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.

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.