302. 10 Dogs

10 Dogs. Emily Gravett. 2023. [September] 32 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: 10 dogs. 10 sausages. 1 dog with all the sausages. 9 dogs with none. 2 dogs each with half of them. 8 dogs wanting some. 3 dogs with more sausages. 7 dogs with less. 4 dogs guard the sausages. 6 dogs not impressed.

Premise/plot:  Is it a story? Is it a math lesson? Why not both? This makes for a fun early-elementary read aloud. Back in the day I wouldn't be surprised if teachers had chosen to extend the book's activity with flannel figures--dogs and sausages. 

My thoughts: I enjoyed this one. I thought it was fun, playful. I don't always "love" math problems, but an entertaining story with sausages and dogs???? YES please. 

Definitely recommend this one to early grades.

 

© 2023 Becky Laney of Young Readers

293-295. Picture Book Parade

293. How To Count to One: And Don't Even Think About Bigger Numbers. Caspar Salmon. Illustrated by Matt Hunt. 2023. [June] 32 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Hello! Welcome to a fun new counting book. Are you ready to start counting? As we go through the book, follow the instructions. Don't worry if you make a mistake! Let's start with something nice and easy. Do you know what an apple looks like? Good! Simply count how many apples you see.

Premise/plot: This is an interactive counting concept book with a twist. The twist is to trick little ones into breaking the rules and counting higher than one. Every page actively discourages little ones from counting higher. The text and illustrations keep getting sillier. Will your little one "accidentally" learn to count higher than one?

My thoughts: I enjoyed this reverse psychology interactive concept book. It was silly, amusing, fun. It kept surprising me. I knew the general idea of it going in, but I didn't know what silly situations would pop up next as I kept turning the pages. This one is a bit on the oversized side. I haven't decided if it would be best shared one on one or if it would be good for a group read aloud.

294. Squash, the Cat. Sasha Mayer. 2023. [August] 40 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: This is Squash. You might he able to guess how he got his name. Squash is an early-breakfast followed by a midmorning nap and then another nap kind of cat. Squash's best friend is Maggie.

Premise/plot: Squash's human MAGGIE gets upset with him for squashing her new tunnel. Will she forgive him? 

My thoughts: I wish, in a way, that this one was about another topic. I mean sure forgiveness is important and all. Okay it is also extremely relevant to this target-audience (age group). But I wanted MORE Squash being adorable and less life lessons. I thought Squash was adorable.

295. Just Because. Matthew McConaughey. Illustrated by Renee Kurilla. 2023. [September] 32 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Just because they threw the dart, doesn't mean that it stuck. Just because I've got skills, doesn't mean there is no luck. 

Premise/plot: Rhyming couplets offer plenty of enigmas or food for thought for older readers. Each couplet starts with "just because." Each relies heavily on the illustrations. In fact, without the illustrations, the rhymes would have no point. (Though one could argue that some might still not have a point????)

My thoughts: Who is the audience for Just Because? Is it adult librarians? teachers? graduating seniors? At what age do you have to be to really appreciate many mini-life-lessons? This one is for readers who want to unpack meaning in riddles and enigmas. It might be a good conversation starter for small groups. I do think some of the couplets could be interpreted in more than one way. 

I personally was not a fan. Reading is subjective. There are probably readers--of some age--that will appreciate this one and find some depth.

© 2023 Becky Laney of Young Readers

120. CATastrophe! A Story of Patterns

CATastrophe! A Story of Patterns. Ann Marie Stephens. Illustrated by Jenn Harney. 2021. [August] 32 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: The bait is packed and the boat is waiting. This hungry crew wants to catch some dinner.

Premise/plot: This picture book stars a crew of CATS eagerly wanting to catch some fish for dinner. This concept book is all about PATTERNS. IF the cats are to be successful they will have to reliably and consistently be able to integrate patterns into their plans...

My thoughts: It is a thinly veiled story. BUT on the plus side, if you're going to be doing math, better math WITH KITTIES than without. I didn't love, love, love this one as a story. I liked it. I think for those looking for concept picture books about patterns for young readers--preschoolers through kindergarten--it would be a good fit.

 

© 2021 Becky Laney of Young Readers

98. Isobel Adds It Up

Isobel Adds It Up. Kristy Everington. Illustrated by Ag Ford. 2021. [June] 40 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Isobel loved math. She loved the soft curves of the number three, the hard edge of seven, and how numbers always made sense to her.

Premise/plot: Isobel, our heroine, has a difficult time finding peace and quiet after noisy neighbors move in next door. Without that quiet, how can she settle into her math homework? This situation calls for some problem-solving, and not the math-on-paper kind. Can Isobel find a way to get her neighbors to settle down?

My thoughts: I really enjoyed this one. I was drawn to it because of the elephant on the cover. I thought it was fun that the neighbors that SOUNDED LIKE A HERD OF ELEPHANTS actually were an elephant family!!! I liked that Bernadette (the elephant) was able to make friends with Isobel. I liked that they both love math. Seeing these two work on their homework together was just fun.

 

© 2021 Becky Laney of Young Readers

42. Usha and the Big Digger

Usha and the Big Digger. (Storytelling Math). Amitha Jagannath Knight. Illustrated by Sandhya Prabhat. 2021. [June] 32 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Usha loved trucks. She made them bump and roll.

Premise/plot: Everyone sees something different in the stars in this new picture book. Usha, our heroine, sees a BIG DIGGER. Her sister, Aarti, sees the BIG DIPPER. Her cousin, Gloria, sees a Big Kite. Usha, probably the youngest of the three, is upset that others can't see the Big DIGGER when it is so obvious!

Meanwhile, Usha is still struggling to learn to do a cartwheel. Both big sister and cousin can do cartwheels easily. Will Usha master the cartwheel and be able to teach her friends something as well?

My thoughts: Math is not my strong point. (That's an understatement.) When I first read the story, I was like WHERE IS THE MATH? How does this story relate to math? I probably never would have guessed the answer was teaching "rotation, orientation, and perspective." But there you have it! The back matter says, "young children with strong spatial skills can do better in math and science in school." If the two are connected, no wonder math has never been a strength.

I liked the story. I did. I liked how each girl--especially Gloria and Usha--use their imaginations and see the stars differently. I liked seeing the focus on family relationships. I liked how both the older girls helped Usha (eventually) learn to do a cartwheel. I liked how all the pieces of this one eventually came together as a whole.

It does include a list of suggested activities in the back of the book. 

© 2021 Becky Laney of Young Readers

26. Bracelets for Bina's Brothers

Bracelets for Bina's Brothers. Rajani LaRocca. Illustrated by Chaaya Prabhat. 2021. [April] 32 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Bina had three big brothers: Vijay, Siddharth, and Arjun. They sometimes annoyed her, but she loved them anyway. 

Premise/plot: Bina, our heroine, wants to make--instead of buy--bracelets for her three brothers. The occasion is Raksha Bandhan an Indian holiday celebrating the special bond between brothers and sisters. She sets out to craft each bracelet with a unique pattern keeping each brother in mind, but, patterns aren't always easy to design and carry out! 

My thoughts: This book is part of Charlesbridge's Storytelling Math series. The (math) concept being taught is patterns. Of course, there's more to the story than just pattern-making. It is also a celebration of family and culture.

I liked seeing the relationships of all four siblings! It was a cute read.

 

 

© 2021 Becky Laney of Young Readers

23. Luna's Yum Yum Dim Sum

Luna's Yum yum Dim Sum. Natasha Yim. Illustrated by Violet Kim. 2020. [December] 32 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: It's Luna's birthday! Ma Ma and Ba Ba are taking Luna and her brothers to a dim sum restaurant for a special birthday lunch. 

Premise/plot: Luna's Yum Yum Dim Sum is a math problem in disguise--not really, it says right on the cover. Luna, the birthday girl, gets into a dilemma with her two brothers Kai and Benji. There are six pork buns (char siu bao) to divide between the three of them. (I'm guessing the parents ordered something different. Honestly the parents might as well not be in this one). So what will happen when ONE of the six falls on the floor? How will the three kids divide five between the three of them? Can they agree on what's fair?

My thoughts: I may not love, love, love math, but I do love to eat! I enjoyed this one. The children solve how to share/divide the food between themselves without any interference or input from the parents. (We never do learn what the parents ordered. I was curious.) Is that wishful thinking? Maybe. Maybe not depending not only on the kids' ages but on the kids' personalities as well!

© 2021 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Board book: Hello Ninjas!

Hello Ninjas! Joan Holub. Illustrated by Chris Dickason. 2018. Simon & Schuster. 26 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence:

Hello mask
Hello boots
Hello ninjas
wearing suits

Premise/plot: Ten ninjas are on a quest for TACO TREASURE. But will the Samurai get there first and take the tacos?

My thoughts: If I had to sum it up in one word: CONFUSED.  Clearly the book is teaching math facts--the ways to get to ten. 1+9, 2+8, 3+7, 4+6, 5+5. Clearly the book is doing this with NINJAS--ninja terms and themes. Clearly the author must love tacos--who doesn't love tacos? The book has humorous moments--a twist ending that resolves everything amicably. I'm just not sure it's for me. Then again, I am NOT the target audience in the first place.

Text: 3 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 6 out of 10


© 2018 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Board book: Bathtime Mathtime

Board book: Bathtime Mathtime. Danica McKellar. Illustrated by Alicia Padron. 2018. Random house. 20 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence:

Bathtime Mathtime, 1, 2, 3
Counting helps me add, you see!
Let's find out just how it's done.
Bathtime Mathtime starts with 1!
Bathtime Mathtime, 1, 2, 3
Getting in the bath is slippery!
Careful feet for me and you.
One foot, other foot--that makes 2!

Premise/plot: Bathtime Mathtime is a board book concept book that teaches or illustrates simple addition facts: 1+1=2, 2+1=3, 3+1=4, 4+1=5. It's set, of course, in a bathroom. It stars a naked baby, two puppies, some rubber duckies, some bubbles, and one rhyming care-giver.

My thoughts: My mother would be the first to tell you that sometimes I over-think books. That might just be the case with this board book written by a celebrity. Am I slightly hesitant to like it because a) it's about math b) it's written by a celebrity c) the rhymes are hit/miss and at times slightly awkward.

I liked the beginning. The initial rhymes on the first page worked for me. I am not a fan of the three/slippery line. But I am picky when it comes to rhythm and rhyme. Perhaps obnoxiously so. But here's where the over-thinking kicks in. WHY is the baby getting a bath with TWO puppies. What caregiver would say YES that sounds like an awesome way to spend the evening. It just seems like a big, big job to do for the fun of it. Also I'm thinking that the water looks way too deep for the baby--and the tiny puppies.

I think most readers would enjoy this one.

© 2018 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Ten Magic Butterflies

Ten Magic Butterflies. Danica McKellar. Illustrated by Jennifer Bricking. 2018. Random House.  40 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Once upon a time, there were 10 flower friends. Were they always happy? Well that depends...

Premise/plot: Ten (talking) flowers become dissatisfied with their life and dream of flying like the fairies they see at night. One flower speaks up and asks the fairy for a bit of magic. The fairy grants the wish: the flower becomes a butterfly. One by one flowers ask and receive the same wish. But will they be happier as butterflies?

My thoughts: This book is ALL about the math. The story is ALL about introducing the math facts:
1+9=10, 2+8=10, 3+7=10, 4+6=10, 5+5=10, 6+4=10, 7+3=10, 8+2=10, 9+1=10. True, she speeds up the process after 5+5 by just saying "Yes, one by one they filled the sky as the sweet little fairy helped each to fly." But essentially this is about the different ways you can get to ten. TOLD IN RHYME.

Would I be more forgiving if it wasn't told in rhyme? Probably. You see, I am a stubborn person who believes that rhyme and rhythm should go together...always, no exception. You can have rhythm without rhyme perhaps. But without rhythm, your rhyme is missing something vital. It's a pretender. And this book lacks rhythm.

Text: 2 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 5 out of 10

© 2018 Becky Laney of Young Readers