Do You Wanna Bet?: Your Chance to Find Out About Probability

by Jean Cushman, Martha Weston (Illustrator)

A book about probability, chance, and how to figure them—real math in a book that’s fun. Watch Danny and Brian in action at school, at home, and at play, and discover for yourself that chance has a part in a surprising number of everyday situations. If the weather forecaster predicts a 60 percent chance of snow, should Danny count on a “snow day”? Has Brian bought enough chances to have a chance at winning the PTA raffle? Will Danny’s mother’s new baby be a boy or a girl? Do you wanna bet?

Genres: Mathematics

112 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

Reviews

[Andrea M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely for kids, my dear daughter, age 10, noticed it in the bag and read it and she is a hard one to find books that interest her. It has two main characters and is told in a story-line where events happen that are related to probability. The probability that mom will have a boy or a girl, the probability that a coin will land heads or tails, guessing candy in a jar, baseball batting statistics are all discussed without going so far into it that it's boring. I thought it was well written and entertaining.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

My boys are very mathematical. They are always doing activities with probability on their own. I read this book to come up with some more ideas for varied things that they could do. It is a well written book, threading a story of two kids into probability projects that kids can do on their own. I left this book on the library bookshelf and before I knew it, two of my sons were engaged in one of the projects.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would be a good book to have available for students to read on their own. Two friends Brian and Danny make bets on everyday activities like flipping coins, weather, and probability. At the end of each bet the results are given and the probability discussed.

*Available at Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Libraries*

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read. Good introduction to probability that I think kids could easily understand.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Straight-forward, simple. One of the most successful "math lesson in a story" books I've read.