Review by Booklist Review
In his Booklist interview [BKL Ap 1 97], Murphy said of his popular MathStart series that he tries to tell stories that make math a part of daily life. Ages 7^-9. Betcha! is a real winner that will entertain kids with the buddy story and the casual dialogue and with Schindler's bright, active pictures of two boys having fun in the city. The friends, one African American, one white, want to guess the number of jelly beans in a jar so that they can win a contest for two free tickets to the All-Star Game. They practice their estimating skills. One boy is good at figuring things out, one counts precisely, as they work out the number of people on the bus, the number of cars stuck on the block, the cost of the cool gear in the store window. Of course, they win those tickets together, and the book cover shows them slapping a triumphant high five. Ages 6^-8. Karas' illustrations for Give Me Half! (1996) made it one of the best of the 12 titles in the MathStart series, but in Elevator Magic, the text and pictures are so busy that young kids might be distracted from the simple concept of subtraction. Still, a descending elevator is a great setting for teaching subtraction. As always, Murphy's suggested follow-up activities follow a developmental pattern and make science practical and fun. Ages 3^-5. Just Enough Carrots uses supermarket shopping to teach simple concepts of more, same, and less. The extra fun comes from the shoppers, a rabbit and his mom, and the things they compare and buy--carrots, peanuts, and worms--to serve to their special lunch guests. --Hazel Rochman
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-2The plays on words make this book about subtraction amusing as well as informative. Like other titles in the series, it uses a common daily activity to teach some math basics. A boy meets his mother on the 10th floor of a high rise. On the way down, Mom needs to do some errands. The first stop, two floors down, is to cash a check at the Farm Bank and Trust, which is (lo and behold!) filled with horses, barns, and hay fields. Farther down is the Hard Rock Candy Store, which is not only full of candy but also of the sounds and lights of a heavy metal band. Karas's zany illustrations support the main concept being taught, while picking up on the humor in the word play. The repeated image of the elevator controls, the child's monologue, and numerical equations that display his figuring further enhance the understanding of how subtraction works. The book concludes with several easy-to-apply activities to extend this presentation.Stephani Hutchinson, Pioneer Elementary School, Sunnyside, WA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
On the elevator ride down from his mother's office, Ben and his mom make three stops. After each stop, Ben's mom tells him how many floors they must descend to reach their next destination. Ben then subtracts (using the elevator buttons as a vertical number-line), presses a button, and the elevator doors open--to reveal some unusual surprises. Karas's childlike art complements the contrived text. From HORN BOOK 1997, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
