How High Can a Dinosaur Count?: ...and Other Math Mysteries - Hardcover

Fisher, Valorie

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 037583608X ISBN 13: 9780375836084

Publisher: Schwartz & Wade, 2006

Synopsis

Believe it or not, once Bessie balanced a tower of 8 beets. But today, when she tries to balance 8 beets . . . 3 fall. How many beets does Bessie balance today?

A clever text and imaginative art mesh to create playful, simple math problems right on target for ages 5–99 . . . anyone who loves the magic of numbers! In this School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, budding young mathematicians can help Heloise add her dimes, nickels, and pennies to see which hat in Madame Millie’s Hat Shop she can buy. Or they can tell time with Lulu at the Tutti-Frutti Zoo, where Lollipop Licking begins at 9:00 sharp.

About this title

About the Author

Valorie Fisher is the creator of When Ruby Tried to Grow Candy and How High Can a Dinosaur Count?, called “guaranteed fun” by School Library Journal. She is the illustrator of The Fantastic 5 & 10¢ Store by J. Patrick Lewis, called “good, old-fashioned fun” by Publishers Weekly, and her photographs appear in the beloved Moxy Maxwell books. Valorie lives in Cornwall, Connecticut.

Reviews

Starred Review. Grade 1-4–Anyone who thinks that a math-activity book cant be fun hasnt seen this one. The text for each of the 15 problems is presented on the left, using a large, clean font on a spectrum of soft pastel backgrounds. The problems are clearly explained, but lots of alliteration and some unexpected vocabulary make for interesting reading. The illustration on the right features Fishers unique photographic technique. Richly textured patterns and hand-drawn objects are cut out and arranged, then photographed in such a way as to create whimsical tableaux with a three-dimensional feel. The characters are charming, from Ogden the orderly man who lives in a watering can that he keeps spick and span, to Daphne, the sweet blue dragon who dines on daisies. At the back of the book, Fisher presents four more problems for each illustration, with solutions provided for all. Appropriate for group discussions and attractive to browsers, this creative combination of text and art is a first purchase for most collections.–Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ
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Gr. 1-3. Based on the jacket illustration of a green dinosaur, many kids will be surprised that this book is neither about dinosaurs nor a traditional story. Instead, the dino--like every other character featured here--appears in one of the book's 15 "math mysteries." Each confidence-boosting number puzzle combines a brief vignette and question with a full-page illustration containing additional information and visual hints. Fisher, illustrator of Nonsense! (2004) and other titles, concocts age-appropriate problems, typically involving money, subtraction, or number identification ("[Dexter has] spotted every odd number from 1 to 20. Can you find them too?"), then extends each scenario with new questions collected at book's end. The mixed-media dioramas occasionally appear cluttered, and some children may wonder about the relevance of solving money-related problems that are so patently out-of-date (a handbag for 80 cents? Kate Spade would laugh). Still, the value of concrete math problems with a visual component is manifold, and this certainly deserves a place alongside Jon Scieszka's Math Curse (1995) and books by Stewart Murphy and Greg Tang. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Schwartz & Wade
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 037583608X
• ISBN 13: 9780375836084
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Fisher Valorie
• Number of pages: 40