Ask any kid in America what his favorite subject in school is, and chances are "Math" will not be the answer! Memorizing multiplication facts, fighting through math formulas – all can be intimidating to children. Author Greg Tang, a “lifelong lover of math”, has written a series of books designed to help children ages 7 – 12 decode the mysteries of math. Tang, who has taught school from Kindergarten to college, helps the reader understand what is being asked and find the answer using problem solving techniques that are both effective and fun. These books would be valuable education tools for parents and teachers to help students overcome their fears of math and become successful problem solvers.
The first of this series, New York Times Bestseller
The Grapes of Math, contains 16 different “mind-stretching math riddles” designed to challenge the reader to solve problems in different ways. In simple, rhyming text, the author helps children learn to “organize information by identifying patterns and symmetries.” For example, the riddle entitled “One Hump or Two?” asks the reader to figure out the number of camel humps that appear on the page – not SLOWLY by counting each individual hump, but QUICKLY by grouping them by fives first. Bright, colorful illustrations by Harry Briggs help the reader visualize each problem. Pictures are also included with the solutions provided in the back of the book to help the reader further understand the concepts.
Learning about math is no “problem” with these fun books about numbers:
The Best of Times,
Riddle-Iculous Math, and
Go Figure! (click on the links below to read book reviews).
The entire Scholastic math series by Greg Tang is fabulous! It includes:
The Grapes of Math
The Best of Times
Math for All Seasons
MATH-terpieces
Math Potatoes: Mind-Stretching Brain Food
Math Appeal: Mind-Stretching Math Riddles
Math Fables
Math Fables Too