The Animals Would Not Sleep!

Storytelling Math

by Sara Levine, Marta Aalvarez Miguaens (Contributor)

Celebrate diversity, math, and the power of storytelling!

With bedtime fast approaching, young Latinx scientist Marco wants to sort his stuffed animals into categories that will help them comfortably settle down. He observes, compares, and groups, but the animals refuse every classification. Finally Marco combines math with empathy to get the most important result: maximum snuggles.

The Storytelling Math series shows that all children can be mathematical thinkers. Each book includes ideas for exploring math at home with your children, developed in collaboration with math experts at STEM education nonprofit TERC Inc., under a grant from the Heising-Simons Foundation.

Genres: Picture Books, Mathematics, Storytime, Animals, Childrens, Stem, Science

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 13, 2020

Reviews

[Cheryl]

Exceeded expectations. Don't miss the back matter enrichments! I think that I'll play the 3 Word game with my youngest son (age 26) next time we go for a walk together. I know that people used to advise we let kids sort the buttons in the button jar to discover the powers of using different attributes, but who (besides me) saves buttons anymore?

Even if you can't make time to do any math or science activities, the story & art, unto themselves, are worth reading. I just love this book and hope it's widely available to you all.

[Mid-Continent Public Library]

It is bedtime and Marco’s stuffed animals do not want to settle down and go to sleep. Marco uses his math and science skills to put his stuffed animals into different groups according to size, color and shape until he finally wore them all out. Marco and his stuffed animals were finally able to go to sleep.
Bedtime story readers, listeners and those who love stuffed animals will enjoy this story as did I. Certain stuffed animals get to sleep next to Marco as do certain stuffed animals of children all around us.
*Review by Melinda from the Edgerton Branch*

[Madison]

Marco divides his plush animals into three categories based on their movement, color, and size. He has problems with each of those sortings and eventually resolves them by arranging them in a creative sequence around his bed.

It's all about categorical variables and different techniques of sorting them. The majority of sorting methods have complications with stuffed animals, but the one-by-one method has practical issues (one overfull basket, one near-empty basket). The ordering section receives less attention, although it does add a quantitative element at the end.

[Cameron Cochran]

This is a story about Marco getting his plush animals ready for bed. Throughout the story, Marco puts his animals in different categories for them to sleep but every time an animal or two will start complaining about their sleeping arrangements. In the end, Marco puts the animals in the order of their size along his bed. With the illustrations I really enjoyed the different stuffed animals and how they were in different colors and styles. The illustrations themselves are beautifully done and have a wide selection of colors. The writing is simple to follow and fun to read how Marco categorizes his plush animals. This book can teach kids how to categorize different objects like a scientist. The last page gives more information about how to categorize different objects and explain different animals in the story. Teachers can use this book to help students with putting objects in groups and categorizing them.

[Jane]

This book is hugely entertaining, emotionally satisfying, and sneakily-cleverly educational, as the main character sorts his stuffed animals before bedtime. I bought a copy for my grandkids, and I know they will loooove it.

[Michelle]

Super cute art and a STEM lesson at the end.

[Diane]

“Marco had to think fast. Being a scientist, he was used to coming up with ideas and thinking outside the box.”

It’s almost bedtime and Marco needs to sort his animals because “that’s what a scientist would do.” But the animals don’t seem happy with any of the categories he comes up with: size, color, or how they move about. With time running out, he knows his animals need to feel safe and cozy, so he makes the final sorting spot his own bed. And sure enough, everyone is happy.

The scientific concept of classification (sorting) told in a delightful and easily relatable story for younger kids.

[Jessie]

Marco sorts his stuffed animals into three baskets by how they move, by color, and by size. He runs into issues with each of those sortings and eventually resolves them by putting them out around his bed in a clever order instead.

All about different ways of sorting and categorical variables. Most of the ways of sorting have issues that are related to the stuffed animals, but the one by side has practical issues (one overfull basket, one near-empty basket). The ordering bit doesn't get as much discussion, but that adds in more of a quantitative bit at the end.

[Jo Oehrlein]

Cute book about a child trying to get all the stuffed animals to settle peacefully for the night.

The child sorts them several different ways. Nice to see that several different sorts are possible.

Leading towards the way we really classify animals in biology (but not doing any sort based on that).

The end especially reminds me of I can read Spanish: Goodnight everyone: Spanish

[Carolina Combetta]

It's bedtime for Marco and his stuffed animals, but the animals have other ideas. When Marco tries to put them away, he decides to classify them. The classifications are movement, color, and size. Nothing seems to work to help the animals sleep. Marco observes, compares, and groups, but the animals are not satisfied with their classification. At the end he ends up snuggling with all his stuffed animals. This would be a great book to teach about attributes and how we can group objects according to their description.

[Lynn Davidson]

Marco had many toy animals spread around in his room. At bedtime his mother told him to put them away, and Marco choose a scientific way to do it. He sorted them, but not all of them were happy that way, so he grouped them in other ways until he found the way that worked best for everyone.
This is a cute and creative story to demonstrate classifying things. Sorting is a fun thing to learn. There is added information on the back pages. Beautifully illustrated.

[Aolund]

I really liked this Storytelling Math book! Marco has to get all of the (stuffed) animals ready for bed, and decides that he will sort them like a scientist. He tries three different ways of sorting them, but the animals keep complaining about something or other, and ultimately they all sleep cozily together in Marco's bed. Cute!

Themes: Sorting, Computational Thinking, Bedtime
Age range: Toddler-Kindergarten

[J.]

I really liked this story, introduction to math principles, and illustration but something (the book construction itself?!) of the book felt incredibly computer generated. I'm trying to put my finger on it, and it's bugging me. Marta Álvarez Miguéns was the illustrator and I recognize the style from Shark Lady and Dinosaur Lady, so it's not directly that. Perhaps it was the quality of the pages?! Something felt soul-less in an AI kind of a way, despite my liking the story and art.

[Jennifer Miera]

STEM. Demonstrates a boy sorting his stuffed animals in different ways - animals that fly, swim, and on land, then by color, and then by size. Plays with early math and science concepts - sorting (classifying) in science, and exploring size, sorting, noticing differences and similarities. See Charlesbridge.com/storytellingmath for more activities.

[Katie]

Marco wants to go to bed, but he has to sort his stuffed animals first. He tries a couple different methods before deciding they should all sleep in his bed, ordered by size. A wonderful exploration of classification systems and the concept that things can be sorted in different ways depending on the grouping method.

[Alisa]

Sweet story of a little boy who has problems getting to sleep because his "zoo" of stuffed animals don't like where they get put. The illustrations of the animals are super cute, and the beginning math skills of sorting and changing types of sorting was great for my little girls. I would read this book a lot, if only due to the secret learning of math and the beautiful animals.

[Kara Marsee]

This is a great story to talk to young kids about sorting, a basic math concept. The main character identifies as a young scientist by saying, “that’s what a scientist can do!” He explores several different ways to sort his animals- by movement (flying, swimming, land), color, and size. But he has to come up with an idea that makes all the animals happy.

[Laurie Hnatiuk]

A young boy is getting ready for bed and has to decide how to put his stuffies to bed and is determined to think and act like a scientist. He uses various classification systems until he and his stuffies agree on the one right for all of them. A great picture book to talk about animal characteristics and ways to classify animals and/or objects.

[Rose Rosetree]

Sorting and classifying for kids? That's so important for some picture books to encourage.

My favorite quote from this one:

"Marco studied his menagerie, as a good scientist would."

Wonderful!

LOVING THE ENDING ESPECIALLY.

Besides my FIVE STAR RATING, I give this book "Highest Praise" for helping children aspire to become scientists.

[Ann Haefele]

Excellent book about sorting. Marco can’t got to sleep until his stuffed animals quiet down. He tries sorting them by size, by color, and by where they live. Nothing works until he realizes they just want to be near him.

[Dana Storytime Account]

This was a very cute book that explored basic concepts of classification and sorting for young children and provides a lot of jumping off points for discussions and hands on learning with science and math exploration

[Viviane Elbee]

This book combines a bedtime story tale with the scientific strategy of sorting animals by category. Marco is trying to sort his stuffed animals (who can talk & move) into the right categories and baskets so that they can all sleep - but it's difficult! The art is cute too.

[Alexi]

Wasn't a big hit with my 5 yr old, but would like to try again later. Story was a little long (we like our bedtime stories to be short and sweet!) but really liked the educational aspect of categorizing animals and the activities at the end of the book.

[Deidra Chamberlain]

Never thought of organizing as mathematical, but I guess it is. I wasn’t sure why Marco thought of himself as a scientist, I felt like I had missed a page explaining his character. Also, baskets are the best.

[Nadina]

I love the aspect of sorting and classifying behind this book. The story itself was simple and cute. There was not too much text on each page, and the detail to the illustrations felt just right. It would make a great bedtime book but also a great book for a storytime.

[Emily Carlyn]

This is a great bedtime story - Marco is trying to get to bed on time but his stuffed animals just won't settle down and sleep! He keeps thinking like a scientist and attempts to divide the animals up. He finally reaches the right answer just in time for bed.

[Meredith]

This had more action and more sophisticated illustrations than "Cat Show," and I loved the connection at the end to classifying animals, which is a lesson I have considered doing with the older kids. Will plan to use.

[Edward Sullivan]

An introduction to classification as Marco sorts his stuffed animals onto categories.

[Tracie]

A child organizes their animals before bed. I loved they referred to themselves as scientist as they classify their animals. Other titles in the series.

[Sarah]

Good STEAM read for younger kids.