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Entertaining books on math add up to profitable reading
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Published: September 21, 2008
Regular readers of our column know we've been finding books about various subjects since our back-to-school column in August. Today we cover math, not a common plotline when it comes to literature. And while last year's How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? by Margaret McNamara (Random House) set the bar pretty high for math books, today's selections combine numbers and words in a way that equals absolute value!
Next week tune in for some scientific finds.
Reviewed by Hannah:
BUILD A BURRITO: A Counting Book in English and Spanish. By Denise Vega. Scholastic. Ages 3-6. $7.99.
Learn to count from one (uno) to ten (diez) -- while building a burrito! Bright colors and bold patterns make this book a fun way to learn how to count in two (dos) languages.
The layered pages have cut-out illustrations of the burrito's ingredients, an attractive feature for little hands.
MATH FABLES TOO (Making Science Count). By Greg Tang. Scholastic. Ages 3-7. $16.99.
Math and science are often linked in the academic world. This clever book does a flawless job of combining the two subjects. Groups of rhymes explain the different animals' behavior while adding, subtracting, and counting each animal. Interesting scientific facts are included in the rhymes, making this a great read for lovers of both subjects. Greg Tang is also the author of The Grapes of Math.
APPLES & ORANGES: Going Bananas With Pairs. By Sara Pinto. Bloomsbury. Ages 5-10. $16.95.
Remember that teacher who always asked you to compare and contrast? This funny book shows many different ways to compare objects. Each unexpected example is accompanied by a hilarious illustration that demonstrates the text.
Every fan (and even those who were never fans) of comparing and contrasting should read this hysterical picture book.
POLAR BEAR MATH: Learning About Fractions With Klondike and Snow. By Ann Whitehead Nagda and Cindy Bickel. Square Fish. Ages 9-12. $7.99.
When the newborn polar bear cubs Klondike and Snow were abandoned by their mother, zookeepers were very concerned. Polar bears need special milk when they are young, and the zoo workers did not know what the perfect formula was. So they experimented with different fractions of milk ingredients. The reader learns about the different percentages of ingredients in the bears' milk as they grow.
This book can be read as a story without the math facts or in conjunction with each page of polar bear math. First published in 2004, Polar Bear Math has returned with Square Fish's reprints of beloved favorites.
Also read BONES AND THE MATH TEST MYSTERY. By David A. Adler. Penguin. Ages 6-9. 32 pages. $13.99.
Reviewed by Monica:
IT'S A MONEY THING! A Girl's Guide to Managing Money. By the Women's Foundation of California. Chronicle. Ages 12 and up. 100 pages. $12.99.
Want to teach your girls about money? Don't hesitate to bring this book home. So user-friendly, from the worksheets to the pocket in the back to save receipts for tracking spending, this practical application of real-life math will assist in teaching money matters to girls. Chapters cover everything from goal planning to savings and even understanding the stock market. As a mom of three girls, I plan on utilizing three copies of this very wise, very girl-dialogue friendly guide. I hope a similar guide for the guys will be published as well.
WRITING ON THE WALL. By Wendy Lichtman. HarperCollins. Ages 12 and up. 216 pages. $16.99.
The author of Secrets, Lies and Algebra brings us another mathematical winner! Appealing to both genders, this book combines math and an urban mystery surrounding a rash of graffiti for a thrilling read.
Tess, an eighth grader, sees numbers and patterns in everything, from daily human behavior to the problems she solves for the math team. Coded graffiti on the church wall next to school shows up in Four Fours problems (i.e. 4 x 4 – 4/4 = 15 which means O, the 15th letter in the alphabet).
To solve the mystery, which centers on a suspicious fire in school, Tess begins corresponding with the graffiti coder by asking questions in Four Fours problems. The book is filled with all types of algebraic problems and examples while cleverly woven in a fast-paced text. This book wins best all-around in combining numbers and an interesting plot that shows that life doesn't fit set formulas.
Parents and educators, make sure you investigate:
WHAT'S MATH GOT TO DO WITH IT? Helping Children Learn to Love Their Least Favorite Subject -- And Why It's Important for America. By Jo Boaler. Penguin. 273 pages. $24.95.
■ Monica and Hannah Young can be reached at cyoung9@triad.rr.com. View book reviews at the Journal in Education site at www.jie.journalnow.com.
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