Captain Freddy Counts Down to School

PreS-Gr 1—Freddy is apprehensive about his first day of school, as he hides under the covers and imagines how far away and big it is, along with all the strange new faces he will encounter. In order to prepare himself for this overwhelming transition, "Captain" Freddy launches himself into important work at his pretend space station. The rocket ship is loaded, fuel tanks are filled, and engines are humming before he courageously steps onto the launchpad for the initial countdown. At liftoff, Freddy's rocket zooms out of control until he is ejected and lands on an alien planet millions and millions of miles away from home, where he befriends an alien (his baby sister) who can communicate with him after an awkward start. Once home, he is finally able to "blast off to school." Chou's bright, meticulous illustrations and Shreeve's text present just enough detail, albeit in simple fashion, to keep space lovers happy. Fans of all things space related should readily gravitate to this offering and will enjoy the informative space facts at the end.