Beep Beep, Vroom Vroom! (MathStart 1) - Hardcover

Murphy, Stuart J.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060280166 ISBN 13: 9780060280161

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2000

Synopsis

Molly loves cars. And as soon as her big brother, Kevin, leaves the room, she's ready to play with his cars. The red cars vroom! The blue cars crash! And the yellow cars beep! And readers learn to recognize patterns, one of the earliest and most essential math skills. Stuart J. Murphy and Chris Demarest make learning this skill a joy for every child who loves cars.

About this title

About the Author

Stuart J. Murphy is a visual learning specialist. A graduate of the 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 J. Murphy and his wife, Nancy, live in Evanston, Illinois.

Reviews

PreSchool-Grade 1-This fine offering introduces the concept of patterns. Kevin has red, yellow, and blue cars that he always lines up in a special way on his shelf. His little sister Molly wants to play, but is told she is too young. Of course, she takes a turn the second Kevin leaves the room. Overhearing the "vrooming, crashing, and beeping," Dad and Mom remind her that she must put the cars back on the shelf exactly the way Kevin left them. This allows her several opportunities to arrange the vehicles in different ways. This clever book not only gives young readers the opportunity to identify color patterns, but also has the added bonus of a repetitive story, complete with sound effects. Whenever the children play with the cars, some variation of the refrain "VROOM VROOM zoomed the red cars. BEEP BEEP honked the yellow cars. CRASH CRASH banged the blue cars" ensues. Primary-color cartoon illustrations depict the family, a playful pooch, and plenty of toy-car action. Two concluding pages provide discussion questions and activities to reinforce the math as well as a few suggestions for further reading. However, many children will enjoy this book simply for the story and the colorful pictures.
Jackie Hechtkopf, Rose Ruth Freudberg Memorial Library, Washington, DC
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

PLB 0-06-028017-4 paper 0-06-446728-7 This rambunctious introduction to visual patterns and sequences is a strong addition to the MathStart series. Carefully lining up his dozen blue, red, and yellow toy cars in an unstated but visible order, Kevin orders Molly to keep her hands off, which she does, at least until he leaves the room. Drawn by Molly's ensuing honks and crashes, a mother, father, and a dog enter in succession, each one leaving the cars differently arranged. Can Molly replace them in their initial sequence before Kevin comes back? In fluid, energetic cartoons, Demarest makes it easy for children to help Molly solve her problem by giving each group of cars a bright color and distinctive shape, and Murphy appends suggestions for ways to continue the pattern-making with silverware, toys, and other household items. (Picture book. 3-7) -- Copyright ©2000, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Like all Murphy's MathStart titles, this lively picture book uses a story from a child's daily world to teach a basic math skill. Here the math is pattern recognition, and the story combines sibling rivalry with hands-on play. Molly loves playing with cars, but her brother, Kevin, tells her she's too young. He lines up his 12 cars--four red, four green, four yellow--in special order on the shelf and tells her not to touch them while he's gone. Of course, she does play with them (Vroom! Beep! Crash!), and every time someone comes in, she lines up the vehicles in different sequences, until, finally, she gets her own sets of cars to add to the game. At the back are practical suggestions for adults and kids to find patterns on the pages and make their own patterns with pebbles, buttons, coins, and kitchen utensils. Demarest's clear, simple pastel pictures express the fun of playing with cars as the vrooming action reveals the patterns in everyday things. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0060280166
• ISBN 13: 9780060280161
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Demarest Chris L.
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 40