100 Days of Cool

Stuart Murphy's MathStart series has earned its classroom reputation, and this entry is a good example of why. When Maggie mishears '100 Days of School' as '100 Days of Cool,' her teacher runs with it — and so does the math. Each of the 100 days brings a new way to be cool, while a number line divided by tens tracks the count across the top of the pages. It is an effective, kid-friendly way to build toward 100 without making the math feel like homework. The honest caveat is that the book is curriculum-specific by design: outside a kindergarten or first-grade math context, the appeal is limited. The story itself is a scaffolding device, not a literary experience. For its intended purpose — making counting to 100 feel like a celebration — it does the job cheerfully and well.