Adler and Miller easefully tackle yet another aspect of mathematics with clear explanations and graphic interpretations that extend the topic of an earlier book of theirs, Working with Fractions (2007). Here the author draws the connection between fractions, decimals and percents using money as a convenient vehicle to express parts of a whole. The illustrator sets the action at a county fair with electric colors and sharp, two-dimensional edges. The price of goods at the fair serves to launch the discussion of how 89 cents becomes 89/100 becomes .89 becomes 89 percent. Gradually more complicated material is introduced—numerator, denominator, position relative to decimal point—and then how one finds decimals and percents when the denominator isn’t 100. Times when a particular use predominates is explained, and a few pop quizzes are administered to give readers a sense of grasp and accomplishment. The team’s sense of sheer fun gives the book significant propulsion, the county fair conveys an assuaging atmosphere for those with a touch of math anxiety and the quizzes offer an enjoyable challenge. Both straightforward and bouncy, a successful primer on parts. (Picture book. 6-10)
Pub Date: March 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-8234-2199-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2010
At ``Step 2'' in the useful ``Step into Reading'' series: an admirably clear, well-balanced presentation that centers on wolves' habits and pack structure. Milton also addresses their endangered status, as well as their place in fantasy, folklore, and the popular imagination. Attractive realistic watercolors on almost every page. Top-notch: concise, but remarkably extensive in its coverage. A real bargain. (Nonfiction/Easy reader. 6-10)
Pub Date: April 1, 1992
ISBN: 0-679-91052-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1992
BOOK REVIEW
Gooney Bird Greene (with a silent E) is not your average second grader. She arrives in Mrs. Pidgeon’s class announcing: “I’m your new student and I just moved here from China. I want a desk right smack in the middle of the room, because I like to be right smack in the middle of everything.” Everything about her is unusual and mysterious—her clothes, hairstyles, even her lunches. Since the second graders have never met anyone like Gooney Bird, they want to hear more about her. Mrs. Pidgeon has been talking to the class about what makes a good story, so it stands to reason that Gooney will get her chance. She tells a series of stories that explain her name, how she came from China on a flying carpet, how she got diamond earrings at the prince’s palace, and why she was late for school (because she was directing a symphony orchestra). And her stories are “absolutely true.” Actually, they are explainable and mesh precisely with the teacher’s lesson, more important, they are a clever device that exemplify the elements of good storytelling and writing and also demonstrate how everyone can turn everyday events into stories. Savvy teachers should take note and add this to their shelf of “how a story is made” titles. Gooney Bird’s stories are printed in larger type than the narrative and the black-and-white drawings add the right touch of sauciness (only the cover is in color). A hybrid of Harriet, Blossom, and Anastasia, irrepressible Gooney Bird is that rare bird in children’s fiction: one that instantly becomes an amusing and popular favorite. (Fiction. 6-9)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2002
ISBN: 0-618-23848-4
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Walter Lorraine/Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2002
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