One Riddle, One Answer

by Lauren Thompson, Linda S. Wingerter (Illustrator)

Genres: Picture Books, Mathematics, Childrens, History, Fairy Tales, Cultural

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Shawn Deal · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun little tale about a girl trying to find the right suitor with a riddle, rather than having one picked for her.

[Melki · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one has a real fairy tale feel to it as princes come a-questin' to solve a princess's riddle . . . all in the hopes of winning her hand in marriage. Though Linda Wingerter's artwork is enchanting, I found this to be a rather tedious journey. Of course this might just be sour grapes because I couldn't solve the riddle . . .

[Jaide · Rating 4 out of 5]

I guessed the answer to the riddle correctly, but I still enjoyed this book. The writing hinted at a larger romance, and the illustrations were to die for and perfectly Persian-esque.

If you can’t get enough of Persian-Girl-Sets-Forth-Riddle-to-Suitors stories, may I recommend the middle-grade/YA novel “Anahita’s Woven Riddle”?

[Misbah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A princess presents a riddle to potential suitors and no one seems to know the right answer, until a stable boy solves it becomes her husband. Outs an interesting riddle and a few of the guys give answers that could've worked. Is explained at the end of the book.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Copyright: 2001
genre: concept book
Theme: marriage, math
My favorite part of this book was how it took culture and math and mixed them together.
I would use this books to introduce riddles in my classroom.

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 3 kids and I enjoyed reading this book. I was a little Leary at first butbi loved the underlining message that came came out of this book. I would recommend this book to others.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very, very clever.

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for teaching numbers! My little boy wasn't too impressed, but my daughter was. 😆

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

2nd gr + Clever, math-loving princess Aziza takes the initiative to find her soul-mate.

It seems to me that this could be viewed as a Cinderella variant with the roles reversed. In this story, Princess Aziza is the one who proposes a solution to finding a suitable husband for herself when her father's advisors can only recommend their own sons. She comes up with a riddle. Whoever can solve it will win her hand in marriage. So she travels throughout the kingdom in search of someone who can solve it and finds many who can answer parts of the riddle but not the whole thing. Finally, as she is about to give up, she comes across a farmer's son who knows the answer.

Set in Persia. Although unlikely, I liked that it was set in an Arabic country. At the end, the explanatory notes point out that the numbers we use today are Arabic numerals.

[Maria Box · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great read, with beautiful illustrations, and great poetry.

[Jean-Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The question:
Placed above, it makes greater things small.
Placed beside, it makes small things greater.
In matters that count, it always comes first.
Where others increase, it keeps all things the same.
What is it?

This is a fun logic puzzle in the form of a folktale from ancient Persia. A princess from ancient Persia has come up with "One Riddle, One Answer" to find herself a suitable man to marry. Any man who can answer the question correctly will become her husband. The sun? A sword of war? Money? Will the weary princess never find the man with the right answer? The beautiful illustrations are a nice complement to the tale.

[Emilye · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. It was about a girl who was looking for a husband through a riddle that had only had one answer. She loved riddles and thought that an appropriate way to find a husband. She was discouraged but then she found the man who she was meant to be with. It was a neat book involving a riddle with math. At the end of the book, it explains exactly what the riddle meant and how the answer was correct. This is a book that can in a unique way teach a little about math too. Integrating curiculum is always a good thing to do!

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations alone are worth four stars--so lush and beautiful. Aziza is a whip-smart princess who loves math and riddles. When she becomes old enough to marry, her father has trouble choosing an acceptable suitor...his advisors (shockingly) only seem to recommend their own sons. Aziza has a solution; she will create a riddle. Whoever can solve the riddle will be a man worthy of her hand in marriage.

Wonderful to see a fairy tale in which the princess shapes her own destiny.

[L. Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally! An amazing story about a smart woman who finds love! A turnaround of the usual "king's tournament for the princess' hand in marriage," Aziza sets her own terms: an engaging mathematical riddle. The illustrations are gorgeous. I love the sequence of pages showing the flirtation and growing affection between the two math lovers.

[Jen Rothmeyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a lovely book with a strong, intelligent female lead. It provided useful information about Persian accomplishments in mathematics. The illustrations were absolutely beautiful. It also provides a lesson in thinking through something and taking time in order to gain a reward. Math concepts such as a fraction, multiplication, and addition are also mentioned.

[Amanda Andrews · Rating 3 out of 5]

This fairy tale takes place in Persia, and reminded me of "Jasmine." The princess must choose a husband, but she doesn't want just anybody. So, she makes up a riddle and says that whoever solves it will be her husband. The riddle ties math into the story.

[Mina De Caro (Mina's Bookshelf) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now, this is an interesting way to find Mr. Right! I always thought that math geeks would make wonderful husbands! Anyway, I think this Persian folk tale is absolutely delightful and Linda S. Wingerter's illustrations did it great justice.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A folktale that can be used in a math lesson. Good story.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved how Aziza had power,intelligence and the freedom of choice. The Illustrations are rich in color and great detail.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unconventional princess story: she loves math and she gets to choose her own husband.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

multi-cultural book with a strong female character that shows a lot of intelligence and wit.

[Desiree · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a simple fairy tale, but the math introduced is wonderful. What a lovely story!

[Jessica Maddox]

Title: One Riddle, One Answer
Author: Lauren Thompson
Illustrator: Linda S. Wingerter
Genre: Fiction, Mathematics
Annotation:
Discussion Questions:

[Shanyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to read the book right now

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book about a princess who loves math.
Set in middle east

[Rachel]

Forshadowing, Sequencing, Voice, Math book

[Teri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great!

[Haley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Medium-high level. Math, riddle, in Arabia