Counting in Dog Years and ­Other Sassy Math Poems

Gr 1-3–A tinge of science fiction colors the everyday life of children in this collection. In these school-themed sections, readers pop into the absurd stories that fill their math word problems with an amusing twist between their verses. The poems cover topics from algebra and geometry to interconnected ideas, such as tessellations and base systems, in a way that builds on familiar concepts while exploring new ideas. There are clever usages of meter and stress that pair very nicely with the counting aesthetic throughout. Filling the space between sections and poems are pops of steampunk and robotic creations that hold everything together. One of the best features of this text is the inclusion of the number robots, as they allow readers space to breathe and think after poems via illustrative breaks; they also weave themselves into the narratives present in some of the poems. This collection is cognizant of the audience’s experiences, so there is relatability alongside the witty imagery.