Super Sand Castle Saturday (Mathstart, Level 2) - Softcover

Stuart J. Murphy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 078079902X ISBN 13: 9780780799028

Publisher: Perfection Learning, 1999

Synopsis

One Saturday at the beach, Laura, Juan, and Sarah decide to have a sand castle contest. As the tide rises, the walls get longer, the towers get taller, and the moats get deeper. The friends measure their sand castles with spoons, shovels, and bare feet until Larry the lifeguard and his tape measure surprise them all.

About this title

About the Author:

Stuart J. Murphy is a visual learning specialist. A graduate for Rhode Island School of Design, he has a strong background in design and art direction. He also has extensive experience in the world of educational publishing. Drawing on all these talents, Stuart J. Murphy brings a unique perspective to the MathStart series. In MathStart books, pictures do more than tell stories; they teach math. Stuart Murphy and his wife, Nancy, live in Evanston, Illinois, where they love to beep beep and vroom vroom around town in their brand new silver bug.

From Kirkus Reviews:

PLB 0-06-027613-4 This entry in the MathStart series explores the hazards of measuring in nonstandard units. Eager to win prizes from Larry the lifeguard for the tallest tower, longest wall, and deepest moat, Juan, Sarah, and Laura compare their sand castles; they discover that Sarah's castle is three shovels tall while Juan's is but two, Laura's moat is one spoon deep while Juan's is two, and Laura's wall is five steps long to Sarah's seven. However, as observant viewers will note, Sarah's spoon is longer than Juan's, her shovel and feet shorter. Wielding a tape measure, Larry explains why inches are more reliable units than spoons, etc. People and objects in Gorton's simple air brushed cartoons stand out distinctly against the green ocean and sun-drenched sand, and lines of measurement are laid out for viewers to compare. With the small type activity notes at the end, this makes a pleasant, painless way for children (and dare we say adults?) to pick up some basic math methodology. For those who resist Larry's strict notions, bring out Loreen Leedy's blithe Measuring Penny (p. 270) for a more generous examination of nonstandard measurements. (Picture book. 6-8) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

About this edition

• Publisher: Perfection Learning
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 078079902X
• ISBN 13: 9780780799028
• Binding: Paperback
• Illustrator: Julia Gorton