Elizabeth Bush (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, May 2001 (Vol. 54, No. 9))
Parents anxious to assure that their Wunderkinds excel in their academic debuts will welcome these sane, sound strategies for preparing children to tackle ABCs and 1-2-3s. This pair of titles, designed more as source books than read-throughs, suggest mini-lessons that parents/caregivers and tykes can approach as informal anytime-anywhere play to introduce number concepts and integers, and the relation between sound and symbol. There are rhyming games and simple letter treasure hunts; pattern sequencing, rudimentary measurement skills, a penny “bake sale,” and very important practice in dialing an emergency phone number. Illustrations are based on Rosemary Wells’ characters, and although they don’t evince her fine level of spit and polish, many children will recognize and welcome them as familiar pals. Parents looking for a reality check on their child’s school-readiness should take a look. Now, the only skills left to address would be toy sharing, hand washing, coat buttoning, sneaker tying, lip zipping, turn taking, hand raising . . . . Review Code: R -- Recommended. (Get Set for Kindergarten! Books) (c) Copyright 2001, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2001, Viking, 24p, $13.99. Ages 2-5 yrs.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2001)
In these books featuring Rosemary Wells's familiar characters, Timothy and his classmates learn math and language skills. Questions directed at young listeners encourage participation. Parents may appreciate the ideas on how to reinforce kindergarten skills, but the books introduce so many different concepts--and each so briefly--that they are difficult to read from cover to cover. (Get Set for Kindergarten! series). Category: Preschool. 2001, Viking, 24pp, $13.99. Ages 2 to 5. Rating: 5: Marginal, seriously flawed, but with some redeeming quality.