Positive and Negative Numbers, Oh My!

Positive & Negative Numbers, Oh My! (Got Math!) provides a balance of traditional number line approaches to teaching positive and negative numbers and some creative real world applications. The book also looks at less than and great than, and has a brief review of coordinate graphing with positive and negative numbers.

The book emphasizes math vocabulary for numbers, which I always am looking for in math picture books. When kids learn the words in more friendly environments, they tend to remember them and they lose the fear of math words. This book defines the words in a clear manner and provides number lines to help illustrate the concepts and vocabulary being defined. In between the math vocabulary and definitions, real world examples are used to reinforce the ideas being presented.

Concepts in this book include natural numbers, whole numbers, rational numbers, integers (positive and negative), absolute value, inequality symbols, and four quadrant graphing. The words are defined and then built on to explain additional concepts in the book.

Overall I was impressed by the amount of information covered in this book and the efforts to make it accessible. I was frustrated in one instance in the discussion of the opposite absolute value. Up until this point they very clearly clarified not just what to do, but why you do something in math. This has always been a problem for me in math. If I didn't understand something I could make up my own rules thinking I'd remembered correctly. This was the only explanation I found in the book where they just said, add a negative sign and you're good without any explanation of why it works. If they weren't going to explain, I'd rather have had them left it out because everything else is explained pretty well for the reader to follow along not just on how, but the why.

Math Inspectors: The Case of the Claymore Diamond

I am always on the look out for good stories that can also encourage kids to engage with math. When done well it can help kids to see the relevance of math and stop those annoying when will I ever need this questions.

The Math Inspectors: Story One - The Case of the Claymore Diamond (Volume 1) is a cute mystery in the style of Encyclopedia Brown, though the author clearly was shooting for Scooby Doo. There is only one story, unlike the short stories found in Encyclopedia Brown, however, the goal is to use brain power to solve crimes that challenge the police. While Encyclopedia Brown focuses on observation and logic, the Math Inspectors use math concepts and clearly demonstrate how the answers were arrived at each time. This is a plot trick commonly used in math fiction, however, I give the authors credit, it was more natural in this book than in others I've reviewed. It didn't have that feel of we've reached the middle of page 4 it's time to insert a math problem to reach our quota.

The reference to Scooby Doo in the book pretty much gives away the thief early on, but the author keeps the twists interesting enough that I think it would encourage a reader to finish it to the end to discover how the robbery happened.

I have just a couple of criticisms. First, I recognize there is a push to address bullying in children's literature. At the beginning of the novel, we clearly see the math kids are being bullied. However, instead of demonstrating healthy coping skills, they in turn become bullies themselves, sanctioned by the authors because they are the smart kids. I wasn't comfortable with that.

My second complaint is how the kids work with the police. Encyclopedia Brown often solved the crimes before the cops, but he never struck me as rude and arrogant towards the adults in the book. These kids humiliate the bumbling police chief on several occasions and then as a reward for solving the case get him to participate in bullying the kids who bullied them. I just didn't like that.

My last complaint is a minor one. I appreciated that the conversation between the kids was clean and for the most part demonstrated positive language patterns. However, I think the conversations between the kids represented more of how we as adults think kids communicate with each other rather than how they do communicate with each other. It was just a little awkward at times.

All and all this is one of the most promising math series I've come across in a while. I'm looking forward to reading The Math Inspectors: Story Two - The Case of the Mysterious Mr. Jekyll (Volume 2) to see if the series improves on this beginning book.

Manga Math: The Lost Key

I have a family member who is a struggling reader that has been begging me for some Manga options. I thought I'd check out this series to see if I could combine math and his love of Manga. After reading The Lost Key: A Mystery with Whole Numbers (Manga Math Mysteries (Paperback)) I'm a little on the fence.

The themes of learning self-control, trying not to be drawn into conflict when it can be avoided, etc. were good. I liked trying to get the kids to use math to try to solve the problem of items going missing from their training school. However, at times it all seemed a bit contrived. Most early readers aren't deep and the plots and characters can be flat. This however, seemed more than normally ackward. I also questioned if a child reading the book would actually work through the math or just wait for the characters to give them the answer and not really care how the problem was solved.

My suggestion would be to try these from the library first to see how your child likes them if they are interested in Manga and you want to see if you can introduce some math with the manga reading time. I'm not sure this meets my needs at this point.

Math Picture and Other Books

I've been reviewing math picture books and decided it would be a good idea to create a list that sorted them so it would be easy to find them and have a reference point when I needed it. I will continue to add titles as I locate them.

Updated April 2018

Algebra:

Mystery Math: A First Book of AlgebraReview here

Division:

The Great Divide: A Mathematical Marathon Review here

Estimation:

Great Estimations

Sir Cumference and the Roundabout BattleReview here

Fractions:

Fractions in Disguise: A Math Adventure (Charlesbridge Math Adventures) Review here

Full House: An Invitation to Fractions Review here

If You Were a Fraction (Math Fun)Review here

Geometry:

The Greedy Triangle (Scholastic Bookshelf) Review here

Mummy Math: An Adventure in GeometryReview here

Sir Cumference and the Isle of Immeter (Math Adventures)Review here

Three Pigs, One Wolf, Seven Magic Shapes (level 3) (Scholastic Reader, Math)Review here

What's Your Angle, Pythagoras?

Graphing:

Coordinate Graphing:

Sir Cumference and the Viking's Map (Charlesbridge Math Adventures (Paperback))Review here

Math Concepts:

Equal ShmequalReview here

Measurement:

Inchworm and A HalfReview here

Mixed (has multiple types of math):

Edgar Allan Poe's Pie: Math Puzzlers in Classic PoemsReview here

Math at the Art MuseumReview here

The Lost Key: A Mystery with Whole Numbers (Manga Math Mysteries (Paperback))Review here

The Math Inspectors: Story One - The Case of the Claymore Diamond (Volume 1) Review here


Multiplication:

Amanda Bean's Amazing Dream (Marilyn Burns Brainy Day Books)
Review here

Multiplying Menace: The Revenge of Rumpelstiltskin (A Math Adventure)Review here

Place Value:

A Place for Zero (Charlesbridge Math Adventures (Paperback))Review here

Positive & Negative Numbers, Oh My! (Got Math!)Reviewhere

Sir Cumference and All the King's Tens: A Math Adventure Review here

Probability:

A Very Improbable StoryReview here