Is this book meant to be read in a single sitting?

You can, but it is 64 pages long. Most kids aged 4 to 6 do much better reading 10 to 15 pages at a time, treating it like a mini chapter book over a week or two.

Does it actually help kids learn to count to 100?

Yes. Instead of presenting a dry chart, it grounds every number in a daily context—like counting pencils or measuring flour. That concrete repetition helps kids grasp what big numbers represent.

Is Emily related to Max and Ruby?

Emily is created by the same author and illustrator, Rosemary Wells. While she isn't part of the Max & Ruby storyline, she shares the exact same gentle animal-illustration style that kids recognize instantly.

What age is the sweet spot for this book?

Ages 4 to 6 (Pre-K through 1st grade). Older 1st graders can read much of it independently, while younger preschoolers benefit from having the short daily vignettes read aloud.

Emily's First 100 Days of School – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

Emily's First 100 Days of School

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

bookCounting

92%

WISE Score

A bunny named Emily counts her way through kindergarten alongside a guinea pig teacher, making big numbers feel concrete one day at a time.

Emily's First 100 Days of School

book

Counting

92%

WISE Score

A bunny named Emily counts her way through kindergarten alongside a guinea pig teacher, making big numbers feel concrete one day at a time.

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Where to Read

Our reviews and ratings are 100% unbiased. Screenwise is a Bookshop.org affiliate and an Amazon Associate, so if you buy a book through one of our links, we may earn a commission. Bookshop.org purchases also support independent bookstores.

Screenwise Verdict

Rosemary Wells nailed the kindergarten math experience by turning counting into a long-form narrative rather than a flashcard drill. Emily the bunny tracks her class progress all the way to day 100, matching every single number with a real-life context like writing letters or measuring recipe ingredients.

The catch is the physical length. At 64 pages, this is a marathon if you try to read it cover-to-cover in a single evening. Treat it like a chapter book or a daily countdown tool leading up to your kid's actual 100th day of school, and it works beautifully.

Age Fit

Best for ages 4 to 7. It hits the sweet spot for kids in Pre-K through 1st grade who are adjusting to school and learning to count beyond 20.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

Cozy, gentle classroom environment with animal characters supporting each other and building healthy school routines.

Imaginative

Connects abstract numbers to everyday stories, crafts, and creative real-world scenarios for young children.

Safe

Zero unsafe elements or scary moments. A classic, tranquil picture book.

Enriching

Excellent math foundation tool that turns counting to 100 into a concrete, relatable daily experience.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Makes big numbers tangible by anchoring every single number from 1 to 100 to an actual daily activity, craft, or mini-story.
Perfect companion for the 100th-day milestone that most kindergarten and 1st-grade classrooms celebrate mid-year.
Rosemary Wells' classic illustration style provides immediate comfort for kids who feel nervous about classroom routines.

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What to Watch For

It is 64 pages long, which is double the length of a standard picture book. Trying to read all 100 days in one bedtime sitting will wear everyone out.
The pacing slows down in the middle, so younger preschoolers might lose steam unless you break the book up across multiple days.

Conversation Starters

"Which number story in Emily's classroom looked like something we do at home?"
"How many days of school do you think you have been to so far?"
"If we made a 'number friend' for today, what activity would we match with it?"

Deep Dive

How to pace a 64-page picture book

Most picture books run 32 pages and take six minutes to read. Emily's First 100 Days of School is double that length because it literally covers 100 distinct numbers and vignettes. If you sit down at bedtime aiming to finish it before lights-out, you will be checking your watch by number 40.

The smartest way to read this is to treat it as a multi-week countdown. If your child's school celebrates the 100th day of school (a standard event in most American elementary classrooms), pull this book out a month or two beforehand. Read five to ten pages a day. Let your kid inspect the illustrations—Miss Cribbage's classroom is packed with small, comforting details that reward quiet scanning.

Why the math sticks

Counting to 100 by rote memory is easy for kids to mimic without really understanding scale. Wells bridges that gap by assigning a specific, lived-in context to every digit. Number 12 isn't just a digit on a line; it's a dozen eggs used in a baking project. That contextual framework builds true numeracy comprehension, making it one of the most practical early math books on the shelf.

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