Countdown ‘Til Mommy Comes Home is a helpful book for children with tips to pass the time until Mommy—or Daddy—comes home. Since young children can’t always measure time, author Kristin Ayyar has come up with some wonderful ways to remember what to say to Mommy when you get to talk on the telephone or when she returns. The tip about saving treasures like a lost tooth in a treasure box so you don’t forget to show Mommy is a wonderful idea. Or record Mommy’s voice in a teddy bear so a child can hear her anytime they want. I also like the Discussion Questions at the back of the book so that a parent and child can discuss ways to communicate while she is away.

Countdown ‘Til Mommy Comes Home is a wonderful book for adults to read to their children and prepare for the possibility of absence. Author Kristin Ayyar has created an easy-to-read story about how two children cope when their mother has to go away for several days. I love the four suggestions at the back of the book for counting down until a parent returns. Writing from her experiences, the author provides several ideas for helping to keep track of the time. It’s like an Advent calendar counting down to someone’s return. Illustrator Melissa Bailey provides beautiful pictures of the family, which demonstrate the ideas in the story very well. Filled with color and tones, her illustrations help bring this children’s picture book to life.

Countdown ‘Til Mommy Comes Home is a children’s educational picture book written by Kristin Ayyar and illustrated by Melissa Bailey. Ayyar was an Air Force spouse for over 24 years, and the ideas that are presented in this book are based on the ideas she and her husband came up with to help their children deal with his absences. No one wants their mommy to go away, but, as the mommy in this book explains to her little boy, it’s her responsibility. If she doesn’t go, someone else’s mommy or daddy would have to go in her place. While she’s gone, his dad and Nana do special things to help make the time pass more quickly. Nana visits more frequently, and Dad takes him and his sister on special outings to museums and other interesting places. He and his sister compile lists of things they want to tell Mom when she gets back, so they won’t forget a thing, and they each have boxes of special treasures to show her, things like a first tooth or a special stone found on a beach. Other ideas include recording Mom’s voice reading a favorite book for a child to listen to at bed time.

Kristin Ayyar’s educational picture book for children, Countdown ‘Til Mommy Comes Home, is a marvelous resource for parents and caregivers to help their youngsters cope with the extended absence of a parent. I loved the ideas Ayyar has come up with, and Melissa Bailey’s bright and cheerful illustrations make it hard for the reader not to get involved in the children’s activities. Ayyar also includes a thoughtful list of discussion questions for parents and children to work through in preparation for an absence, as well as a link to her site for more suggestions. She also includes four special ways to count down in the back of the book. Parental absences, whether military or business-related, can be anxious and stressful events for children. The ideas put forth in this book can help allay that anxiety and put a positive spin on the situation by helping the child understand the reason for the absence and focus on the parent’s homecoming rather than their being gone. Countdown ‘Til Mommy Comes Home is most highly recommended.

A must have for deployments! Sweet story and adorable illustrations, but best of all are the practical tips and activities! So glad I received this gift before my upcoming deployment!