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above: poem for day #8 -One Hundred Little Tiny Ants
Counting Our way To The 100th Day! -written by Betsy Franco & illustrated by Steven Salerno, published by Margaret McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster, 2004.
100 poems and 100 illustrations celebrating days 1 through 100 of the school year.
“Franco combines her love for language and numbers in this collection that celebrates all things 100. Poems ranging in size, scope, and subject matter are decorated with Salerno's joyful gouache illustrations” -School Library Journal
“One hundred short poems plus one hundred jazzy illustrations add up to a satisfying whole in this poetry collection aimed at elementary-school children celebrating the one-hundredth day of class… Salerno's bright gouache paintings include 100 smiling children on the cover and all sorts of funny animals and situations. His accurate illustrations of 100 items can actually be counted by sharp-eyed kids: yes, there really are 100 spots on that lime-green, polka-dot gecko. Teachers will think of dozens of ways to use this collection, not only on the hundredth day of school, but on all the other days as well” -Kirkus Reviews
“Salerno, who also illustrated Franco's Mathematickles (2003), contributes stylish, cheerful gouache paintings, which extend the poems' lighthearted moods” -Booklist
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above: the cover for Counting Our Way To The 100th Day! (front & back covers depict 100 children)
see Steven’s complete list of published picture books to date
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above: poem for day #77 -Day One Hundred and One
On the 100th Day, we’ll have so much fun, I feel sorry for day one hundred and one.
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above: poem for day #23 -Hats
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above: poem for day #43 -Which Would You Rather Do?
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above: poem for day #71 -Sidewalk Squares
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above: poem for day #91 -Schools of Fish, etc…
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above: a preliminary sketch for the poem for day #60 -Sam the Scarecrow (this poem was replaced by a another, so the sketch was not developed into a final illustration)