Jordan's Days are Numbers

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

Jordan’s birthday is coming. He tells his mother that he wants “1,
2, 3, 4 things” for his birthday. He wants a cat, a horse, a bear, and
a whale. He sends out “1, 2, 3, 4” birthday cards to “1, 2, 3,
4” friends. He has “1, 2, 3, 4” days to wait for his birthday.
Jordan occupies himself by drawing, day by day, one cat, two horses,
three bears, and four whales.

Finally Jordan’s birthday arrives. All of his invited guests attend,
and he gets everything he wants ... sort of. He receives a rocking bear,
a horse cupboard, a blue-whale kiddie car, and a cat chair. His mother,
however, gives him just a poster of a cat, a horse, a bear, and a whale.
Yet Jordan seems to like this present best of all. Maybe he is a wise
little boy. Or maybe he likes it best because, when folded out, the
poster is bigger than all the other presents combined.

Barbara Di Lella’s storyline is quite straightforward. It is about
learning to count, and a child’s perspective of the world where a
parent is capable of granting any wish if the child is deserving enough.
Her artwork is much more inventive. Her use of colors, shapes, and
quirky character postures irresistibly draws the reader back and forth
over the pages. Recommended.