Monster Musical Chairs: A MathStart Picture Book on Subtracting One for Kids (Ages 4-8) - Softcover

Murphy, Stuart J.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0064467309 ISBN 13: 9780064467308

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2000

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

Monster Musical Chairs is perfect for teaching subtracting one to pre-K through kindergarteners. Every time the music stops, one more monster is OUT! Kids won't be able to sit still for this musical introduction to subtraction at its simplest.

Kids will love the story and the funny illustrations by Scott Nash. Parents and other educators will love how the story and pictures make understanding comparisons 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.

Scott Nash has illustrated many books for children, including Betsy Who Cried Wolf! by Gail Carson Levine, Saturday Night at the Dinosaur Stomp by Carol Diggory Shields, Over the Moon by Rachel Vail, and Oh, Tucker! by Steven Kroll. He lives with his wife, Nancy, and their dog, Zephyr, on Peaks Island, Maine.

From the Back Cover

Monster Musical Chairs

Every time the music stops, one more monster is OUT! Kids won't be able to sit still for this musical introduction to subtraction at its simplest.

Reviews

K-Gr 1-In this book about subtraction, written in couplets with a beat as definite as that of the rock band supplying the music, six smiling monsters are engaged in an animated game of musical chairs. The action begins when the little creatures forcefully throw chairs across the room, telling everybody to "duck." The game proceeds with chairs and monsters being eliminated one by one. The characters' heads are pictured in a vertical row along the outside edge of the right-hand pages, with an X over the one that was unseated in that round. Unfortunately, the order of the heads varies from page to page, muddling the subtraction concept. Starting with an unequal number of chairs and monsters, subtracting one from each group simultaneously, and finally ending with one chair and one monster may be very confusing to young children. The most valuable part of this book is the list of suggested extension activities at the end. Pat Brisson's Benny's Pennies (Bantam, 1995) and Eileen Christelow's Five Little Monkeys Sitting in a Tree (Clarion, 1991) are more to the point.-Lynda Ritterman, Atco Elementary School, NJ

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0064467309
• ISBN 13: 9780064467308
• Binding: Paperback
• Illustrator: Nash Scott
• Number of pages: 40