FICTION

Help Me Learn Addition

by Jean MARZOLLO
photos by Chad Phillips. unpaged. CIP. Holiday House. Mar. 2012. RTE $15.95. ISBN 978-0-8234-2398-9. LC 2011024037.
COPY ISBN
PreS-Gr 2—Using the clean photographic style and bouncing rhymes of Marzollo's "I Spy" series (Scholastic), this energetic picture book features basic math concepts such as counting, addition, counting by twos and fives, using tally marks, subtraction, and division. Child-friendly objects such as marbles, finger puppets, and animal figurines demonstrate each concept. The book is well suited for reading aloud, with mathematical challenges worked into the verses, allowing rhymes to give clues to the answers. Phillips's brightly colored photos make effective use of negative space to highlight specific mathematical elements; the book as a whole demonstrates similar thoughtfulness in the way concepts progress in difficulty, building from previous examples so as not to overwhelm.—Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MD
Opting for breadth over depth, Marzollo introduces--in what feels like a hurry--everything from skip-counting and grouping to tally marks and the commutative property of addition. Still, kids will enjoy completing the text's rhymes: "Our chicks paired off, / which helps us when / we skip count / 2, 4, 6, 8, ____ (10)." Photographs show toys (puppets, marbles, animal figurines) in eye-catching arrangements.
Reviewed by Kathleen Kelly MacMillan , Mar 01, 2012

Be the first reader to comment.

Comment Policy:
  • Be respectful, and do not attack the author, people mentioned in the article, or other commenters. Take on the idea, not the messenger.
  • Don't use obscene, profane, or vulgar language.
  • Stay on point. Comments that stray from the topic at hand may be deleted.
  • Comments may be republished in print, online, or other forms of media.
  • If you see something objectionable, please let us know. Once a comment has been flagged, a staff member will investigate.

RELATED 

BLOGS

Holiday Gift Guide: Six Inclusive MG Fantasies, a guest post by Marieke Nijkamp
by Amanda MacGregor
BOOKS

Gracie Under the Waves
by Park, Linda Sue
BOOKS

Make My Wish Come True
by Lippincott, Rachael & Alyson Derrick
BOOKS

My Weird School Special: Hip, Hip, Hooray! Every Day Is a Holiday!
by Gutman, Dan
BOOKS

Ramadan on Rahma Road: A Recipe Storybook
by Gutta, Razeena Omar & Faaiza Osman
BOOKS

Big Changes for Plum!
by Phelan, Matt
More
ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?