Lia & Luís: Puzzled!

by Ana Crespo, Giovana Medeiros (Illustrations)

Celebrate diversity, math, and the power of storytelling!

Twins Lia and Luís have received a secret puzzle from their grandma! Can they put it together to read the hidden message? A playful exploration of geometry and sorting featuring Brazilian American characters and a glossary of Brazilian Portuguese words.

Storytelling Math celebrates children using math in their daily adventures as they play, build, and discover the world around them. Joyful stories and hands-on activities make it easy for kids and their grown-ups to explore everyday math together. Developed in collaboration with math experts at STEM education nonprofit TERC, under a grant from the Heising-Simons Foundation.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Mathematics

32 pages, Paperback

Published March 7, 2023

About the author

Ana Crespo would much rather live life as a nomad, moving to different places every couple of months or so. Not possible. So, Ana spends her summers traveling through the United States, camping, visiting friends, and getting to know some of the most beautiful places around. When Ana is traveling, she is gathering material for new and exciting stories. When she’s not traveling, she is writing. No matter where she is, Ana is lucky to have a career that allows her to keep imagining way beyond her childhood years.

Ana is originally from Brazil but lives in beautiful Colorado with her husband and two children.

Reviews

[Katie]

What a great idea! I’ve never seen a book explain how to approach doing a jigsaw puzzle, and I love how this is cushioned in a sweet family surprise. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced e-copy. I’m going to go look up other books in this Storytelling Math series.

[Dyn✨️]

Such a playful book! Tells about the twins Lia and Luis who are challenged to solve the secret of the puzzle pieces, it turns out that the puzzle pieces are a surprise from someone. Also, you can learn new Brazilian vocabulary, with a glossary at the end of the book.

Thank you NetGalley and Publishers for accepting my request to read and review this book.

[Angie]

In this picture book two children receive a puzzle as a package and they must figure out how to put it together. They notice that the sides of the puzzle have straight or curved signs and this helps them determine where to place the pieces. The book is meant to be about math and while I can see some connections, I don’t think that it meets very many curricular outcomes. I do think it is a good book and also appreciate that puzzles are a good learning opportunity for young children to practice reasoning skills. As a grade three teacher I would recommend this book to parents of children in the age 3-8 range. Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

[Ryan]

Leah and Louis are sent a gift of a puzzle and this puzzle will help them solve the mystery. This is a storytelling math picture book so it does get into how to actually put a puzzle together, such as looking for straight edges and matching colors, etc. The illustrations are lovely and the story while a bit much for who it’s intended, it does work. I think what makes this book stand out among the series is that it mixes in Portuguese words, and in the back tells you what the dialect of Brazilian Portuguese they’re speaking, which happens to be San Paulo. There’s also a glossary in the back for those that don’t know this language. Overall, this is a strong entry into the series.

[Pam]

Story Telling Math Series
I received an electronic ARC from Charlesbridge through NetGalley.
Lia and Luis are back with a puzzle to solve. They have to put the pieces together quickly before they leave with their mom. I appreciate that readers see the need for sorting, spatial relations and locating the correct pieces and rotating them until they fit. The authors also share informative text at the end to challenge readers to make their own puzzles and enjoy the math in their lives.
Colorful illustrations pull readers in to see if they can solve the puzzle too. Great book for families and classrooms. Look forward to purchasing it for our library.

[Kari Kirfman]

Lia and Luis have a puzzle to solve. Can they put all of the pieces together before it's time to leave?

This is a sweet story that presents problem-solving skills that kids can use in the real world. While I'd prefer my child to actually work on solving a puzzle, this book also gives the vocabulary she needs to describe spatial reasoning. It also features some Spanish words.

Overall, I would recommend if your child loves puzzles or is reaching the puzzle developmental milestones.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

[Liz]

Lia and Luís receive a puzzle package from their grandmother in Brazil. They figure out what's the same/different size, shape, and color. I like this Storytelling Math series that uses realistic examples to show how to talk to young children about math concepts. Would be a good one to read before doing a puzzle.

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through Edelweiss.

[♛primadonna♛]

I enjoyed reading to my girls and introducing them to Portuguese.!

[Syntha Green]

This series just keeps getting better

[Abby]

Great way to talk about spatial relationships and strategies when doing first puzzles

[Mari]

They put together jigsaw to find who they're visiting

[Sarah]

Shows how to do a puzzle- a brother and sister work on it together to reveal a surprise.

[Children's Literature Centre at FSU]

A cute story about a mysterious puzzle and the message it beholds. This book ties in Portuguese vocabulary as the young siblings discover the message behind the puzzle.

[Pinky]

Lia and Luis solve their grandmother's puzzle just in time to pick her up.

[Jessie]

Discovering how to think through a jigsaw puzzle -- sorting edge pieces, corner, and center; thinking about color and shape.

[Norshakila Makmon]

perfect for my puzzle-loving son! there are different ways to do a puzzle.

[Earl]

Lia & Luis are back for another Storytelling Math tale. This time, they receive a mysterious package in the mail and they have to use logic and other skills to figure out the hidden message.

[Lindsey Lawntea]

I don't see a lot of books about puzzles and this one is precious. Lia and Luis complete a puzzle which ends with a big surprise. This quick, bilingual read is absolutely worth a read for kids who are just being introduced to puzzles, or puzzle-loving families.

Note: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not compensated in any other fashion for the review and the opinions reflected below are entirely my own. Special thanks to the publisher and author for providing the copy.