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On Beyond a Million: An Amazing Math Journey
Professor X and his dog, Y, teach kids how to count exponentially by powers of 10 (1, 10, 100, 1,000, 10,000, etc.), beginning at 1 and working all the way up to a googol (a 1 followed by 100 zeros) and beyond. Children fascinated by large numbers will be amazed how quickly they can count to really BIG numbers, and they’ll also find answers to questions like “What comes after a trillion?” or “What’s the biggest number in the world?” Real-life examples provide plenty of fun facts, such as how much popcorn Americans eat in one year, or how many hairs are on a square inch of a person’s head. Along with the fun comes some powerful learning, as this unique counting book helps kids understand our number system, which is based on multiples of 10.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1999
2 people are currently reading
84 people want to read
About the author
David M. Schwartz
87 books28 followers As a child, I was filled with a sense of awe as I contemplated the universe. The huge numbers of stars and their sizes and distances never failed to amaze me. With binoculars and magnifying glass, I also focused on closer subjects like birds, flowers, frogs and bugs.
But science and math weren't my only fascinations: I also loved bicycles, baseball, boats…and ice cream. Years later, on a clear spring night, I looked up at the sky and a shower of memories descended. I suddenly remembered my childhood awe at the wonders of space.
That night I was inspired to write my first book, How Much Is a Million? Now, almost 50 books later, I spend much of my time finding unusual, whimsical ways to make math and science come alive for kids and teachers, both through my writing, and through speaking at schools and conferences. I also write science articles for magazines, especially Smithsonian, and to do the research I've made exciting trips to some of the more remote corners of several continents. I've been to Africa to study hippos, to South America to visit an indigenous tribe living in the rain forest, and to far northern Scotland to track illegal egg collectors. But I still love the land outside my door in northern California, and the same distant stars that inspired me years ago.
from http://www.davidschwartz.com/about_da...
But science and math weren't my only fascinations: I also loved bicycles, baseball, boats…and ice cream. Years later, on a clear spring night, I looked up at the sky and a shower of memories descended. I suddenly remembered my childhood awe at the wonders of space.
That night I was inspired to write my first book, How Much Is a Million? Now, almost 50 books later, I spend much of my time finding unusual, whimsical ways to make math and science come alive for kids and teachers, both through my writing, and through speaking at schools and conferences. I also write science articles for magazines, especially Smithsonian, and to do the research I've made exciting trips to some of the more remote corners of several continents. I've been to Africa to study hippos, to South America to visit an indigenous tribe living in the rain forest, and to far northern Scotland to track illegal egg collectors. But I still love the land outside my door in northern California, and the same distant stars that inspired me years ago.
from http://www.davidschwartz.com/about_da...
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
March 25, 2019
Mr Schwartz came at my children's school and gave a presentation on numbers and counting. I have to appreciate and applaud the fact that he travelled all the way to Abu Dhabi to give this speech to all the elementary students.
The children came home overenthusiastic and chatty about his speech.
So, when I learned that some of his books were on sale at the school library I got a couple of them.
My son (KG2) picked up this book.
It is interesting how the author by using popcorn, he can demonstrate to young children how big numbers work and the concept of infinity.
Being a mathematician/statistician myself, I could understand what he is trying to show and the simple (as possible) launguage that he uses to teach the neverending concept of numbers and how we can count faster and estimate huge numbers.
Obviously this is not a book that you can read aloud. It is a tongue twister.
The children came home overenthusiastic and chatty about his speech.
So, when I learned that some of his books were on sale at the school library I got a couple of them.
My son (KG2) picked up this book.
It is interesting how the author by using popcorn, he can demonstrate to young children how big numbers work and the concept of infinity.
Being a mathematician/statistician myself, I could understand what he is trying to show and the simple (as possible) launguage that he uses to teach the neverending concept of numbers and how we can count faster and estimate huge numbers.
Obviously this is not a book that you can read aloud. It is a tongue twister.
February 20, 2023
I would’ve never known what a google plex was without this book.
July 30, 2019
There is some good information in here, but it is buried - swamped by largely irrelevant factoids and the majority of the speech bubbles which just fill up space. There has to be another book that does the job better.
At least the illustrations aren't by Steven Kellogg.
At least the illustrations aren't by Steven Kellogg.
October 1, 2024
On Beyond A Million: An Amazing Math Journey by David M. Schwartz aligns with several mathematical concepts and teaching strategies outlined in Chapter 8 of Elementary and Middle School Mathematics: Teaching Developmentally by Van de Walle. The picture book addresses the themes of conceptual understanding, use of visuals and illustrations, real-world context, exploration and inquiry, building on prior knowledge, and encouraging mathematical discourse. The picture book promotes a deep understanding by guiding readers from familiar numbers to abstract concepts like infinity, helping readers grasp not just how to count, but what are large number means. Throughout the book, Schwartz uses vivid illustrations that represent large numbers, making abstract concepts more tangible. This aligns with the importance of using visuals in teaching. The storyline includes real-world applications of large numbers, demonstrating their relevance, which ties into connecting math to students’ experiences. This picture book takes readers on an adventurous journey encouraging exploration and inquiry, which promotes a sense of curiosity and engagement. This was a huge emphasis on effective teaching by Van de Walle. Additionally, the format of the story is engaging in that it invites discussion, and allows readers to share their thoughts and questions about numbers, which fosters mathematical discourse. Looking at the big picture, Schwartz’s book effectively embodies many of the teaching strategies that support developmental learning in mathematics.
On Beyond A Million: An Amazing Math Journey can guide multiple opportunities for future classroom activities and address diverse learning needs. One activity I would do is a number exploration project. I would have the students create posters illustrating large numbers, using visuals and real-world examples. The objective of this activity is to help students visualize and understand large quantities. Another activity, number games, I would create games that involve estimating and comparing large numbers. An example of this would be a number line challenge where the students place large numbers on a line. The objective of this activity is to make learning interactive and fun while reinforcing concepts. Lastly, I could have a student do a creative storytelling activity where they write their own short stories/poems that use large numbers while applying the story to mathematical concepts. The objective of this activity is to integrate literacy and math, making learning more holistic.
The picture book helps address diverse learning needs for many students: visual, kinesthetic, struggling, advanced, ELLs, and more. The book’s illustrations can be a start for visual learners, and activities can include drawing or creating visual representations of numbers. For kinesthetic learners, there can be hands-on activities like building models or using manipulatives to represent large quantities. For struggling learners, the teacher can pull concrete examples from the picture book and help students grasp difficult ideas. Another idea is to pair struggling learners with peers for collaborative work and provide support. For advanced learners, encourage them to explore even larger numbers, and challenge them to find real-world applications/scenarios involving these concepts. Lastly, for ELLs, the engaging story and illustration can help aid comprehension. There can be vocabulary activities designed to help with mathematical language acquisition. In the end, through creative and interactive activities, any teacher can teach to various learning styles and needs, by making math both accessible and enjoyable for all students.
On Beyond A Million: An Amazing Math Journey can guide multiple opportunities for future classroom activities and address diverse learning needs. One activity I would do is a number exploration project. I would have the students create posters illustrating large numbers, using visuals and real-world examples. The objective of this activity is to help students visualize and understand large quantities. Another activity, number games, I would create games that involve estimating and comparing large numbers. An example of this would be a number line challenge where the students place large numbers on a line. The objective of this activity is to make learning interactive and fun while reinforcing concepts. Lastly, I could have a student do a creative storytelling activity where they write their own short stories/poems that use large numbers while applying the story to mathematical concepts. The objective of this activity is to integrate literacy and math, making learning more holistic.
The picture book helps address diverse learning needs for many students: visual, kinesthetic, struggling, advanced, ELLs, and more. The book’s illustrations can be a start for visual learners, and activities can include drawing or creating visual representations of numbers. For kinesthetic learners, there can be hands-on activities like building models or using manipulatives to represent large quantities. For struggling learners, the teacher can pull concrete examples from the picture book and help students grasp difficult ideas. Another idea is to pair struggling learners with peers for collaborative work and provide support. For advanced learners, encourage them to explore even larger numbers, and challenge them to find real-world applications/scenarios involving these concepts. Lastly, for ELLs, the engaging story and illustration can help aid comprehension. There can be vocabulary activities designed to help with mathematical language acquisition. In the end, through creative and interactive activities, any teacher can teach to various learning styles and needs, by making math both accessible and enjoyable for all students.
March 5, 2021
This book was on my family's bookshelf when I was a little girl (yes, I'm talking LITTLE girl, nowhere near 5th-grade) and I absolutely adored it. I read it over and over and over and learned how to count up to a vigintillion by 1,000s. Something about knowing the names for all those ridiculously large numbers was endlessly gratifying; who knows why.
Anyways, the other day, I needed to read outloud the number 58,297,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 to an audience where scientific notation was inappropriate, and someone asked me where I had learned to count that high. The answer, of course, is this book. Where else would I have ever learned it?
Did I understand everything in the book when I was a little girl? No. Some of the comments about scientific notation went a bit over my head, but that didn't keep me from loving the book! I have no qualms about recommending this book for very young children. To other reviewers comments about side-bars, they didn't bother me at all when I was little. The side bars were very easy to skip when I felt like concentrating on just the counting, yet I also enjoyed reading them at times to learn about what the numbers were useful for (if anything) I feel that I gained a good intuitive sense for what large numbers were about from this book, and I doubt the early exposure to scientific notation did me any harm, either, when I finally got there in school and properly wrapped my head around it.
I reckon I owe a lot to this book. I will have to get myself a copy some day for any future kids in my life. 1×10^2 % recommended.
Anyways, the other day, I needed to read outloud the number 58,297,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 to an audience where scientific notation was inappropriate, and someone asked me where I had learned to count that high. The answer, of course, is this book. Where else would I have ever learned it?
Did I understand everything in the book when I was a little girl? No. Some of the comments about scientific notation went a bit over my head, but that didn't keep me from loving the book! I have no qualms about recommending this book for very young children. To other reviewers comments about side-bars, they didn't bother me at all when I was little. The side bars were very easy to skip when I felt like concentrating on just the counting, yet I also enjoyed reading them at times to learn about what the numbers were useful for (if anything) I feel that I gained a good intuitive sense for what large numbers were about from this book, and I doubt the early exposure to scientific notation did me any harm, either, when I finally got there in school and properly wrapped my head around it.
I reckon I owe a lot to this book. I will have to get myself a copy some day for any future kids in my life. 1×10^2 % recommended.
March 8, 2016
Sandra Carolina Argueta
March 7, 2016
ETEC 540
Schwartz, David M. On Beyond a Million An Amazing Math Journey .llustrated by Meisel, Paul
This journey begins in a school auditorium where an out of control popcorn making robot is spewing so much popcorn that the children, who are setting up for an assembly, are “drowning” in it. The assembly will present Professor X and his dog, who will help the students understand the concept of large amounts and how to count them in an easy way, because even “Numero” the group’s fastest counter can’t keep up with the large amounts of popcorn he is in charge of counting. Why he’s counting the popcorn is a bit unclear, but perhaps there’s a contest of which he is the only contestant? And so goes this very confusing book. The style of this simply illustrated book, features very basic colors, with all the character's faces looking the same, save a few varying shades of skin tones, with all of them talking at the same time. Because of this, there are dialogue bubbles everywhere on the pages which creates a sense of chaos and confusion.
The concept that Professor X and his dog will present is counting extremely large quantities the easy way; By using the powers of ten using exponents.
All of the sudden, the setting changes from the school auditorium to the forest, then the hold of a ship, a jungle continuing with, all around the world and space- the Professor keeps explaining exponents to the children who are all over the pages, continuing to talk all once, about the math concept the Professor is teaching them about. Among all this action, the sideline of the pages are giving “Did You Know?” counting facts. His assistant, the dog, is on the other side of the sideline writing equations. It’s overwhelming! The way this book is organized and the clarity of the information is all over the place! I had to read it several times for the information to make any sense. The format felt too hyper! Much too loaded with facts,action and information all on one page.
This book might be appropriate for ages 11-15; 7th- through 9th grade.
March 7, 2016
ETEC 540
Schwartz, David M. On Beyond a Million An Amazing Math Journey .llustrated by Meisel, Paul
This journey begins in a school auditorium where an out of control popcorn making robot is spewing so much popcorn that the children, who are setting up for an assembly, are “drowning” in it. The assembly will present Professor X and his dog, who will help the students understand the concept of large amounts and how to count them in an easy way, because even “Numero” the group’s fastest counter can’t keep up with the large amounts of popcorn he is in charge of counting. Why he’s counting the popcorn is a bit unclear, but perhaps there’s a contest of which he is the only contestant? And so goes this very confusing book. The style of this simply illustrated book, features very basic colors, with all the character's faces looking the same, save a few varying shades of skin tones, with all of them talking at the same time. Because of this, there are dialogue bubbles everywhere on the pages which creates a sense of chaos and confusion.
The concept that Professor X and his dog will present is counting extremely large quantities the easy way; By using the powers of ten using exponents.
All of the sudden, the setting changes from the school auditorium to the forest, then the hold of a ship, a jungle continuing with, all around the world and space- the Professor keeps explaining exponents to the children who are all over the pages, continuing to talk all once, about the math concept the Professor is teaching them about. Among all this action, the sideline of the pages are giving “Did You Know?” counting facts. His assistant, the dog, is on the other side of the sideline writing equations. It’s overwhelming! The way this book is organized and the clarity of the information is all over the place! I had to read it several times for the information to make any sense. The format felt too hyper! Much too loaded with facts,action and information all on one page.
This book might be appropriate for ages 11-15; 7th- through 9th grade.
Read
September 16, 2016First read 1999
Reread 2016. Still good.
Reread 2016. Still good.
August 23, 2013
I did not use this as a read-aloud because of all the speech bubbles and facts scattered throughout the book. However, I set it out for the kids to read if they finished their warm-ups early. I also used it to help some individual students understand exponential growth and powers of ten. Both were effective; the early finishers were interested by the huge numbers (especially googolplex - 10^googol). And it was helpful to my struggling students that the book specifically contrasts counting by addition (tens or hundreds) to counting by multiplication (powers). I thought it was very appropriate for 5th grade!
Also, it was a good follow-up to Can You Count to a Googol?, which gave them the background understanding of multiplication by 10. On Beyond a Million extended that to explicit instruction on exponents (and introduced numbers beyond a quadrillion and a googol, which were the 2 highest numbers mentioned in Can You Count?).
CCSS.Math.Content.5.NBT.A.1 Recognize that in a multi-digit number, a digit in one place represents 10 times as much as it represents in the place to its right and 1/10 of what it represents in the place to its left.
CCSS.Math.Content.5.NBT.A.2 Explain patterns in the number of zeros of the product when multiplying a number by powers of 10...Use whole-number exponents to denote powers of 10.
Also, it was a good follow-up to Can You Count to a Googol?, which gave them the background understanding of multiplication by 10. On Beyond a Million extended that to explicit instruction on exponents (and introduced numbers beyond a quadrillion and a googol, which were the 2 highest numbers mentioned in Can You Count?).
CCSS.Math.Content.5.NBT.A.1 Recognize that in a multi-digit number, a digit in one place represents 10 times as much as it represents in the place to its right and 1/10 of what it represents in the place to its left.
CCSS.Math.Content.5.NBT.A.2 Explain patterns in the number of zeros of the product when multiplying a number by powers of 10...Use whole-number exponents to denote powers of 10.
May 8, 2015
Personal Reaction- There were parts of this book that I liked, but overall, I found it to be confusing. I liked that it kind of took you on a journey with Professor X and his dog but to me, there were too many characters on each page and it became confusing. Each character had a thought bubble, which made it harder to follow along.
Read aloud- I think that there is too much going on in each page to read it aloud to the class. There are too many things for students to focus on when you are reading aloud and reading each character’s thought bubble would disrupt the flow of the book.
Independent Reading- This is best to read independently because students can read at their own pace. I also think that this would be best for third graders to read because some of the math concepts seem a bit too extensive for younger grades. It’s written in a fun and entertaining way, so students probably would be able to read this easily and enjoy it but it would also require some thinking.
Literary Elements- On the sides of each page, there are explanations about interesting math facts. These facts would definitely get students thinking about other real world applications they could apply this to.
Read aloud- I think that there is too much going on in each page to read it aloud to the class. There are too many things for students to focus on when you are reading aloud and reading each character’s thought bubble would disrupt the flow of the book.
Independent Reading- This is best to read independently because students can read at their own pace. I also think that this would be best for third graders to read because some of the math concepts seem a bit too extensive for younger grades. It’s written in a fun and entertaining way, so students probably would be able to read this easily and enjoy it but it would also require some thinking.
Literary Elements- On the sides of each page, there are explanations about interesting math facts. These facts would definitely get students thinking about other real world applications they could apply this to.
May 16, 2013
My only critique of this book is that since it was first published in 1999, some of the data (specifically about the population of the United States and the world) is no longer accurate. Instead of 250 million people, the United States now has over 315 million people, at the time of our reading of the book. And the world has over 7 billion people, much greater than the 5 billion stated in the narrative. (see http://www.census.gov/popclock/ for more information).
Otherwise, this is a fascinating book about extremely large numbers. It is difficult for most people to comprehend the enormity of such large numbers, so it helps to put them into context. And I loved the idea of teaching children how to count exponentially - I was surprised at how easily our girls grasped the concept.
The narrative is easy for children to understand and the colorful illustrations help depict the concepts. We enjoyed reading this book together.
Otherwise, this is a fascinating book about extremely large numbers. It is difficult for most people to comprehend the enormity of such large numbers, so it helps to put them into context. And I loved the idea of teaching children how to count exponentially - I was surprised at how easily our girls grasped the concept.
The narrative is easy for children to understand and the colorful illustrations help depict the concepts. We enjoyed reading this book together.
April 11, 2012
This book would be perfect for any fifth grader! I love the illustrations and the probing questions. I like how it supports counting as a cool thing. It contains great fun facts. The explanations are great and it shows wonderful ways to think about multiplication and exponents. The book is a wonderful way to get students thinking out of the box. It contains very deep thinking and would be great for advanced students. It had a great ending and it explains in the end how there will always be a bigger number.
July 29, 2014
This was a pretty boring book but it did have a few fun things to learn like we have 9000 taste buds on our tongue, there are 40,000 different characters in Chinese but only 26 letters in the American alphabet, 100,000 people worked 20 seasons to build one pyramid and I know how "rich" I will be in 30 days if I save 2 pennies a day.
April 14, 2012
This book is about exponential numbers. It could be used to teach upper grades how quickly numbers can grow when you count exponentially. The book provides real life examples and a lot of facts. This book could also be used with a lesson on our base ten number system. Great book for upper level students!
March 20, 2012
This book is about exponential numbers and how quickly you can count when you use exponents. I would use this book with upper grades to show how quickly numbers can grow when you count exponentially. It gives great real life examples and plenty of facts. I would also use this book to get students to understand our number system which is based on multiples of ten.
June 16, 2009
This is a fun book that teaches students about exponents. It includes real facts that are very interesting. I plan on using this when I teach students about the different types of notation (scientific, exponential, standard).
June 13, 2012
This is a book that I use every year when beginning a unit on multiples of ten. The reason I use this book is because it's fun to read because of the illustrations are entertaining. Also, it's educational because the content breaks the concept down to a level that student's can grasp.
April 11, 2013
On Beyond a Million is about just that. This book should be used in teaching value associated with larger numbers. There are smaller numbers such as 60,000, but it goes up and up from there. Other concepts touched upon are exponents and multiplication.
Ages 6 and up.
Ages 6 and up.
September 25, 2015
An interesting look and numbers beyond a million and the power of 10. Useful in the classroom at the upper end of primary school with interesting facts and illustrations that children will like. A non-fiction book that could help in a maths lesson.
Read
June 13, 2012Funny book and good for intermediate grades. Place value
June 13, 2012
Awesome. Love the "Did you know?" sections. I could definitely use this to talk about big numbers. The format of the book will interest kids since it looks like a comic book.
June 13, 2012
I think kids would enjoy this comic strip format and the interesting short facts along the margins. Good book to use with teaching place value.
June 13, 2012
Kind of hard to take in the information on each page. Lots of speech bubbles and facts.
December 6, 2012
This would be a great book for a math lesson!!!
January 20, 2014
A very nice book on powers of ten.
April 27, 2014
Notes:
not a read-aloud due to comic book format
deals with exponents and mammoth number concepts
not a read-aloud due to comic book format
deals with exponents and mammoth number concepts
July 16, 2015
Lots of information, but I found the talk bubbles confusing to read (wasn't sure what order to read them), and the inclusion of random facts was a bit distracting.
January 18, 2025
A little intense for me.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews