Mystery Math A First Book of Algebra

I saw Mystery Math: A First Book of Algebraand was so hopeful it would live up to my expectations, I wasn't disappointed when I checked it out of the library. I've been arguing for years, that when you introduce math language to kids in a casual but consistent way early on, they won't necessarily understand it right away, but you plant seeds and with consistant useage the language and concepts take root. Kids aren't asked to learn a new language when presented with algebra. They've been introduced to this type of language since they've been working with math. The language gets more complex and the ideas more abstract, but the goal of using math language has been a consistant.

Algebra has long been a stumbling block in my family and it is frustrating because if taught differently most of the kids seem to understand it until forced back into the standard way of being taught it. This book starts by using humor and monsters to engage kids with the basic language of equations. The book begins by discussing see saws and balance, leading children towards the concept that equations must be balanced. Eventually the book introduces the idea that what happens to one side of an equation must always happen to the other in order for the balance to be maintained. This is done in a fun and humourous way with illustrations, but the language is math language and the equations are written correctly to introduce kids to equations as they are properely written.

Honestly, I wish I hadn't waited until Jr. High to start changing my way of thinking about equations. Algebra was a foreign language based on a language I thought I already knew and that was fruatrating to me and many of my classmates. We were learning new words for concepts we thought we already understood. What if someone had just casually without too much pressure started us off with the correct language for what we were learning so we didn't have to relearn everything at an arbritrary time people thought we were ready for algebra?

This book starts out solving simple addition and subtraction algebra problems and then moves on to mulitplication and division problems. The solutions are laid out quite well and with plenty of explanations for child and interested parents who might want examples that are clear to demonstrate the process to a child. The story is funny and cute to help keep the interest in pursuing the problems alive. The math is not overwhelming, but for a child only familiar with addition and subtraction, the multiplication and division sections might be more challenging.

I have been looking specifically for algebra related math materials and this is one of the more exciting basic books I've discovered. I'm continuing my quest for others, but this is one of the best I've seen at the introdcutory level to date.

Inchworm and a Half

I thought Inchworm and A Halfwas an interesting introduction to the English Measuring system. While the Metric system is based on ten, which is tied in to the counting we teach children in the early grades, the English system can be more challenging for children to understand.

Elinor J. Pinczes takes on the challenge by introducing the whole unit of an inch with an inchworm and then the fractional parts with the inchworm’s fellow worm friends. The inchworm starts out being thrilled with his ability to measure things that are whole inches because his body measures one whole inch. Then he hits a snag. A cucumber has a fractional piece left over and he is puzzled by the challenge of measuring it. It is then that he meets a half-inch worm and they head off to enjoy life, measuring things that are composed of whole and half inches.

Of course, they eventually have challenges that require a third and a quarter inch and as they do, they find worms who can help them meet those measuring challenges.

I have seen parents and teachers use yarn and paper to help children understand the various lengths in measurement, so worms seem like another creative way to engage children in thinking about the concept. This book would be a useful tool in engaging young readers in thinking about the English system of measurement.

Equal Shmequal

What do people mean when they say they want something to be equal? Equal Shmequalhelps children understand the mathematics involved in making a game of tug of war equal between a group of animals. The focus at first is on making things fair.

As the animals work through the math involved they realize that to make things fair they have to understand the math involved with the game. Numbers alone do not make for a balanced game of tug of war. One large creature can beat a much larger group of smaller creatures if he is stronger. As the animals continue to work on the problem, they also learn that balance is not alone enough to make an equal contest. Effort is another factor that plays into the contest.

I thought the strongest part of the book was watching the animals use the seesaw to try to balance out weight as a factor in creating balanced teams. The premise was a bit unrealistic. Children will find that teams and life are rarely completely fair and balanced as the theme of this book pushes. However, I did think using animals was an interesting way to introduce children to the idea that there is a difference between having numerical balance, the same number of animals, and weight balance. From the pictures, children can see that there is balance in the numbers, but clearly not balance in the outcome until the weights are balanced. Even then, when the bear does not try, the outcome is not as expected.

Sir Cumference and the Viking's Map

In Sir Cumference and the Viking's Map (Charlesbridge Math Adventures (Paperback))Cindy Neuschwander continues her Sir Cumference series with an exploration of coordinate geometry.

Radius and Per discover Viking Xaxon Yellowbearyd's map with axes (yes a play on the word axis) and must learn how to read the gridded map. It appears maps are not common in Angleland. The children learn through trial and error that the X is read before the Y and decide that it is because X comes before Y in the alphabet. The children are chased by robbers who want to capture the treasure and helped by the ghost of Xaxon Yellowbearyd himself. Children may be surprised by the treasure, but it ties to the skills Per and Radius have acquired from their journey and more valuable to the kingdom than gold.

65 Short Mysteries You Solve With Math!

I was a fan of Two-Minute Mysteries series collecting various time versions as both a student and a teacher. I liked the format of presenting a mystery and giving the reader a chance to figure it out before presenting the solution.

When I saw One Minute Mysteries: 65 Short Mysteries You Solve with Math! I was hoping to find the same format, but with stories that focused on mysteries with a math solution.

I would have to say it is a stretch to call these stories mysteries. These are stories designed to be more engaging than the word problems most students encounter in their math books. The stories provide real world problems students might encounter and demonstrate how the children in the stories use math to solve the problems. There is nothing wrong with that format. However, it is misleading to call these stories mysteries. It would be more honest to market this as a book that demonstrates children solving problems with math in real world situations.

I would have preferred more reader interaction. In the original minute mystery genre, the writers expect the readers to try to solve the problem before giving them the answer. In these stories, the reader is not expected to engage in the story. The characters solve the mystery without expecting the child to think about possible solutions. The answers are all provided as part of the story.

The book does provide children with real life practical examples of math in action. It also could be a good resource for children who struggle with word problems. The problems in this book are more engaging than those found in your average text. Having models of other children approaching these problems in a logical manner might provide children with some insight on how to approach problems presented in his/her own environment. It definitely provides students with models of how to approach word problems they will find in textbooks.
I would love to see a series that does combine mystery with math and science. I think there is a market for it.

The Science book has already arrived at the library for me to review so I plan to look at it. Since this is actually the second book in the series, I expect they are probably very similar.

The Great Divide

Dayle Ann Dodds introduces children to division in The Great Divide: A Mathematical Marathon as racers encounter hazards that leave them divided into groups. Each hazard leaves the group divided in half until there is only one racer remaining to win the race.

I thought Full House: An Invitation to Fractions did a better job in providing children with visual demonstrations of the math concepts and how the math would be represented in numerical form. This is a cute math story, but not nearly as strong as many of the other math picture books I have been reviewing.

A Place for Zero

A Place for Zero (Charlesbridge Math Adventures (Paperback))is a fun adventure story designed to introduce children to place value and the purpose of zero. Many children are taught to count from one. Children encounter zero when they get to ten, but he is often not seen as an individual number in the same way the numbers one through nine are viewed. As the hero of the story, Zero attempts to find his purpose in life. In doing so, he reminds not only children, but also adults about the importance of remembering to talk about zero and its function in math. From the story, children learn about why we have a zero and are provided with a basic introduction to place value.

I am glad to see more picture books taking on the challenges of math vocabulary and concepts in a fun and engaging way for children.

Amanda Bean's Amazing Dream

Amanda Bean's Amazing Dream (Marilyn Burns Brainy Day Books)
is a funny story designed to help children see the relevance of multiplication facts.

While Amanda Bean loves to count, she fails to understand why she should learn to multiply. After all as someone who loves to count, what would be the point in learning to multiply?

Through a few adventures and some very funny dreams, Amanda comes to understand that multiplication is a huge time saver when it comes to counting things. She decides it is a practical tool. Learning it will save her time for other things she loves to do.

For children and parents who have ever questioned why they must learn math, Amanda Bean's journey is a fun story to read. It is not as strong as some of the other math stories I have reviewed in terms of direct instruction. This requires more work from parents or teachers to help children use the opportunities to multiply provided in the story. Marilyn Burns does provide parents and teachers with ways to extend the story and use the examples to help engage children in practicing multiplication. This is likely to be just a fun story about a fantastic dream without some intervention. Other math titles I have reviewed are more successful in engaging children to learn about math independently.

Full House an Invitation to Fractions

Full House: An Invitation to Fractionsinvites young readers to see fractions in action in an age appropriate manner.

In an author statement Ms. Dodds states, "Fractions were always a bit difficult for me to understand." In this book, she sets out to demonstrate that even young children can start to see fractions as parts of wholes and recognize their number format. She takes the fear out of fractions by introducing them at a young age, helping parents and teachers to demonstrate there is no boogey man fraction monster. It is just another part of math in our environment.

The story she weaves to help teach fractions is about Miss Bloom who runs the Strawberry Inn with six rooms including her own. She is hopeful of filling the Inn and as each guest arrives the readers are shown the fraction of rooms that are now filled. When the final guest arrives, the reader is shown how 6/6 is equal to one whole because the whole Inn is full. A final fraction story emerges regarding Miss Bloom's cake when the guests get hungry in the middle of the night and only leave her 1/6 the of the cake for herself.

I think this is another great book for introducing math concepts early in an age appropriate manner. I do not expect children to grasp fractions after reading this or any other children's picture book. However, it does plant a seed. With additional exposure, children do start to build math concepts. Thus, fractions and other math topics are no longer great mysteries to be tackled in later years.

Sir Cumference and All the King's Tens

Sir Cumference and All the King's Tens: A Math Adventure
is another book in Cindy Neuschwander's Sir Cumference Math Series.

In this book, Sir Cumference and Lady Di of Ameter are preparing for a visit from King Arthur. Lady Di is struggling to get a head count to determine the amount of food that needs to be prepared and to adequately provide housing and comfort for her guests. They struggle with a method of counting until of course they decide to divide and group people using ten's.

The author weaves a creative tale with a practical answer to the question when will we ever need to use this math.

Multiplying Menance The Revenge of Rumpelstiltskin

In Multiplying Menace: The Revenge of Rumpelstiltskin (A Math Adventure)Rumpelstiltskin is back and he wants revenge on the parents he feels cheated him. He has a new weapon and he is not afraid to use it to get back the child he thought should have belonged to him.

In order to save his parents the child leaves with Rumpelstiltskin and observes how his magical cane works. The magic the cane uses involves multiplication. The boy carefully observes how Rumpelstiltskin uses whole numbers and fractions to create the outcomes he desires.

When Rumpelstiltskin does not keep his word about restoring his father's nose, the boy is determined to steal the cane and return the kingdom back to normal. As he practices with the cane, he learns the importance of precise math language. In one example the cane only works when he uses zero, other more commonly used substitutions fail.

One of the strengths of this book was that it introduced multiplication of fractions in a practical visual way. While many students may not leave this book ready to multiply fractions, it does provide an introduction at an early age that is age appropriate and does not make fractions mysterious and something to be feared. I always appreciate titles that seek to make math friendlier to all students and I think this one makes that list.

Mummy Math an Adventure in Geometry

I was fortunate to grow up with brothers who could tell stories and make math and science formulas seem to have some meaning outside of the dull textbooks we were asked to memorize. Thankfully, math literature has emerged that provides children with more entertaining ways to learn the material and find some cross-curricular connections in the process.

Mummy Math: An Adventure in Geometryengages children in a treasure hunt for a Mummy's tomb while teaching them important math vocabulary and concepts related to geometric solids.

Two children end up trapped in a mummy's tomb and must remember what they've learned about cones, spheres, cubes, cylinders, pyramids, tetrahedrons, rectangles, and triangular prisms to find the mummy's burial chamber and make it out of the tomb.

As readers follow the children's adventure, they are taught the differences between the solids. In one instance, the children’s knowledge of how many faces each object has saves them from disaster. This is obviously only an introduction, but it is a fun and engaging introduction. A far more interesting one than the dry one I got from a textbook. This is more like the stories my brothers would make up to try to help me learn the material that the textbooks left me confused and frustrated learning.

The Greedy Triangle

The Greedy Triangle (Scholastic Bookshelf)is a creative way to teach children the language of geometrical shapes and about the importance of being satisfied with yourself.

The Greedy Triangle is happy being a triangle fitting itself under a person's arm when they put a hand on a hip, along with many other wonderful tasks. However, one day when it is bored, it asks a magical shapeshifter for another angle and another side and our trip through shape geometry begins. As with most picture books, children can predict that the triangle will never be happy with its new shape and always returns to the shapeshifter for one more side and one more angle.

The story introduces children to looking at shapes as formation of sides and angles that increase and can be seen as building up from other shapes. At the end, the triangle has lost his friends and cannot remember why he was so dissatisfied at being a triangle and requests that the shapeshifter make him a triangle again.

I am always looking for fun math stories that introduce concepts and vocabulary to children. This book would be most appropriate for young children. Unlike some of the other books I reviewed, I do not see this one appealing to an older audience of children.

If You Were a Fraction

If You Were a Fraction (Math Fun)is a wonderful book in Trisha Shaskan's Math Fun series. I am a firm believer that it is never too early to introduce children to math vocabulary and even basic concepts as long as it is done in a fun and age appropriate way.

This book introduces fractions in a way that meets those goals. Wonderful pictures help illustrate basic fraction concepts in a simple non-threatening way. Young children can be introduced to the vocabulary and ideas of fractions and older children who may be struggling with textbooks may find this a simple way to understand missed concepts.

I would not suggest worksheets to accompany the book, but introducing children to math vocabulary and ideas with fun picture books is a great start to math education. The more kids see the ideas, the more comfortable they become with the concepts without any need for drill and kill.

These are the kinds of books that can reduce fear of math. They help kids see math more clearly and help develop vocabulary and concepts that kids will need to function in math class. I only wish there had been more math literature when I was learning math.