Integer Operations: A subtly blatant mathematics production

BLATANT MATHEMATICS: A fusion of visual, auditory, linguistic, and cognitive arts. Beautiful illustrations surround a simple tale that captures the "how to" of basic integer operations. Part 1: Crossroad Encounters demonstrates properties of adding signed numbers. Part 2: A Wavering Wand illustrates subtraction. Part 3: Potions and Poisons shows multiplication and division by positive scale factors. And Part 4: The Mixing of Magics does the same for multiplication and division by negative values. An excellent classroom and home library resource.

I use the story along with guiding questions and practice exercises either in one 90 minute class or two 45 minute classes each September. All of the normal student issues that arise related to adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing integers then can be addressed with the questions, "What happened in the story? This problem is like what part of the story? Okay, so what should we do?"
This might be book-lover taboo. But I also use two copies of the book, cut completely through at the spine with pages laminated, as "instructional decorations" for my classroom. The pages can cover about 50 square feet of wall or bulletin board space with beautiful art that is mathematically rich.