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Math Curse
Did you ever wake up to one of those days where everything is a problem? You have 10 things to do, but only 30 minutes until your bus leaves. Is there enough time? You have 3 shirts and 2 pairs of pants. Can you make 1 good outfit? Then you start to wonder: Why does everything have to be such a problem? Why do 2 apples always have to be added to 5 oranges? Why do 4 kids always have to divide 12 marbles? Why can't you just keep 10 cookies without someone taking 3 away? Why? Because you're the victim of a Math Curse. That's why. But don't despair. This is one girl's story of how that curse can be broken.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 1995
94 people are currently reading
3674 people want to read
About the author
Jon Scieszka
257 books1,586 followersJon Scieszka is an American children's writer, best known for picture books created with the illustrator Lane Smith. He is also a nationally recognized reading advocate, and the founder of Guys Read – a web-based literacy program for boys whose mission is "to help boys become self-motivated, lifelong readers."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 787 reviews
August 29, 2020
Math goes berserk! It's fun, but I think my math teacher dad loved this a whole lot more than my kid did.
June 29, 2011
What a fun book! I loved the illustrations and the convoluted way of looking at math. It is how I have always viewed the subject. Take for instance word problems. Bane of my existence! Take the story of the trains leaving their stations heading toward each other. The books always tell the speeds of the trains and pretend that nothing else could ever be a variable. Such as: Supposing that one engineer is chewing gum. And the other train has just hit a snowstorm icing the tracks. Then add to that the fact that the engineer chewing the gum was doing so because he forgot to eat breakfast. Add to that the fact that the engineer has blood sugar problems and he eventually faints and his foot leaves the pedal. At the same time the train caught in the snowstorm has slid off the right track and onto the dummy tracks. The fainted engineer's locamotive's emergency brake takes over. Where is the satisfying ca-boom?
Oh, then the teachers tell you that math problems help you in real life. Take for instance, figuring out how much paint you need to cover a certain amount of wall space. You do the math and find that by doing so you have saved yourself enough money to go see that newest movie and have snacks. But as you are doing the painting, the dog spots the cat and chase ensues. Said cat lands in the roller pan splashing said dog who blindly knocks over a full gallon of paint. How did all that wonderful math do for you, heh? No show.
Now back to the book. How many teeth and the shirt your uncle sent mean nothing as teeth brushing takes a minute (supposing he isn't checking out the shirts while brushing, splashing two out of five shirt with toothpaste. Of course, you never plan to wear the shirt your uncle sent, except on days when you know you will see him. Of the two left one is now wrinkled having crumpled it while brushing your teeth in that minute of haste. That leaves a mess on your bed and only one shirt.) Where's the problem?
The milky feet may mean a squishy walk to the bus. I believe the bus driver's name is true, well, actually Drew, but since there is always shouting on buses who heard it right?
The inkblot is the child's hand as he sinks into his seat, he bit off the end of a pen in his anxiety.
Body parts are everywhere. This kid is insane! So when you might think there is a logical answer to how many body parts an individual might have consider the kid with webbed fingers, and the one whose brother chopped off a pikie during that kitchen battle years ago... and what about the kid with the forked tongue who sits at the back right corner next to the door. I know there are ways to figure things out in that perfect world that mathematicians live in, but the real world can make you crazy!
Oh, and we were already told that you are only getting two slices of pizza so I would assume that the pie tastes greater. AND who would want M&Ms that have been in that muddy river? I'll take Reese's Pieces, please.
Fourafish sounds like the math that politicians use.
On the Binary planet they use one guy as the bowling pin and another guy as the ball but the gravity of the situation leaves them all up in the air laughing. Who needs a three-hole ball?
I was challenged by the equation that included age and shoe size and think the kid is wise to choose licorice. Besides he may need to wear this shirt again tomorrow if mom doesn't get around to the laundry; a kid so young as to not know fractions can't possibly know which cup to measure the detergent in.
The conundrum of the presidents left me weak with LOL. Beside let's just get Benjamin to decide!
The math story to put one to sleep and induces a nightmare that solves the whole problem. Nice thing is he only has a wrinkled shirt. That begins his next day. Oh, how I miss school!
Fun book!
Oh, then the teachers tell you that math problems help you in real life. Take for instance, figuring out how much paint you need to cover a certain amount of wall space. You do the math and find that by doing so you have saved yourself enough money to go see that newest movie and have snacks. But as you are doing the painting, the dog spots the cat and chase ensues. Said cat lands in the roller pan splashing said dog who blindly knocks over a full gallon of paint. How did all that wonderful math do for you, heh? No show.
Now back to the book. How many teeth and the shirt your uncle sent mean nothing as teeth brushing takes a minute (supposing he isn't checking out the shirts while brushing, splashing two out of five shirt with toothpaste. Of course, you never plan to wear the shirt your uncle sent, except on days when you know you will see him. Of the two left one is now wrinkled having crumpled it while brushing your teeth in that minute of haste. That leaves a mess on your bed and only one shirt.) Where's the problem?
The milky feet may mean a squishy walk to the bus. I believe the bus driver's name is true, well, actually Drew, but since there is always shouting on buses who heard it right?
The inkblot is the child's hand as he sinks into his seat, he bit off the end of a pen in his anxiety.
Body parts are everywhere. This kid is insane! So when you might think there is a logical answer to how many body parts an individual might have consider the kid with webbed fingers, and the one whose brother chopped off a pikie during that kitchen battle years ago... and what about the kid with the forked tongue who sits at the back right corner next to the door. I know there are ways to figure things out in that perfect world that mathematicians live in, but the real world can make you crazy!
Oh, and we were already told that you are only getting two slices of pizza so I would assume that the pie tastes greater. AND who would want M&Ms that have been in that muddy river? I'll take Reese's Pieces, please.
Fourafish sounds like the math that politicians use.
On the Binary planet they use one guy as the bowling pin and another guy as the ball but the gravity of the situation leaves them all up in the air laughing. Who needs a three-hole ball?
I was challenged by the equation that included age and shoe size and think the kid is wise to choose licorice. Besides he may need to wear this shirt again tomorrow if mom doesn't get around to the laundry; a kid so young as to not know fractions can't possibly know which cup to measure the detergent in.
The conundrum of the presidents left me weak with LOL. Beside let's just get Benjamin to decide!
The math story to put one to sleep and induces a nightmare that solves the whole problem. Nice thing is he only has a wrinkled shirt. That begins his next day. Oh, how I miss school!
Fun book!
November 20, 2011
I thought the plot for this story was so interesting. Somehow, this book has made math almost fun and interesting. I liked that there are different stages to the plot, first you see the initial spark, “You know, almost everything in life can be considered a math problem.” Then you watch as the narrator becomes a “math zombie”. The story continues like this until the curses is broken, but wait! The science teacher then says, “Almost everything in life can be viewed as a science experiment.” I like that Scieszka left a cliff hanger at the end of the book. It peaks the reader’s imagination long after they are done reading the book. It was interesting to me that the text was full of actual math problems with the answers in the back of the book. It almost lets the reader into the mind of the narrator as he tries to solve these math problems also. The images were very unique. They were busy and chaotic to show the change in the narrator, reflecting the “math zombie” he became. The images looked almost like a cut and paste project, with some images over lapping others or having jagged edges. The colors used in the illustrations were mostly dark colors, especially when the narrator falls into the dream sequence. This book seems to be almost made for a school classroom or curriculum. A math teacher could obviously use it. It would help show the student’s how math really does apply to everyday life. It could be a good introduction a math class at the beginning of the year. The problems are simple, so i believe it is an elementary school appropriate book. It is perfect to get student’s minds working and thinking about how math and school does really apply to their everyday life.
October 22, 2010
What a fun and creative book! It's about a student whose math teacher says that, really, everything can be seen as a math problem--and the next morning, sure enough, the poor kid wakes up and starts to see math problems EVERYWHERE! I don't want to say too much because part of the fun is seeing how and why math problems pop up in the course of a school day--from getting ready for school to history and English classes. The illustrations are quirky and fun and add to the overall enjoyment of the text. (Interestingly, I had just read another Lane Smith book "Glasses, Who Needs 'Em?" and wasn't a fan of his art so I'm glad I liked it here!) Definitely recommended for anyone who loves math--or for those who are struggling with the subject and just need a chance to laugh about it!
October 27, 2010
This book is hilarious. It’s clever. It’s fun. It uses play on words as much as it does play with numbers. There’s a real story here and it’s very creatively done. I love it. I think it’s special.
There’s even a very amusing dedication page and a funny author’s bio section in the back of the book, etc. all using math, of course.
I’m embarrassed to say that there was at least one math problem that was over my head, this in a book for elementary school students. Ack!
I hated math until I took statistics in the psychology department in college, and since then I’ve loved the subject although I’m lacking in ability, but I wish it had been taught better to me when I was young, because I do think I’d have loved it from the start if that had been the case. I wish I’d had this book during my childhood.
The illustrations are wonderful. They’re offbeat, and they motivate the reader to do math using them.
The almost last page and the very last page are a hoot!
There’s even a very amusing dedication page and a funny author’s bio section in the back of the book, etc. all using math, of course.
I’m embarrassed to say that there was at least one math problem that was over my head, this in a book for elementary school students. Ack!
I hated math until I took statistics in the psychology department in college, and since then I’ve loved the subject although I’m lacking in ability, but I wish it had been taught better to me when I was young, because I do think I’d have loved it from the start if that had been the case. I wish I’d had this book during my childhood.
The illustrations are wonderful. They’re offbeat, and they motivate the reader to do math using them.
The almost last page and the very last page are a hoot!
January 12, 2021
"YOU KNOW, you can think of almost everything as a math problem."
And so the math curse begins...
Math Curse is a clever, playful, interactive, and slightly distressing picturebook demonstrating that everything in life can be a math problem. Emphasis on the problem.
A never-ending list of real-life math problems, some serious, some ridiculous (with answers in the back!), and nightmarishly strange, dark, and chaotic illustrations not only entertained me but also stressed me out a little. It reminded me of that feeling when you're tired of counting everything from your steps to grape tomatoes in your salad, but you JUST. CAN'T. STOP. If you know, you know.
"I try to get on the bus without thinking about anything, but there are 5 KIDS already on the bus, 5 KIDS get on at my stop, 5 MORE get on at the next stop, and 5 MORE get on at the last stop.
TRUE OR FALSE: What is the bus driver's name?"
March 22, 2018
I'm keen on math, so this book really delighted me. I liked the format, and Jon Scieszka's zany approach is always welcome. However, the one thing that bugged me was that there was no in-depth answer key (for the legit problems) or explanation tucked away in the back, as optional learning. For example, the teacher is named Fibonacci, and they present a basic Fibonacci sequence... but nowhere does it throw out a "by the way, this is what this is and WHY these numbers follow" in case any older children come across it. I understand this is a silly book and not a teaching book, but it seems like such a lost opportunity for a small appendix of some fun FYIs.
I still really liked it.
I still really liked it.
December 17, 2019
Türkçe’ye Matematik Laneti olarak çevrilen kitap Nesin Yayınevi tarafından basılmış. 8-10 yaş grubuna hitap eden bu eğlenceli kitapta her şeyi bir matematik problemi olarak gören bir çocuğun bu lanetten nasıl kurtulduğunu bulacaksınız!
July 11, 2025
That was a lot of math for a picture book. Heck that was a lot of math for a dedication. There's not much story here. And maybe this book isn't for everyone. But the writing was clever and the art didn't get in the way. And it had a twist, or two depending on how you count them. What's not to like?
January 29, 2026
This is kind of awesome!
March 1, 2026
genuinely one of the best books I've read this year. however that might have been because hannah fod read it aloud to me and she could read a phone book and make it interesting. nevertheless it was a brilliant and curious read that tickled my clever bone
August 28, 2010
“Math Curse” is a hilarious and creative book mind of Jon Scieszka along with illustrations by Lane Smith and it is about how a girl realizes that her teacher, Mrs. Fibonacci, put a math curse on her and now she is seeing math problems everywhere she goes. “Math Curse” might have some math problems that might be too complicated for smaller children to understand, but it is still a huge cult classic hit about math that children will love for many years!
What can I say? I just loved the way that Jon Scieszka told this story of a girl’s dilemma of looking at the world as one big math problem. I also loved the way that Jon Scieszka made every situation that the girl comes across such as waking up in the morning and school itself as one big math problem and many children will enjoy trying to solve the problems that the girls throws at the audience. I actually found myself enjoying the math problems that the girl throws at the audience, as I try to solve the math problems such as “how many minutes in 1 hour?” Lane Smith’s illustrations are just as creative as before as the images of the girl who has wild, black hair, a round head and a triangular dress in a math crazed world makes the book extremely surreal to look at especially whenever the girl sees everything as a math problem and you can see numbers littering the background and everyone of odd shapes and sizes shows up on every page of the book.
The only problem I had with this book is that the math problem set up of the book might be a bit too difficult for smaller children who are struggling with math and the math problem set up of the book also seems to pull away from making the plot of the story straightforward for younger children to understand, but hey, there does not have to be a plot for these types of stories, right? I mean, the girl is literally trapped in a math crazed world, so the book would have to be set up as a set of math problems to emphasize her predicament. However, I would strongly suggest that parents should go over some math problems with their children first before they read them this book so that younger children would understand this book much better.
All in all, I think that “Math Curse” is a brilliant book for children to learn more about math and also it will help children get a few laughs out of math problems, so I would actually rate this book as a four and a half star book since I really enjoyed the math problem set up of the book. I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since the math problems might be too difficult for smaller children to understand.
What can I say? I just loved the way that Jon Scieszka told this story of a girl’s dilemma of looking at the world as one big math problem. I also loved the way that Jon Scieszka made every situation that the girl comes across such as waking up in the morning and school itself as one big math problem and many children will enjoy trying to solve the problems that the girls throws at the audience. I actually found myself enjoying the math problems that the girl throws at the audience, as I try to solve the math problems such as “how many minutes in 1 hour?” Lane Smith’s illustrations are just as creative as before as the images of the girl who has wild, black hair, a round head and a triangular dress in a math crazed world makes the book extremely surreal to look at especially whenever the girl sees everything as a math problem and you can see numbers littering the background and everyone of odd shapes and sizes shows up on every page of the book.
The only problem I had with this book is that the math problem set up of the book might be a bit too difficult for smaller children who are struggling with math and the math problem set up of the book also seems to pull away from making the plot of the story straightforward for younger children to understand, but hey, there does not have to be a plot for these types of stories, right? I mean, the girl is literally trapped in a math crazed world, so the book would have to be set up as a set of math problems to emphasize her predicament. However, I would strongly suggest that parents should go over some math problems with their children first before they read them this book so that younger children would understand this book much better.
All in all, I think that “Math Curse” is a brilliant book for children to learn more about math and also it will help children get a few laughs out of math problems, so I would actually rate this book as a four and a half star book since I really enjoyed the math problem set up of the book. I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since the math problems might be too difficult for smaller children to understand.
December 7, 2012
Math curse begins by asking the reader questions, and goes into regular math problems that we deal with everyday that we never really think about. It talks about having three different shirts and 2 different pairs of pants but creating only 1 good outfit. The book then goes into the story about a girl who is in math class and instead of leaving the math in the classroom her daily routine is filled with math problems. Each page has more and more math problems that we deal with everyday. I would recommend this book to any young readers or those interested in math. This would be a great book for math teachers to use. I liked the illustrations on each page and how the back included the answers to everyone of the math problems I read about. It uses newspaper cut-outs in the illustrations, and it also includes very vintage like pictures of school-buses as well as graphs that have a very interesting scope in that its very math orientated because one can see the months listed on it as well as different numbers. Furthermore, the text on each page is very unpredictable because in can show up at any place however, the text is generally all together on one part of the page.The humor in this book is also very appropriate for kids and relatable in that they can understand what the main character may be feeling like if they were to constantly think about math all the time. I would recommend this book to any elementary student, and accompany it with a math lesson.
January 30, 2020
I really found this book to be a fun read. The main character's math teacher Mrs. Fibonacci says, "You know, you can think of almost anything as a math problem." The next day he starts to have "problems." We follow our character throughout his day and we see all the different math problems and ideas that come to his mind. He does some great problem solving and some not so great problem solving as well along his way. Students are sure to identify with him as we go through the story. They will also love the humor throughout the book. I giggled myself a few times.
I would use this book during math content to get my students thinking about how they are using math throughout their day without even realizing it. So many students ask why they have to learn math when they will never use it. This book will create some background information as well as get students to think more critically about math class. This would also be a good model book for a writing assignment where students pick a math problem and write a short story about it.
I would use this book during math content to get my students thinking about how they are using math throughout their day without even realizing it. So many students ask why they have to learn math when they will never use it. This book will create some background information as well as get students to think more critically about math class. This would also be a good model book for a writing assignment where students pick a math problem and write a short story about it.
June 27, 2017
For extra credit in math class, over spring break we can review a childrens book that is in some way associated with mathematics. I picked Math Curse because I remember liking the Time Warp Trio series from Jon Scieszka when I was young. Alas, a classmate turned in her permission form for this book before me so I had to find a new selection.
Still, I'm glad to have read Math Curse. It is highly amusing for anyone who has ever had a teacher who's said, "You can use math for everything." (Haven't we all?) For the boy in this story, suddenly everything is a math problem, and that in itself is a problem.
I got a kick out of the winks to math, such as Mrs. Fiboancci the math teacher. The illustrations are chaotic; the actual math problems are dizzying, and a few of them are similiar to ones we have done this semester. How sad is that?
Kids in grades 4-6 would eat this book up.
Still, I'm glad to have read Math Curse. It is highly amusing for anyone who has ever had a teacher who's said, "You can use math for everything." (Haven't we all?) For the boy in this story, suddenly everything is a math problem, and that in itself is a problem.
I got a kick out of the winks to math, such as Mrs. Fiboancci the math teacher. The illustrations are chaotic; the actual math problems are dizzying, and a few of them are similiar to ones we have done this semester. How sad is that?
Kids in grades 4-6 would eat this book up.
October 29, 2019
This cute story tells the struggle of our main character discovers that everything in life seems to be a math problem. The equations are unlimited, and all the things that are thought seems to be math related. Our main character can not seem to escape the math problems. All aspects of the day have turned into math! She is convinced that the teacher has placed a math curse on her. The character was so adorable throughout the whole story as she works through the problems of the book. I love how the author created her.
I believe it is important to include books like this in my future classroom because it allows students to see what they are doing in the classroom and apply it to their lives like our main character did. It is a great resource for students who like reading to have cross-curricular topics.
I believe it is important to include books like this in my future classroom because it allows students to see what they are doing in the classroom and apply it to their lives like our main character did. It is a great resource for students who like reading to have cross-curricular topics.
September 7, 2009
This book is a great way to start off the school year in math. The little boy is bombarded with math in all aspects of his life. It's extremely silly and moves at a good pace. There are even questions that students can answer along the way to keep them engaged. It is recommended in the Everyday Math series as a literature/math connection. After reading the book aloud, I'm planning on sharing a number that is a "curse" for me. I'm going to show how the number 2 comes up in my life a lot. For example, I have 2 sisters, 2 parakeets, 2 favorite toppings on my pizza, etc. The students can then choose their number and make a web with pictures and writing about that number. It can be another way to get to know your students at the beginning of the year.
November 14, 2009
This truly dizzying book adds up to be a story of mathematical genius! Mrs. Fibonacci's sequence of events leaves her students spinning as they begin to see everything as a math problem!
Math Curse is amazing book that brings math from the sometimes abstract world into everyday real life for students. As the students see everything from breakfast cereal to english class as a mathematical problem they being to think like mathematicians which in the end cures them of their math curse. The mixed media illustrations add to the slightly terror-full feel of the book, which many of us with math anxiety can personally relate to. I think this book is a great addition to any math classroom particularly for struggling young mathematicians.
Math Curse is amazing book that brings math from the sometimes abstract world into everyday real life for students. As the students see everything from breakfast cereal to english class as a mathematical problem they being to think like mathematicians which in the end cures them of their math curse. The mixed media illustrations add to the slightly terror-full feel of the book, which many of us with math anxiety can personally relate to. I think this book is a great addition to any math classroom particularly for struggling young mathematicians.
August 28, 2013
I think this book is a interesting and funny way for students to look at math. It will spark thoughts of math in their everyday lives. It includes operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, bar graphs, etc. The illustrations are also very interesting. The illustrator chose to use darker colors such as browns, blacks, and reds. There are other colors included in the pages, but the dark colors really create a creepy, vintage look. Overall, I think this is a very unique book for children and any child could benefit from the abstract thinking.
December 6, 2008
Jon Scieszka is my favorite not-4-kids-only author. Better put, Scieszka (rhymes with Fresca) writes for kids of all ages. From 7 to 7 times 10 + 35 will appreci8 the fear and sadly hatred many have experienced about math. Scieszka demonstr8s that we can not run away. It perme8s our daily life. For those of you mathematically enhanced, there is even one error in the calculations done in the book. Can you find it? Adding this book to your library will mean reaping dividends of laughter.
August 31, 2009
Exceedingly clever. Fun for both math experts and elementary school kids. I enjoyed explaining to my 3rd grade who Fibonacci was. The book is fun and entertaining, whether or not you think it is fun to work the problems.
July 21, 2011
This was a delightfully fun look at math questions that someone may face. The artwork was entertaining and the look at math through the eyes of a child was silly -- and can possibly help a youngster overcome any fears they have about math.
January 17, 2010
read this book at school
June 4, 2017
This book seriously gave me anxiety when was little!! Now, I appreciate its humor and ridiculousness. The illustrations are so much fun, and the mind bending is clever and impressive!!
Read
March 31, 2017all in all it was a good book. it can teach children how math contribute to our everyday lifes.
March 17, 2020
This is an interesting book for kids (and older people!) about math. I enjoyed working all the problems in the book, as I read each page!
April 11, 2023
"What's the least amount of stars you can give? The boy looked weird and the art was ugly. The only part I liked a little bit was the chalk riddle." -Solo (5yrs)
"This takes one hundred and one stars!! I love how there is one sixth and one whole with all the numbers everywhere. I love the best part with the nightmare. Will you read the part with the counting fingers again?" -Peter (3yrs)
This was not my favourite. It was a great concept, and clearly my numbers guy adored it, but some of the questions got too silly which confused my kids, and I wasn't a fan of the illustrations.
"This takes one hundred and one stars!! I love how there is one sixth and one whole with all the numbers everywhere. I love the best part with the nightmare. Will you read the part with the counting fingers again?" -Peter (3yrs)
This was not my favourite. It was a great concept, and clearly my numbers guy adored it, but some of the questions got too silly which confused my kids, and I wasn't a fan of the illustrations.
May 21, 2020
'Math Curse' will help you see the lighter side of math. It's a great book which breaks down a girl's experience with math throughout her day. So for anyone who is frustrated by math, this book is for you.
August 22, 2023
Very cute - bit to many word problems😰
April 24, 2018
Math Curse uses a mix of collages and oil paintings to create disturbing, bizarre, detailed, and emotionally compelling images throughout the book’s narrative. In this book there is a spiral of children sticking out their tongues and holding out fingers, cupcakes with grumpy and emotional faces, and socks that slither and balloon outwards from the narrator’s toes. These illustrations styles are similar to a Tim Burton-esque darkness.
The book follows a (mostly) gender ambiguous child throughout their day and includes questions from the time they rise out of bed into their dreams. Each set of questions encourage children and adults alike, the book’s age range is from 8 to 99, to reconsider how they interact with math in their daily lives. The narrator wonders whether they will reach their bus on time, considers different counting systems beyond our familiar decimal system, and panics about logic tables. After each set of questions, organized by the narrator’s physical location or class subject, there is the catchy reminder, “it’s a problem” suggesting the narrator’s inquisitive thoughts are part of a neurosis.
The questions that appear in outlined rectangular boxes do ask math related questions, but also deviate causing the reader to wonder about the nature of how math and life blend together. One example of this emphasized blending is when the narrator rhetorically asks, “When will Uncle Zeno quit sending me such ugly shirts?” after asking how many shirts they have total and how many shirts they would have if they threw one away. From my experience reading this book aloud to a few of my younger cousins, this question here often makes them begin to laugh because the author treats this issue of ugly shirts with the same level of seriousness with which they treat subtraction and addition. The line of questioning from the child reflects the speaking style of middle school children and the sometimes indirect and hard to follow questions they ask.
When displaying interdisciplinary connections between math and other subjects the author’s detail the narrator’s math questions that they consider in social studies, english, physical education, art, and math. Each of the questions encourages a young reader to consider how they can incorporate mathematics into their own daily narrative. By incorporating math into the narrator’s entire day and night, the book establishes that math is one means of interacting with the world around us. While the book establishes the interdisciplinary connections between mathematics and other subjects, the tone of the narrator and the bizarre illustrations used in the book may distance some young readers from this story.
The narrator always phrases math as the “beginning” of their problems, and while this position at first may endear young readers who also feel negatively towards math, this sustained position throughout the novel is a bit problematic. The narrator describes their personal interactions with math throughout the book with a bit of hysteria and uses negative verbs and adjectives when describing their interactions with math, which may reinforce a young person’s negative attitude towards math. Most of the narrator’s overwhelming emotions come from their reluctance and fear of using fractions, but this association is never resolved even at the end of the book.
Wu and Scieszka do an excellent job of establishing the interdisciplinary aspects of math and posing questions to readers that may encourage readers to want to solve their way through this children’s book, but the bizarre illustrations and continuously negative attitude towards math that the narrator displays could dissuade some young readers from wanting to give math another chance. I would recommend giving this book to a fourth or fifth grader who is a bit more emotionally mature and will be able to handle the majority of questions in this book with little guidance.
The book follows a (mostly) gender ambiguous child throughout their day and includes questions from the time they rise out of bed into their dreams. Each set of questions encourage children and adults alike, the book’s age range is from 8 to 99, to reconsider how they interact with math in their daily lives. The narrator wonders whether they will reach their bus on time, considers different counting systems beyond our familiar decimal system, and panics about logic tables. After each set of questions, organized by the narrator’s physical location or class subject, there is the catchy reminder, “it’s a problem” suggesting the narrator’s inquisitive thoughts are part of a neurosis.
The questions that appear in outlined rectangular boxes do ask math related questions, but also deviate causing the reader to wonder about the nature of how math and life blend together. One example of this emphasized blending is when the narrator rhetorically asks, “When will Uncle Zeno quit sending me such ugly shirts?” after asking how many shirts they have total and how many shirts they would have if they threw one away. From my experience reading this book aloud to a few of my younger cousins, this question here often makes them begin to laugh because the author treats this issue of ugly shirts with the same level of seriousness with which they treat subtraction and addition. The line of questioning from the child reflects the speaking style of middle school children and the sometimes indirect and hard to follow questions they ask.
When displaying interdisciplinary connections between math and other subjects the author’s detail the narrator’s math questions that they consider in social studies, english, physical education, art, and math. Each of the questions encourages a young reader to consider how they can incorporate mathematics into their own daily narrative. By incorporating math into the narrator’s entire day and night, the book establishes that math is one means of interacting with the world around us. While the book establishes the interdisciplinary connections between mathematics and other subjects, the tone of the narrator and the bizarre illustrations used in the book may distance some young readers from this story.
The narrator always phrases math as the “beginning” of their problems, and while this position at first may endear young readers who also feel negatively towards math, this sustained position throughout the novel is a bit problematic. The narrator describes their personal interactions with math throughout the book with a bit of hysteria and uses negative verbs and adjectives when describing their interactions with math, which may reinforce a young person’s negative attitude towards math. Most of the narrator’s overwhelming emotions come from their reluctance and fear of using fractions, but this association is never resolved even at the end of the book.
Wu and Scieszka do an excellent job of establishing the interdisciplinary aspects of math and posing questions to readers that may encourage readers to want to solve their way through this children’s book, but the bizarre illustrations and continuously negative attitude towards math that the narrator displays could dissuade some young readers from wanting to give math another chance. I would recommend giving this book to a fourth or fifth grader who is a bit more emotionally mature and will be able to handle the majority of questions in this book with little guidance.
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