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Counting in Dog Years and Other Sassy Math Poems
Twenty-nine playful poems from the maven of math poetry + ingenious high-concept art = countless hours of mind-blowing, mathematical fun.
Award-winning author Betsy Franco is back with another pitch-perfect performance that explores a range of math topics—from fractions and time measurements to geometry and graphs—in a way that relates math to the daily lives of children. Even the most mathematically disinclined will warm to these innovative poems, illustrated with game-changing wit and whimsy by Priscilla Tey, whose clever mechanical “Numbots” guide readers through a surreal playground of calculated delights. From multiplying mice to missing socks, from stinky scales to bug races, this collection of imaginative verse subtracts the mystery, fear, and loathing from mathematics, making it engrossing and fun for all.
Award-winning author Betsy Franco is back with another pitch-perfect performance that explores a range of math topics—from fractions and time measurements to geometry and graphs—in a way that relates math to the daily lives of children. Even the most mathematically disinclined will warm to these innovative poems, illustrated with game-changing wit and whimsy by Priscilla Tey, whose clever mechanical “Numbots” guide readers through a surreal playground of calculated delights. From multiplying mice to missing socks, from stinky scales to bug races, this collection of imaginative verse subtracts the mystery, fear, and loathing from mathematics, making it engrossing and fun for all.
40 pages, Hardcover
Published October 11, 2022
About the author
Betsy Franco
151 books41 followersBetsy Franco is an accomplished and versatile author whose body of work spans over 80 published titles, including fiction, young adult novels, picture books, and poetry collections. Known for her creative, collage-like approach to storytelling, Franco has also written a screenplay for each of her novels, with Naked optioned for film and The Art of Love currently in post-production.
Franco has a strong background in film and theater, having served as the screenwriting mentor for Metamorphosis, Junior Year, a film adaptation of her novel and play. The project was a family collaboration involving her sons James and Tom Franco, and it was well received at major festivals including Cinequest and Mill Valley, earning recognition as a top ten film by the San Jose Mercury News.
Her creative partnerships with her sons continue across various mediums: she appeared in James Franco’s film The Broken Tower and on General Hospital, while Tom Franco has illustrated her books and co-produced films with her. She also works closely with her son Dave Franco, who assists with her writing projects and participated in the audiobook of Metamorphosis, Junior Year alongside James.
Franco has a strong background in film and theater, having served as the screenwriting mentor for Metamorphosis, Junior Year, a film adaptation of her novel and play. The project was a family collaboration involving her sons James and Tom Franco, and it was well received at major festivals including Cinequest and Mill Valley, earning recognition as a top ten film by the San Jose Mercury News.
Her creative partnerships with her sons continue across various mediums: she appeared in James Franco’s film The Broken Tower and on General Hospital, while Tom Franco has illustrated her books and co-produced films with her. She also works closely with her son Dave Franco, who assists with her writing projects and participated in the audiobook of Metamorphosis, Junior Year alongside James.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
December 17, 2022
I located this book through the National Council of Teachers of English website (www.ncte.org). Counting in Dog Years is a 2023 Notable Poetry Book and Verse Novel. This collection of 29 poems relates math to the daily lives of children. These poems not only relate math to real life situations for students they also are full of humor that will keep students engaged and learning. For example, the poem “How Old Am I” is a poem about a child who is eight and three quarters to the day and the author includes fun ways to share how many different ways to represent the days left until his birthday. Poems in this collection include fractions, measurement, time, multiplication, geometry, graphs and more.
I read this book in traditional print format from my local public library. The illustrator, Priscilla Tey, uses quirky yet surreal images which pair perfectly with the tone of the poems. The bright, humorous images help keep the reader engaged from poem to poem.
The math concepts and vocabulary embedded in these poems make this story ideal for middle and upper elementary school students. This collection of poems demonstrates the overlap among subjects which allows this text to be used across several content areas. These poems can be used to help students struggling with various mathematical concepts.
I read this book in traditional print format from my local public library. The illustrator, Priscilla Tey, uses quirky yet surreal images which pair perfectly with the tone of the poems. The bright, humorous images help keep the reader engaged from poem to poem.
The math concepts and vocabulary embedded in these poems make this story ideal for middle and upper elementary school students. This collection of poems demonstrates the overlap among subjects which allows this text to be used across several content areas. These poems can be used to help students struggling with various mathematical concepts.
December 28, 2022
Poet Betsy Franco always has a way of words, blending poetry and math efficiently and humorously here in 20 poems. Teachers looking for ways to incorporate poetry in their math classes--and why wouldn't they?--can find some useful verses here. Divided into four different sections ["Hanging Out at Home," "Math Musing," "School Daze," and "Last Bell. School's Out!" the book contains poems about two mice multiplying into 24 ("Multiplying Mice"), measuring human ages in dog years ("Counting in Dog Years"), figuring out how many hours until someone's birthday ("How Old Am I?") as well as one about the perils of living further away from school than one lucky classmate ("Late for School, Again"), mathematical palindromes ("Palindromes"), and a missing digits activity ("Calling Up Friends to Play"). The final poem, "Math Makes Me Feel Safe," ties everything up reassuringly, pointing out the beauty and utility of math. Many of these poems made me smile, encouraged me to brush up on my dormant math skills, and left me impressed once again with this poet. The colorful gouache illustrations brim with interesting scenes and contents, including mechanical numbers called Numbots that look like machines or machine parts fashioned into numbers. These become even more interesting the longer someone looks at them.
October 7, 2024
The book I chose is titled Counting in Dog Years and Other Sassy Math Poems, which is written by Betsy Franco and illustrated by Priscilla Tey. I originally picked up this book due to its alluring title and adorable illustrations, but I quickly realized that the text is more complex than just the visual and light-hearted appeal.
Within the pages this text addresses multiplication, division, doubling, sums, rows, time, proportions, fractions, months/year, shapes, palindromes, seconds/minute, width, depth, height, solids, and more. Every mathematical concept discussed is done so in relatable contexts that can aid readers in making connections between math and the real world of which we live in. Food, dog years, hopscotch, seasons, mice in the house, exercise, and cell phone numbers are just a few ways this text does so in a silly, or sassy manner.
Almost every page can be used to create a problem to work through, and if not, it still connects math to the world, highlighting that the principles of math are in everything. For example, one page that I find high appeal in involves fractions and describing oneself. The example it gives, “one fifth of me is a brother, one fifth of me is a son…,” goes on to describe a few things the narrator enjoys doing as well, providing five portions of his life he considers to form who he is. This not only teaches students the multiple identities they carry with them, but it does so in a mathematical way. As an educator, this could be used to teach a valuable lesson about the parts of our lives that make us who we are, wholly unique people. I can see this text being used as a little side activity each day where students read the text with the teacher and either complete the problem it poses or branch to an activity involving similar ideas that apply more so to them as individuals. This book can be utilized to make math more fun for students who struggle with it, and those who do not. Learners of all kinds can come together to analyze this text. Overall, I think this text does a great job of centering students and allowing them to make learning their own.
Within the pages this text addresses multiplication, division, doubling, sums, rows, time, proportions, fractions, months/year, shapes, palindromes, seconds/minute, width, depth, height, solids, and more. Every mathematical concept discussed is done so in relatable contexts that can aid readers in making connections between math and the real world of which we live in. Food, dog years, hopscotch, seasons, mice in the house, exercise, and cell phone numbers are just a few ways this text does so in a silly, or sassy manner.
Almost every page can be used to create a problem to work through, and if not, it still connects math to the world, highlighting that the principles of math are in everything. For example, one page that I find high appeal in involves fractions and describing oneself. The example it gives, “one fifth of me is a brother, one fifth of me is a son…,” goes on to describe a few things the narrator enjoys doing as well, providing five portions of his life he considers to form who he is. This not only teaches students the multiple identities they carry with them, but it does so in a mathematical way. As an educator, this could be used to teach a valuable lesson about the parts of our lives that make us who we are, wholly unique people. I can see this text being used as a little side activity each day where students read the text with the teacher and either complete the problem it poses or branch to an activity involving similar ideas that apply more so to them as individuals. This book can be utilized to make math more fun for students who struggle with it, and those who do not. Learners of all kinds can come together to analyze this text. Overall, I think this text does a great job of centering students and allowing them to make learning their own.
March 25, 2023
Imagine an accomplished writer honing her art upon the strangeness of math, how it multiplies, and how makes parts and wholes.
And then imagine a young artist, who puts these very everyday occurrences into fantastical scenes that splish and splash — and that might remind you of an Escher in colour… or old Tiong Bahru.
Hexagons, graphs, fractions, stinky scales and and bug races. I’d bet you hadn’t seen anything like it but here.
“Just Wondering
Do numerals get out of sorts?
Do fractions get along?
Do equal signs complain and gripe when kids get problems wrong?
Do graphs get wiggly
standing still
and wish that
they could play?
Does a million scold its zeroes for getting in the way?”
To borrow from the intro to this book:
“If this book were a bar graph, it would be off the charts…. adds up to tons of mind-blowing mathematical fun.”
I don’t have the words to describe how math, writing and art have come together beautifully in this book. So simply, enjoy these photos.
Definitely #giftidea for both adults and young readers who’ll spend hours staring at this for sure.
📚: @definitelykidsbooks
And then imagine a young artist, who puts these very everyday occurrences into fantastical scenes that splish and splash — and that might remind you of an Escher in colour… or old Tiong Bahru.
Hexagons, graphs, fractions, stinky scales and and bug races. I’d bet you hadn’t seen anything like it but here.
“Just Wondering
Do numerals get out of sorts?
Do fractions get along?
Do equal signs complain and gripe when kids get problems wrong?
Do graphs get wiggly
standing still
and wish that
they could play?
Does a million scold its zeroes for getting in the way?”
To borrow from the intro to this book:
“If this book were a bar graph, it would be off the charts…. adds up to tons of mind-blowing mathematical fun.”
I don’t have the words to describe how math, writing and art have come together beautifully in this book. So simply, enjoy these photos.
Definitely #giftidea for both adults and young readers who’ll spend hours staring at this for sure.
📚: @definitelykidsbooks
September 25, 2023
2022, NCTE Excellence in Poetry Award, Poetry
This book is a collection of poems that all relate to math in some way. This book would be a great edition to any classroom, as it can connect math and reading to kids who may dislike one and like another or even to teach students that all subjects can connect. It can also be a great way to introduce topics or make connections from math to outside world things.
I was not the biggest fan of this book, but I did think it was cute and interesting. I liked the illustrations and the concept of trying to get kids excited about math topics, but I am not a big fan of math or poetry so I did not enjoy it as much as I hope my future students might. I would definitely include it in my future classroom though!
This book is a collection of poems that all relate to math in some way. This book would be a great edition to any classroom, as it can connect math and reading to kids who may dislike one and like another or even to teach students that all subjects can connect. It can also be a great way to introduce topics or make connections from math to outside world things.
I was not the biggest fan of this book, but I did think it was cute and interesting. I liked the illustrations and the concept of trying to get kids excited about math topics, but I am not a big fan of math or poetry so I did not enjoy it as much as I hope my future students might. I would definitely include it in my future classroom though!
October 30, 2022
Really a 3.5
Counting in Dog Years is my first introduction to Betsy Franco's math poetry and I am hooked. The poems are filled with math references and puns that make for some pretty hilarious verses. Everything from multiplication to scales, to time, are covered in these fast-paced poems. The detailed illustrations add another layer of engagement that had my son and I pouring over the pages.
Counting in Dog Years is a cleverly written poetry book that will appeal to elementary aged students.
This review first appeared on YA Book Central and can be found here : https://www.yabookscentral.com/counti...
Counting in Dog Years is my first introduction to Betsy Franco's math poetry and I am hooked. The poems are filled with math references and puns that make for some pretty hilarious verses. Everything from multiplication to scales, to time, are covered in these fast-paced poems. The detailed illustrations add another layer of engagement that had my son and I pouring over the pages.
Counting in Dog Years is a cleverly written poetry book that will appeal to elementary aged students.
This review first appeared on YA Book Central and can be found here : https://www.yabookscentral.com/counti...
February 4, 2023
“Counting in Dog Years and other Sassy Math Poems” is as quirky and fun as the title sounds.
I loved Priscilla Tey’s illustrations, and it was delightful to see a White Rabbit sweet from the get-go on the contents page! There is also intentional and meaningful diverse racial representation throughout, with black-haired Asians, as well as brown-skinned kids together with fair-skinned ones.
The sassy poems are so fun to read aloud and so many of the illustrations add another layer of imaginative interpretation to each of them! So intriguing to pore over the details.
Betsy Franco is indeed “the maven of math poetry for kids” and I do enjoy this intertwining of numerical logic with poetic flair - goes to show that kids need not be pigeon-holed into STEM or Humanities-leaning, but can certainly enjoy and excel at both! I can testify to loving the elegance of math and the immense satisfaction of solving a complex equation, as much as I revel in a sweeping, lyrical poem.
I loved Priscilla Tey’s illustrations, and it was delightful to see a White Rabbit sweet from the get-go on the contents page! There is also intentional and meaningful diverse racial representation throughout, with black-haired Asians, as well as brown-skinned kids together with fair-skinned ones.
The sassy poems are so fun to read aloud and so many of the illustrations add another layer of imaginative interpretation to each of them! So intriguing to pore over the details.
Betsy Franco is indeed “the maven of math poetry for kids” and I do enjoy this intertwining of numerical logic with poetic flair - goes to show that kids need not be pigeon-holed into STEM or Humanities-leaning, but can certainly enjoy and excel at both! I can testify to loving the elegance of math and the immense satisfaction of solving a complex equation, as much as I revel in a sweeping, lyrical poem.
March 27, 2023
This book of poems by Betsy Franco is full of trickery, about math! She covers lots of topics, not only "Counting in Dog Years" and includes palindromes, geometry, fractions when talking about summer vacation, and even multiplying mice! All in clever rhyme, with hilarious creatures and kids in the illustrations by Priscilla Tey that are full of action on every page. There's an especially funny one about the number of missing socks after washing! Students can use these in math class or for inspiration in writing poetry about math. It's laugh-out-loud fun!
Thanks to Candlewick Press for this copy!
Thanks to Candlewick Press for this copy!
April 28, 2023
I absolutely love this bright, rollicking book of fun illustrations, poems, and mind stimulating math problems/activities. This will be a fun way to engage elementary students and encourage thoughtful thinking and problem solving.
Fun ways to look at the uses for math in ways you probably wouldn't normally think.
If you have a budding mathematician, this is for them! If you have a bored-at-math or a fearful-of-math kid, this is for them!
I encourage school libraries, public libraries, and home libraries to shelve this book in their collections.
I received a complimentary copy to facilitate a review. Opinions are mine, alone and are freely given.
Fun ways to look at the uses for math in ways you probably wouldn't normally think.
If you have a budding mathematician, this is for them! If you have a bored-at-math or a fearful-of-math kid, this is for them!
I encourage school libraries, public libraries, and home libraries to shelve this book in their collections.
I received a complimentary copy to facilitate a review. Opinions are mine, alone and are freely given.
September 10, 2023
Date: 2022
Award: NCTE Excellence in Poetry Award
Genre: Poetry
Book Type: Picture book
This collection of poems covers various aspects of math, from multiplication, and solids, to fractions, and much more. This would be a great resource used during math to incorporate both literacy and poetry into a math lesson, and I believe students would really enjoy having this book as a read-aloud. The illustrations in this book were one of my favorite things about it because I think they really added to the stories being told. My favorite poems include "Mom Time", "Fractions of Me", "Palindromes", "Solids of Summer", and "Math Makes Me Feel Safe".
Award: NCTE Excellence in Poetry Award
Genre: Poetry
Book Type: Picture book
This collection of poems covers various aspects of math, from multiplication, and solids, to fractions, and much more. This would be a great resource used during math to incorporate both literacy and poetry into a math lesson, and I believe students would really enjoy having this book as a read-aloud. The illustrations in this book were one of my favorite things about it because I think they really added to the stories being told. My favorite poems include "Mom Time", "Fractions of Me", "Palindromes", "Solids of Summer", and "Math Makes Me Feel Safe".
September 24, 2023
Date: 2022
Award: NCTE Excellence in Poetry Award
Genre: Poetry
Book Type: Picture book
This book is a collection of poems that revolve around the usage of math. It introduces kids to math terms such as dividing, multiply, sum, etc. I liked that this book introduced math words in situations that kids can understand like walking to school. I also like how reading these poems has math words in them so when you introduce kids to adding and they hear the word sum, they can be like oh yeah I remember hearing that word. This book can be used in the classroom to introduce kids to basic math concepts.
Award: NCTE Excellence in Poetry Award
Genre: Poetry
Book Type: Picture book
This book is a collection of poems that revolve around the usage of math. It introduces kids to math terms such as dividing, multiply, sum, etc. I liked that this book introduced math words in situations that kids can understand like walking to school. I also like how reading these poems has math words in them so when you introduce kids to adding and they hear the word sum, they can be like oh yeah I remember hearing that word. This book can be used in the classroom to introduce kids to basic math concepts.
October 28, 2023
I read this book for the Charlie May Simon Award Committee. If I were not required to read the list of book on our voting list, I would have never picked this book up. I'm not a huge poetry fan and I absolutely loathe math of any kind. As a young child, I would have laughed if someone suggested that I read this book. It had cute poems and illustrations (sometimes), but I just feel like if we selected this book for our award list it still wouldn't get many "happy" readers. It just felt like an overly sneaky way to re-introduce a few math concepts, and I didn't care for that. It does have a cute title though...(and the poem about how dogs age vs. their human was cute).
November 27, 2023
Copyright year: 2022
Award: NCTE
Genre: Poetry
Summary:This book is a collection of poems that use humor and creativity to explore various mathematical concepts. The poems use clever and funny words to help you understand math in a playful way that is engaging to students.
Use in the classroom: I would use this book in the classroom as an introduction to math topics. For example if we were starting the math multiplication unit I could take 20 seconds to read one of the multiplication related poems in the book.
My thoughts: I thought this was a very fun book to read. It was funny and enjoyable as well as quick to get through. The pictures were also really cute.
Award: NCTE
Genre: Poetry
Summary:This book is a collection of poems that use humor and creativity to explore various mathematical concepts. The poems use clever and funny words to help you understand math in a playful way that is engaging to students.
Use in the classroom: I would use this book in the classroom as an introduction to math topics. For example if we were starting the math multiplication unit I could take 20 seconds to read one of the multiplication related poems in the book.
My thoughts: I thought this was a very fun book to read. It was funny and enjoyable as well as quick to get through. The pictures were also really cute.
October 4, 2024
20 poems very cleverly written about math concepts are found in this book. It definitely would be a great way to introduce a new math concept reading this poem aloud to students. It covers everything from palindromes to fractions, and my favorite Math Makes Me Feel Safe. Math is something we can always count on because he gives us the same answer. The illustrations are colorful and vibrant. They fill up the whole page and gives you so much creativity to look at. This book got me excited about math because it depicts it in a fun and playful way.
October 9, 2023
This Poetry picturebook was published in 2022 and was a NCTE Excellence in Poetry award book. This book includes 29 fun poems that incorporate mathematical concepts inside with thrilling illustrations! II would include this book all the way from 3rd grade to highschool! It was a fun read, and the author creates snarky situations that everyone can relate to, and allows students to think about math on the day-to-day level while being a delightful read.
August 31, 2024
NCTE Excellence in Poetry
Published October 11th, 2022
Poetry picture book
This book covered many different aspects of math with fun poems. I will definitely be adding this to my list of books to get for my classroom library! I love how poetry can be used in subjects other than reading/writing, and this book is a great example of how you can use poetry to teach about math. I think this is a fun book that many students would enjoy.
Published October 11th, 2022
Poetry picture book
This book covered many different aspects of math with fun poems. I will definitely be adding this to my list of books to get for my classroom library! I love how poetry can be used in subjects other than reading/writing, and this book is a great example of how you can use poetry to teach about math. I think this is a fun book that many students would enjoy.
October 29, 2022
I love this book so much -- the poems are read-aloudable, the illustrations are fun and funny. I kept wondering if my daughter, a middle grade math teacher could read some of these poems to her students and if they would enjoy them, too, even though by the format, the book is directed at younger students.
September 13, 2023
"Counting in Dog Years and Other Sassy Math Poems" is a delightful collection of playful and humorous poems that explore various math concepts in a fun and engaging way.The clever wordplay and witty rhymes in this book allow young readers to enjoy poetry as well as math while learning and laughing at the same time. In the classroom, 'Counting in Dog Years and Other Sassy Math Poems' can be a creative and entertaining tool for teaching math concepts in an engaging manner. Teachers can use the book to introduce or reinforce math topics through the use of humor and wordplay, encouraging students to explore math with enthusiasm and a sense of fun.
October 28, 2023
help, must have lost my review. Definitely a purchase as I can’t wait to have 5th graders write their ownfractions of me poems. Since I really love math, even more than kid’s books This was just my cup of tea. Didn’t spend as much time studying illustrations, but can see it getting recognition for the text.
July 16, 2024
Some clever poems here, but what really shines are the illustrations: captivating, surprising, and unusual. The poems are divided into at home poems, math poems, school poems, and summer poems.
My favorite poems are:
p. 20: Palindromes
p. 26-27: Moving for five minutes straight
p. 33: Our first official bug race
My favorite poems are:
p. 20: Palindromes
p. 26-27: Moving for five minutes straight
p. 33: Our first official bug race
October 12, 2024
Rhyme scheme book with a section for Hanging out at Home, multiplying mice, counting dog years, figuring out your age in fractions of a year, counting the sidewalk squares on the way to school, and using palindromes to count times tables and name people where the word is same backwards and forwards. Loved the graphing of the things found in the school lost and found room or bin.
April 9, 2024
This was a such a good book. All of the poems in the book had to do with math, but there were so many and they were all fun to read. I really liked the illustrations and the poems in the book. I would 100% have this in my future classroom.
November 28, 2022
Fun poems, imaginative illustrations
December 19, 2022
So much math to act out and discuss with connections to reading fluency and poetry writing.
December 31, 2022
Could lead to some cute classroom activities. I see to hate the phrase classroom activities. Now I don’t mind jt
January 1, 2023
Amusing, clever collection of math poems for kids, and anyone else interested in math or poetry. Fun, colorful illustrations accompany every poem. Would make a great gift.
January 11, 2023
For the right audience, this will be a hit.
Poems and all sorts of math inspired tales....
BUt I just don't like math!
Poems and all sorts of math inspired tales....
BUt I just don't like math!
March 22, 2023
Cute, hard to read straight through, better to excerpt
April 27, 2023
short poems; lots with humor; great for older kids; i love the inclusion of a poem told in 2 voices.
August 1, 2023
So genius!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews