Game Time! (Mathstart: Time, Level 3)

Calendars and clocks keep track of passing time as the Huskies prepare for and compete in the championship soccer game against the Falcons.

Grade 2-3-In one week, two girls' soccer teams will test their skills during the championship game. Told from the Huskies's point of view, the story builds tension as the big day approaches. During the game, the Falcons appear to be winning but, with nine seconds to go, the Huskies score. Designed to teach time measurement, the book introduces weeks and hours. The match lends itself to an explanation of quarter hours, which coincide with the periods of play. The scoreboard, shown on almost every page, has a countdown while an analog clock on the refreshment stand gives the time of day. The action is fast paced, and the soft-colored, pencil-and-watercolor cartoons pack plenty of action. The book concludes with an excellent list of time-study activities. Pair this with Teddy Slater's Just a Minute (Scholastic, 1996) to establish the feeling of time's passage.
Lynda Ritterman, Atco Elementary School, NJ
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