SnackPack Studios iconSnackPack StudiosFree illustrated reader
Counting story · Free

Sub-Zero
and the Snowflake Post

A six-page snowy delivery round for number order, comparing and counting to fifteen, with a question on every page.

Ages 4–5Number order and helping othersRead together
Begin the story
Sub-Zero, a penguin in a chef's hat and tuxedo, wears one blue snowflake mitten while Booklava the owl ties the pair together. Parcel tags blow past the open door.
Page 1 of 6 · Two Woolly Mittens

Sub-Zero arrives at the snowy post office wearing one mitten and carrying the other. Booklava ties both mittens together so neither can escape into the wind. Outside, parcel labels spin across the ice.

Try it: How many mittens make a pair?

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
Show the answer

2. Two mittens make one warm pair.

Four parcel sleds in the snow with cards showing 7, 8, a blank card turned face down, and 10. Booklava flies above.
Page 2 of 6 · The Mixed-Up Sleds

Delivery sleds should line up by number, but the gust has turned one card face down. Sub-Zero steadies the runners while Booklava reads the numbers aloud.

Try it: Which number belongs in the gap?

  • 7
  • 9
  • 11
Show the answer

9. Nine belongs between eight and ten. The sled line can move again.

Two trails of icy stepping stones curve around a snowdrift: six stones on the left and nine on the right.
Page 3 of 6 · The Shorter Snow Path

Two trails lead around a drift. One has six icy stepping stones; the other has nine. The sun is rising, so Sub-Zero chooses the path with fewer stones and less time in the warm light.

Try it: Which group has fewer?

  • 6 stones
  • 9 stones
  • They match
Show the answer

6 stones. Six is fewer than nine, so the shorter trail is on the left.

Sub-Zero rings one of ten silver bells along a snowy garden fence, holding a parcel.
Page 4 of 6 · Ten Bell Deliveries

Each garden gate has a silver bell. Sub-Zero rings once, leaves the matching parcel, and checks the address before sliding onward. Ten bells make a bright song across the snowy village.

Try it: Which number comes after 9?

  • 8
  • 10
  • 11
Show the answer

10. Ten bells ring for ten careful deliveries.

Sub-Zero peeks into an empty basket beside a completely empty parcel shelf while Booklava perches on top.
Page 5 of 6 · No Parcel Left Behind

Back at the post office, the outgoing shelf is empty. Sub-Zero checks behind the basket and under the scarf. Every parcel has reached the right home. An empty shelf is good news today.

Try it: How many parcels are waiting to be delivered?

  • 0
  • 1
  • 10
Show the answer

0. Zero parcels remain. The route is complete.

Sub-Zero and Booklava hang fifteen paper snowflakes, each with a tiny picture, above the post-office desk.
Page 6 of 6 · Fifteen Thank-You Flakes

As the last sled returns, fifteen paper snowflakes flutter from village windows. Each one carries a tiny thank-you picture. Sub-Zero and Booklava hang them above the post desk where they will never melt.

Try it: Which number is one more than 14?

  • 13
  • 15
  • 16
Show the answer

15. Fifteen snowflakes celebrate a perfectly ordered route.

The end · Great counting

Why was the empty shelf good news?

Talk about the answer

An empty outgoing shelf meant every parcel had reached the right home.

Every parcel found its place because you kept the numbers in order, even when the snow tried to mix them up! SnackPack 123 Counting has more number stories, counting games and ten-frames.

Next storyLuckybug’s Pairing Parade

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