On the Launch Pad: A Counting Book About Rockets starts with the number twelve and counts down -- twelve stars, eleven workers, ten engineers, all the way to "three launch towers slide away," "two rocket engines rumble and roar," and "One shining rocket aims toward the stars. BLASTOFF!" Refreshingly, it doesn't attempt to rhyme; it just counts down. The illustrations are friendly cut-paper collages. I can imagine kids listening to this book being read to them -- and then taking over the book for themselves, flipping pages and counting down: 3-2-1! I wish it came as a board book, because the big floppy pages may not hold up to a 2-year-old's desire to flip through them fast. ( )

A space shuttle awaits liftoff as the reader countdowns from twelve to one.
Ages 3-5yrs

Very simple counting book ( )