A House for Birdie (MathStart 1) - Hardcover

Murphy, Stuart J.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060523514 ISBN 13: 9780060523510

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2004

Synopsis

“Kids, young and old, fall in love with math when they see how real-life and effortless it becomes thanks to these books.” —Kimberly D. Mueller, Ed.D., First Grade Teacher, Ashbrook School, Lumberton NJ

A House for Birdie is perfect for teaching capacity to pre-K through kindergarteners. Poor tiny Birdie has no house. But Birdie does have friends. Spike, Queenie, Goldie, and Fidget want to help Birdie find a house of his own. Birdie needs a house that isn't too tall and isn't too thin, that isn't too short and isn't too fat, and that isn't too wide and isn't too narrow. Will they find a house for Birdie before the rain falls and the wind blows?

Kids will love the story and the illustrations by Edward Miller. Parents and educators will love how the story and pictures make understanding the math concepts a breeze—as well as the concrete examples of how math works. The book contains activities for adults to do with kids to extend math into their own lives. 

Math skills are life skills, and the MathStart series supports success!

• This award-winning series by Stuart J. Murphy teaches math through stories and visual models
• 63 books divided into three levels with 21 books in each
• Fun activities kids will love are included to help parents and teachers emphasize the lessons
• Engaging and relatable stories, with each story revolving around practical applications of the math concept presented
• Lively art from top-notch illustrators
• Charts and other visual representations help children understand how the math works and promote deeper comprehension

MathStart's unique combination of stories, illustrations, and visual models helps teachers and parents in the teaching of math and provides all children with the opportunity to succeed.

The math concepts taught in MathStart books conform to state and national standards. Level 1 is Pre-K–Kindergarten; Level 2 is Grades 1–3; Level 3 is Grades 2–4. The series follows math topics across grades so there is a foundational path to learning that runs through the levels.

Help kids with their math skills plus their reading skills with the engaging and fun MathStart series!

About this title

About the Authors

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 Boston.

Edward Miller has illustrated A Drop of Blood and What Happens to a Hamburger? for the Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science series. He lives in New York City.

From the Back Cover

Poor tiny Birdie has no house. But Birdie does have friends.

Spike, Queenie, Goldie, and Fidget want to help Birdie find a house of his own. Birdie needs a house that isn't too tall and isn't too thin, that isn't too short and isn't too fat, and that isn't too wide and isn't too narrow. Will they find a house for Birdie before the rain falls and the wind blows?

A sweet and simple story about helping out a friend explains the math concept of capacity -- what will fit in a container of a particular shape and size.

Reviews

PreSchool-Grade 1–Although this book is colorful, it misses its goal of helping children to understand capacity. A tiny blue bird searches for an appropriate house with the help of his feathered friends. Each one is a different shape: Spike is "tall, thin, and narrow"; Queenie is "tall, fat, and wide"; Goldie is "short, fat, and wide"; and Fidget is "short, thin, and narrow." As they explore a variety of homes, each companion finds a perfect fit for itself, but not for Birdie. In the end, the other birds build him a home that is just right. Some of the terms used to describe each bird are redundant. The author's goal is to introduce students to length, width, and height, but not all three dimensions are clearly differentiated. Additionally, "short and narrow" is reworded as "nice and thin," which jumps off the page as a value judgment after the narrative has used other descriptive terminology without any positive or negative interpretations. The simple cartoon illustrations are pleasant with endpapers covered by white outlines of a variety of birdhouses. The bright colors are attractive, and the text is accessible to beginning readers, but the explanation of the math concept isn't entirely successful.–Erlene Bishop Killeen, Fox Prairie Elementary School, Stoughton, WI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

PreS. Murphy's latest title in the popular MathStart series uses a simple friendship story and clear, colorful paper-cut art to explore the concept of "capacity." As the weather becomes cold and wet, small Birdie needs shelter, and he asks his friends to help him find a house. They find a tall, thin, narrow house that's just right for tall, thin, narrow Spike. Then they find a tall, fat, wide house, just right for tall, fat, wide Queenie. There's a house to fit short, fat, wide Goldie and also one for short, thin, narrow Fidget. Finally, the friends make a house that's tiny all around--just right for Birdie. Preschoolers will enjoy the friendship story as they absorb the idea of volume and three-dimensional shapes, and adults who read this to kids will be pleased by the suggested activities at the end that will help children explore the concepts in everyday life. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0060523514
• ISBN 13: 9780060523510
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Miller Edward
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 40