Tag Archives: mathematics

I’m Longer Than You! An Epic Contest of Measurement

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by Caroline Fisher

Who would have thought that a picture book about measurement could be so fun? Blue Whale and Supersaurus are arguing over which of them is longer. Inchworm comes in and offers to help with the winner buying lunch. It takes inchworm (who is an inch long) 12 hours to measure Blue Whale, who is 1,300 inches long. Inchworm can’t measure Supersaurus, because he has to go into his cocoon. So, in comes centipede (who is a centimeter long) and he measures Supersaurus. It also take 12 hours and Supersaurus is exactly 3302 centimeters long. Wait! What does that mean? Dragonfly saves the day by doing the math and determines that the two behemoths are the same length!

This wonderful melding of math and science into a picture book is hilarious and educational. Readers learn the difference between the customary and metric systems as well as some cool science and end with some little known math terms (check out “zeptosecond”). Accompanying illustrations are cartoon-like and fun. Buy this book and start measuring. Your students will love it! Highly recommended.

Giant Parsnip Soup

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by Daniela Sosa

Two friends discover a giant parsnip and think of all kinds of wonderful things to make – a rocket? A slide? A car? They decide on parsnip soup. The rest of this counting story includes the ingredients and growing group of friends that enjoy the soup at the end.

This lovely book is simply written and filled with colorful collage illustrations. Characters are diverse and text is accessible. Share this story with your younger students, who will delight in the active group of chefs that create a shared soup. Recommended.

One is a lot: (except when it’s not)

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The concept of enough, too much and not enough are thoughtfully and simply conveyed in this picture book. One is a lot when talking about the sun, but not enough when talking about feeding ducks with one breadcrumb.

This story begins with a girl and her dog and a boy and his dog. Individually, the children play in the park with their pets and we see how the same number can be a lot, not enough or too much. Two is most often too much, especially when the two dogs’ leashes become tangled. But, one hello is a lot and brings the two friends and their pets together. The final page is a lovely scene with the now grown boy and girl, their daughter and a dog that looks like a mix of their two pets from the book’s beginning.

The illustrations are colorful and appealing. The text is minimal and the characters are diverse. The story will generate a good discussion about numbers and perspective.