Easy Math Puzzles

Thirty exciting puzzles, including basic mathematics as well as brain teasers, are designed to challenge young readers, and come complete with an answer guide in the back of the book.

Grade 3-5. A delightful array of math problems that stimulate and challenge children to use critical thinking skills to determine solutions?and they're fun. Adler's puzzles require clear reasoning more than sophisticated mathematics know-how or scratch paper. One example: two mothers and two daughters are walking in the rain, all under the protection of the same umbrella, yet only three women appear in the illustration. Where is the fourth woman? Of course, there is no fourth woman since the three females are grandmother, mother, and daughter: two mothers and two daughters. The categories include people and animals, coin conundrums, and food problems. Finally, there are favorites such as, "Which weighs more, 1 pound of feathers or 1 pound of rocks?" The answers are provided at the book's end. Fisher's cartoon-style illustrations are cheerful and lively, but are produced in black-and-white; only the cover illustration is in color. Challenging and fun, this fine title is a worthwhile addition to any library.?Jerry D. Flack, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 2^-5. Despite the book's title, some of these puzzles depend on logic and wordplay rather than math for their solutions. Kids will enjoy challenging themselves and (once they know the answers) their friends to solve problems such as this: "Jason goes to the fruit and vegetable store. There are 14 ears of corn in the bin. Jason leaves the store with 3 ears. How much corn remains in the bin?" (Answer: "13. He left the store with 1 ear of corn and his own 2 ears.") With one or two challenges per page and answers in the back of the book, there's plenty of room for Fisher's cartoonlike line-and-gray-wash illustrations. Librarians may want to shelve this with the other books of puzzlers rather than in the American literature section, as suggested in the CIP. Teachers might enjoy using these brainteasers with their class. Carolyn Phelan