness in school. Who wouldn’t want that?

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