From Bogey Bear
This is actually a chapter book, but each page is fully-illustrated and
each short chapter would make a great book to share with a young story.
This book is all about numbers, but, like real fables, it is also about
much more. The short chapters are written as poems that feature
numbers, counting, and lessons on how we learn to get along with others.
This would be a great book to give to a child when they are very young - you will have fun reading it together. Then, the child will learn to read it by his/her self. As the child gets older, it would be a great book to get started with math - counting, skip counting, adding, subtracting, division, and multiplication. Its all here and its all a lot of fun.
About the Book
Greg Tang has built his career as an author and math missionary on the
power of creative problem solving. Now, through winsome "fables" about
concepts that are relevant to the very youngest math learners --
sharing, teamwork, etc. -- Greg encourages kids to see the basics of
addition and subtraction in entirely new ways. Fresh, fun, and most of
all, inspiring, MATH FABLES is perfect for launching young readers on
the road to math success!
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 1--Complete with catchy titles such as "Trying Times,"
"Midnight Snack," and "Gone with the Wind," each brief fable told in
rhyme ends with a moral. Except for some suggested activities at the
end, there are no math problems or puzzles to solve. Rather, the author
strives to help readers learn how to see a number as a combination of
smaller groups of numbers in order to lay "the foundation for place
value" and as a "first step to building strong computational skills."
The text and perky, computer-generated cartoons show youngsters that there are many different ways of putting numbers together. For example, in "Going Nuts," four squirrels frolic in autumn leaves until they realize they need provisions for winter. One begins to explore while three sit on a branch, frightened with worry. Next, "2 squirrels raced to gather nuts" while "the other 2… buried them in stashes underground."
Finally, "all 4 slept very well that night,/no longer feeling scared./They learned it's wise to plan ahead/and always be prepared!" Cahoon keeps the different combinations together by enclosing them in ovals, visually emphasizing that although the groupings may look different, they still add up to four. Featuring words like "sultry," "wholeheartedly," and "procrastinate," the enriching vocabulary is an added bonus. A fine addition to math shelves.
Marianne Saccardi, Norwalk Community College, CT Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
PreS-Gr. 1. As he did in Math Appeal [BKL F 15 03], Tang introduces
children to the wonders of grouping numbers. Each "fable" tells a
rhyming story in a two- or four-page spread, with each setup more
complex than the last. One of the first fables tells of two young birds.
One bird takes wing and hits the ground, and the other one falls from
the sky and nearly drowns.
When the birds practice together, however, they both learn to fly. In another story, 10 beavers leave for work, regrouping and reorganizing their numbers all day. A final page offers ideas to help more accelerated learners combine groups of numbers in various ways. The bright, shiny artwork, executed on a computer, sometimes appears literally rough around the edges, but the target audience will like the illustrations' happy cartoon look. Like Tang's other books, this will engage children, who may not even realize they are learning.
Ilene CooperCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
About the Author
Greg Tang earned his B.A. and M.A. degrees in economics from Harvard
University and an M.A. in math education from New York University. Greg
Tang has taught students of all ages, from kindergarten to college, and
has used his problem-solving methods to create successful products and
companies across many industries. He lives in Belmont, Massachusetts,
with his three children. For more, please visit
his web.
About the Illustrator
Heather Cahoon has illustrated a number of outstanding books; her first
was published while she was a junior at the Cooper Union in New York
City. She lives in upstate New York with her husband and two daughters.