Review by Booklist Review
Gr. 2^-5, younger with adult help. "On your sixth birthday you have lived 189,216,000 (one hundred eighty-nine million, two hundred and sixteen thousand) seconds." Amazing facts about millions, trillions, and much bigger numbers are explained in picture-book cartoon scenarios, contributed by Paul Meisel, that show kids in the classroom, at the seashore, in the rain forest, and all over the place, learning how to count by powers of 10. The design is busy, with sidebars and balloon comments. Each double-page spread is clearly meant to be talked about, and the discussions aren't overwhelming. The sheer numbers are astounding, though, whether they refer to the population of the U.S. or the number of stars in the Milky Way; and the explanation of exponents gives kids a way to count what seems unimaginable. In a funny gag, one kid keeps asking, "Have we reached infinity yet?" and the answers make math awesome and yet accessible--even for those of us who are scared of all those zeros. --Hazel Rochman
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
This "math journey" progresses exponentially as kids try to keep up with the yield of an out-of-control popcorn machine. Professor X teaches them to count by powers of 10, demonstrating up to a googol (10100) and beyond, as the kids provide a running commentary. While they don't seem much closer to knowing how many kernels of popcorn they have, they do learn a lot of big numbers and entertain each other with such nonsense names as "splendillion" and "elephantillion." Schwartz (Magic of a Million Activity Book) originally used bags of popcorn to demonstrate powers of 10 in school presentations. However, here the hands-on technique of counting the kernels is never explained; the value of the popcorn example is less clear in book form. Sidebars rattle off numerical trivia, adding zeros on every spread (e.g., "One little brown bat can snap up 600 mosquitoes per hour"; "There are 40,000 different characters in Chinese"). These ever-larger numbers inspire Meisel's (The Fixits) lively cartoon illustrations of 105 bees and five billion (or 5 x 109) people in the world. While readers' minds will be reeling with zeroes, they will be buoyed by Schwartz's and Meisel's infinite enthusiasm for their subject. Ages 6-10. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-4-Schwartz helps youngsters conceptualize enormous numbers by introducing them to counting by powers of ten. Professor X, along with his dog Y, comes to the rescue of some children with an out-of-control popcorn popper as they futilely attempt to count the kernels. The Professor begins to "power count," rapidly reaching large numbers through the addition of zeros. The scenes change as the Professor counts from 1 to 10 to 100 to 1,000 , from a camp out in the woods, to the seashore, rain forest, north pole . All the while, the children echo his explanations of the counting process. Each double-page spread is illustrated with watercolors in lively cartoon fashion with lots of detail. Sidebars include one section where Y shows how exponents can be manipulated, and another section entitled "Did You Know?" The factoids presented show the prevalence of things in large number: "Every day 37,000,000 (thirty-seven million) Tootsie Rolls come rolling out of the factory." Yet, they bear no relationship to power counting, and may even serve as a distraction. And while the children do reach large numbers counting this way, they never actually count the popcorn. Also, exponents are generally not introduced until fifth or sixth grade, where this picture book will have less appeal. However, for the most part it works as an introduction to the subject, and fans of Schwartz's How Much Is a Million (1985) and If You Made a Million (1989, both Lothrop) will probably enjoy it.-Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ (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
Professor X and his dog, Y, introduce counting by powers of 10--leaping quickly from 1, 10, and 100 on to exponentially greater numbers such as millions, quindecillions, and googols. Sidebars include real-world examples of large numbers, and the conclusion clears up misconceptions about infinity. Unfortunately, the cartoon speech-bubble format makes for a bumpy read and a cluttered appearance. From HORN BOOK Spring 2000, (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.
