Overview

What do a blue whale, a grizzly bear, and an elephant-size piggy bank have to do with math? Find out in this hilarious romp through weight, volume, distance, and more. These zany scenarios add up to be full of fun!

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9781467734899

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Reviews

Factoids, math, and silly stories combine in this epistolary-style offering. Each of the 12 spreads depicts a 'story problem' in the form of an imaginary child's letter to Ms. Mary Math. Her response answers the question and gives additional fun facts, while on the opposite page is a whimsical illustration of the subject at hand. The pictures serve more as zany, slightly chaotic imaginings of the story problems rather than functional diagrams. Exaggerated, cartoonish images feature mathematical references and children. Ms. Mary Math's letters do describe how she solves the problems but are richer in exclamation points and comparisons to familiar objects (the volume of a milk carton, the height of the Statue of Liberty, etc.) than in step-by-step guidance. Equations and mathematical processes are mostly confined to the 'Do the Math' section in the back matter, which also includes metric conversions; definitions for area, speed, and volume; and further resources. Consider pairing this title with delightful math storybooks like Andrea Menotti's How Many Jelly Beans? or Jon Scieszka's Math Curse, or with Laura Overdeck's 'Bedtime Math' series for fun word problems that kids can solve themselves. VERDICT: Amusing but not essential, this book may work best in the hands of enthusiastic parents, educators, or XKCD fans who wish to inculcate a love of numbers in the next generation. --School Library Journal --Journal Ms. Mary Math, 'the go-to wiz for mind-boggling math questions, ' answers questions related to volume, distance, weight, and other topics, framed as letters from curious kids. A Florida letter-writer, 'Grounded in Groveland, ' asks how long it would take to send a birthday card to everyone on the planet; the answer, after some quick multiplication, is 222 years. The off-kilter scenarios proposed, which are entertainingly captured in Patton's quirky cartoon graphics, and the off-the-cuff tone Rosen adopts for the answers keep these unconventional story problems from ever feeling like homework. 'That's a sweet thought, ' says Ms. Mary of the birthday card question. 'One problem: your task's impossible.' --Publishers Weekly --Journal

Author Information

Michael J. Rosen is the acclaimed author of some three dozen books for children of all ages (and even more for grown-ups!), including The Cuckoo's Haiku and Other Poems for Birders; Our Farm: Four Seasons with Five Kids on One Famiy's Farm (which he both wrote and illustrated with some 400 photographs); A Drive in the Country; Don't Shoot!; A School for Pompey Walker; and Elijah's Angel. For over 35 years, ever since working as a counselor, water-safety instructor, and art teacher at local community centers, Michael has been engaged with young children, their parents, and teachers. As a visiting author, in-service speaker, and workshop leader, he frequently travels to schools and conferences around the nation, sharing his stories, poems, creativity, and humor. As a talented editor and illustrator, Michael has enlisted hundreds of other authors and artists to create 15 philanthropic books that aid in the fight to end childhood hunger through Share Our Strength's national efforts, or that offer care to less fortunate companion animals through The Company of Animals Fund, a granting program he began in 1990. For the last four years, working with the Ohio Children's Foundation, Michael created a early literacy activity book, particularly designed for kids who are likely to start school without knowing the alphabet: You, Me, and the ABCs: 100 Ready-for-Reading Activities for Kids and Their Favorite Grown-ups. Julia Patton is an award-winning author and illustrator who works from a rustic woodshed in the wilds of rural Northumberland, UK. Her work includes The Very Very Very Long Dog and Snail Mail.

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