Nightgown Countdown (New Reader Series)

Just as she is getting ready for bed, a farmer notices that ten of her barnyard animals are preparing for an all-night hoedown. Still wearing her nightgown, she sneaks out to watch them as they dance through the night. As the animals lay down one by one, she counts them off in standard countdown fashion. "Ten farm animals dancing in a line, horse got dizzy, then there were nine."

Young readers love the rhythm and rhyme in this book, predicting each number as they turn the page to see what animal drops out from the party. John Bianchi's goofy animal characters are as endearing as ever and he manages to work in his usual visual subplots (including a pair of courting chickens who almost stay awake until sunrise).