Editorial Review

Exotic, beautiful, and instructive, this "mathematical folktale" by author-illustrator Demi emerged from her love of India. The narrative and the evocative illustrations combine to create a real sense of the culture and atmosphere of this romantic land. Read more

Reviews (17)

A lot to learn, including girl-power
This is Demi's re-telling of an old folktale of a king who orders that all rice in his kingdom must be stored in the royal granaries so that there would be food in times of famine; but when his people start to go hungry, he refuses to open the granaries, claiming that the situation was not bad enough to warrant doing so - until a small child outsmarts him by asking for a grain of rice doubled every day for a month.
a tale to delight both young and old
My daughter is three and loves this book -- not just for the gorgeous fold-out illustrated spread of the caravan of elephants carrying the rice on the 30th day -- but because she can follow along with the story.The tale is of a rich greedy rajah who doesn't want to share, but is then outwitted by a young girl and forced to give up all the grain in his storehouses.At the end, he is humbled and vows to be a more fair and wise ruler.My daughter loves to sit with one grain of rice in her hand like Rani on the title page of the book.I can see her forming rudimentary mathematical concepts, but I won't push it.There's plenty of time to return to this book when we introduce the times tables.
One grain of rice = many valuable lessons for students
One Grain of RIce is not only a bookof math, it is also a folktale.It shows how rice can grow from one grain, to two grains,to four grains, to 8 grains to 16 grains and all the way up to a whole barn full of grain.
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Subjects:  1. Children's 4-8 - Picturebooks    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    3. Children: Grades 1-2    4. Fairy Tales & Folklore - Asian    5. Fairy Tales & Folklore - Single Title    6. Folklore    7. India    8. Juvenile Fiction    9. Mathematics    10. Science & Technology    11. Science & Technology - Mathematics    12. Juvenile Fiction / Fairy Tales & Folklore / Country & Ethnic   

Subjects:  1. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    2. Education    3. Teaching Methods & Materials - Mathematics   

Subjects:  1. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    2. Juvenile Nonfiction    3. Mathematics - Algebra   

Subjects:  1. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)    2. Juvenile Nonfiction    3. Mathematics - Algebra    4. Mathematics - Geometry   

Reviews (6)

The Epitome of What is Wrong in Math Education
Math books in Japan and Singapore are short, inexpensive, and to the point. Math books in American often look like this monstrocity: long, expensive and rambling. For example we learn about the history of jeans, we learn that Mae Jemison was the first African-American woman to go into space, and that in 1974, Beverly Johnson, the first black model on the cover of a major fashion magazine. In other words, this book tries very hard to hide the fact that is math book by introducing glossy photos, color pictures, and a litany facts TOTALLY UNRELATED TO MATH. Unfortunately, the students will eventually find out this is a math textbook, so introducing all of that fluff is a wasted effort.
Perhaps the worst Math Book ever "Written"
In my home state of Tennessee, this is the text that unsuspecting school kids must decipher.It should have been easy - it's structure (and I use the term loosely) broadly resembles MTV with its numerous subjects per page, chats about unrelated subjects, some of the worst use of the English language ever and a colorful, multi-font, in-your-face appearance.There's pictures and graphs and arrows and charts and big text and small text and cartoons...Yet it cannot be understood much less absorbed - at least by anyone looking for something rational.
Absolutely Horrid! Avoid like the plague!
I am taking an honors level geometry course at my high school, and this, unfortunately, is the text that we have been given. It's absolutely rubbish. The lessons don't really teach the concepts, they just show some examples, which are hard to comprehend without actually knowing the topic that they're trying to teach/demonstrate/show-off/whatever. Furthermore, the problems at the end of the lessons/chapters clearly assume knowledge beyond the scope of what was taught in the book (leaving holes for the teacher to fill in, I suppose). This book is bad, really bad, and I cannot stress this point enough.
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Subjects:  1. Children's All Ages - Mathematics    2. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)    3. Geometry - General    4. Juvenile Nonfiction    5. Mathematics    6. Mathematics - Geometry    7. Mathematics / Geometry / General   

Reviews (8)

This book is a BLAST!
My kids love this book!They range in age from an 11 yr old girl to a 3 yr old boy and they all enjoy it! My son loves the story and the knights and adventure.And, he is learning something in the process.My older kids enjoy the story also but on a different level and it also reinforces what they have already learned!What a great concept!I can't wait for more to come out!We already own all 4!

Great for Middle School kids
I have use this book in my middle school classroom.The kids enjoy it.Yes, it is silly but heck so are middle school kids!Since reading the book and discussing it, the kids have a much better understanding of what pi really is, instead of just saying about 3.14.

Discovering PI in a mid evil kind of way.
Radius has to discover PI in order to save his father, Sir cumference from the evil curse of the fire breathing Dragon. I read this book to a fourth grade class and they really got a kick out of it.They wanted to learn pie along with Radius through his adventures to conquer the curse.This is a creative way to introduce a math lesson to children.There is even places to stop and let the kids try a couple problems.The activities include measuring and dividing.Teachers this is a must have. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals - Mythical    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    3. Children: Grades 1-2    4. Circle    5. Concepts - General    6. Geometry    7. Juvenile Fiction    8. Juvenile Fiction / Science & Technology    9. Juvenile literature    10. Royalty (kingsqueensprincesprincessesknightsetc.)    11. Science & Technology - Mathematics    12. Science & Technology   

Reviews (3)

Warning for those living outside the US of A
This is a great book. It has lots of word problems and the strategies to solve them rather than just learning by rote.
"Awesome"
I walked into my son's room and my mouth dropped open.My son was reading his Primary Grade Challenge Math Book ON HIS OWN. When I asked him how he liked the book he replied, "It's awesome!"Later he found me to tell me about about a problem he had just solved. He had such a proud look on his face.I have never seen my child so excited about learning math.What a great idea to write a math book that actually makes learning math fun! I can't wait to get my hands on the author's other books.

"Awesome"
I walked into my son's room the other night and my mouth about hit the floor.He was reading and doing problems in his Primary Grade Challenge Math Book ON HIS OWN.I asked him if he liked the book to which he replied, "It's Awesome!"Later he came to me to tell me about one of the problems he had figured out.He had such a proud look on his face!This was the first time I have seen my child so excited about math. What a great idea the author had to write a book that actually made learning math fun!I can't wait to get my hands on his other books. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Arithmetic    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    3. Education    4. General    5. Mathematics    6. Study & Teaching   

Reviews (1)

This book is a wonderful teaching tool!!
This book is a great teaching tool.I teach kindergarten and have really enjoyed the activities enclosed in it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children: Grades 3-4    2. Concepts - Counting & Numbers    3. Education / Teaching    4. Elementary    5. Juvenile Nonfiction    6. Mathematics    7. Number concept    8. Study and teaching (Elementary    9. Study and teaching (Elementary)    10. Teaching Methods & Materials - Mathematics    11. Teaching Methods & Materials - Workbooks   

Reviews (9)

This is an all-time classic.Every home with kids in it should have one.
'Nuff said.
A lovely book on counting and factorials
This picture book is easy to read, and presents two math concepts:the first is counting to ten.The second is factorials:If there are three kingdoms in two countries on one island, then how many kingdoms are there altogether?
Terrific Teaching Tool
I read this book to a first grader and a fifth grader. The first grader immediately observed that with the turn of each page, there was one more picture, i.e., mountains, kingdoms and villages, etc., ending up with 10 jars. The next concept of factorials was not as obvious, but he was curious about the multiplying dots. To the fifth grader, the concept of factorials was much more apparent and he found the pattern easily. This book helps with multiplying skills as well as the mathematical concept of factorials. Also, there is further explanation as to the concept of factorials at the end of the book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    2. Children: Grades 1-2    3. Factorials    4. General    5. Juvenile Fiction    6. Juvenile literature    7. Mathematics    8. Mathematics - Arithmetic    9. Juvenile Fiction / Concepts / General   

Reviews (1)

Suffering from pre-algebra anxiety? I prescribe Dr.Math
Dr. Math Gets You Ready for Algebra contains answers to some pithy questions. Read more

Subjects:  1. Algebra    2. Algebra - General    3. Children's Books/Young Adult Misc. Nonfiction    4. Mathematics    5. Mathematics - Algebra    6. Science/Mathematics    7. Study Aids - Mathematics    8. Juvenile Nonfiction / Mathematics / Algebra   

Reviews (1)

Great for the 5th grade
I used this book while teaching my child at home.The graphics are helpful and the problems unique.The explanations were thorough.I would highly recommend it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children: Grades 4-6    2. Juvenile Nonfiction    3. Mathematics - General    4. Mathematics   

Reviews (2)

First Year Teacher
I am a first year Algebra teacher and I am so happy with this book. It has activities that are enjoyable and real world. It saves me time, which is so important

A Real Lifesaver
I am a first year math teacher and I bought this book during my first semester.I wouldn't call this an Activity book with Real-World Applications.It's really a book of 150 very good worksheets.I give my students a worksheet from this book when I want them to review concepts I have already taught or for extra credit. It is a lot better than a boring practice worksheet. I recommend this book for every algebra teacher who wants to give their students a fun worksheet review to back up their lessons.It has really come in handy! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Activity programs    2. Algebra    3. Education    4. Education / Teaching    5. Elementary    6. Secondary    7. Study and teaching (Secondary)    8. Teaching Methods & Materials - Mathematics    9. Education / Teaching Methods & Materials / Mathematics    10. Teaching of a specific subject   

Reviews (6)

Pima Community College- Student Review
I read this book to my sister's kids (ages 4-8) and they all really enjoyed it.They had a lot of fun with the story (and didn't even know they were learning).This book is great for kids.

Area, perimeter, and multiplication for all!
I am a student at the University of Arizona South, majoring in elementary education. I recently read this book to a class of 3rd grade students. The children anjoyed watching as the guests arrived at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Comfort and re-arranged the tables and chairs each time someone else showed up. They also enjoyed the fact that only Mr. and Mrs. Comfort's names were given and everyone else was referred to by their relation to the hosts, "Mrs. Comfort's brother's daughter's twin sons". The children loved the chaos as more and more people arrived and fewer and fewer place settings were left available, while "extra" chairs piled up in the periphery. Every student was engaged in the book because each and every one of them knew what Mrs. Comfort knew, that without a seating arrangement of eight seperate tables each seating four people, there would not be enough room for everyone to sit down. And by the end of the book, they found out they were right! The extensions available at the end of the story increase the possible learning to be attained, illustrating how to actively engage the children in hands-on activities to learn about area, perimeter, multiplication and division. Children can find out how many seats are available for each table formation in the book. They can also determine how many meatballs everyone can eat. This is a lively and interesting tale that evolves into spirited and animated discussions involving mathematical concepts. The children had a wonderful time listening to the story, then engaging and actively participating with their eight squares and 32 paper clips (tables and chairs) as we went through the story page by page with them arranging and re-arranging the seating. It was fantastic to see them so happily involved with LEARNING MATH!

A Hands on Book for the Creative Minded
I just used this book to teach my daughter (8) and son (5) the same exact lesson on two different cognitive levels. Late last night, I sat down with a paint program and drew two diagrams just like Mrs. Comfort's. I folded and cut a piece of paper into eight squares of approximately the same size. I used multicolored paper clips as chairs. Tonight, we had so much fun that we spent almost five minutes per page, counting guests as they arrived, counting chairs as they dissapeared and reappeared from around the table perimeters and following the detailed chaos as garlic bread, salads, vases and pasta flew around the room. I have one question. Did Mrs. Comfort get the last meatball? ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 4-8 - Fiction - General    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    3. Children: Grades 2-3    4. Concepts - Counting & Numbers    5. Concepts - Size & Shape    6. Family reunions    7. Fiction    8. Juvenile Fiction    9. Mathematics    10. Science & Technology - Mathematics   

Reviews (13)

Fun alphabet book
I bought this book for my 3 year old daughter and 4 year old son after I saw their older cousins all clamoring for it at a relatives house.My daughter has not shown a lot of interest in learning her letters thus far so I have been looking for something fun that would teach her without her knowing it.
Chicka Chicka....ya ya ya!!!
Our 2 year old loves this book!We bought this with Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.She already knows how to count to 10 but this book is great for learning to count to 100!!!She thumbs through it now without it being read to her and looks at all the numbers.I highly recommend this book!

Even Better than Chicka, Chicka, Boom Boom!
My first-grader loves this book! He had read Chicka, Chicka Boom Boom in kindergarten, so it was nice to find a book one step up in sophistication, which Chicka, Chicka, 1, 2, 3 is.
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Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    2. Children: Kindergarten    3. Concepts - Counting & Numbers    4. Counting    5. Juvenile Nonfiction    6. Mathematics - Arithmetic    7. Stories in rhyme    8. Juvenile Fiction / Concepts / Counting   

Subjects:  1. Education    2. Education / Teaching    3. Elementary    4. Arithmetic    5. Education / Elementary    6. Teaching of a specific subject   

Reviews (3)

A book without many faults
Despite what Don Snyder says in his review, I've found the book to be well-written and informative for the most part. Geometry has always been and still is my favorite element of math and I enjoyed taking my high school course with this textbook. Thanks to one of the teachers at my alma mater I now have a copy of this book that was left in the computer lab.
An example of how NOT to teach math!
Postulates, theorems, constructions: it seems that the authors do not know the difference. In this book postulates are presented as statements of fact, and used to "Prove" theorems. In chapter one, the Pythagorean Theorem is used in proofs BEFORE it is, itself proven. This is the best introductory level geometry book out there!
I used this book in my highschool Geometry class after using another popular Geometry textbook at another school. This book is the best one for students of all abilities - each lesson centers around a different aspect of a uniting theme (Chapter 1 - Circles, etc) using photographs, graphs, activities and simple, but thorough explanations. After easily helping you master the basics, each lesson then includes an advanced section for more able students which explores the subject more deeply. The best book out there! I recommend any math book from this publisher! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    2. Juvenile Nonfiction    3. Mathematics - Geometry   

Subjects:  1. Children: Grades 4-6    2. Juvenile Nonfiction    3. Mathematics - General   

Subjects:  1. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    2. Juvenile Nonfiction    3. Mathematics - Geometry   

Subjects:  1. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    2. Juvenile Nonfiction    3. Mathematics - General   

Reviews (1)

This is One of the Best Math Textbooks I Have Ever Had!
I really enjoyed this textbook.The authors of this book really did a good job making you enjoy math.I used to hate math, but this book was anexception.They greatly explain theorems and other things so you won't getconfused.One way I liked this book was its many math related photos. Also if you are confused on a lesson they have answers in the back in thebook to help you to check your work or give you answers to things you arestruggling in.They also have in class lessons so you can understand theconcepts you are about to learn in the lesson and homework.They alsogreatly explain how to do proofs, and everything that involves trianglesand trionometry to statistics and functions.They give you reviews andself-tests with all the answers in the back of the book so you can masterthe information you have just learned in the chapter.Also, I recommendthis to anyone who loves math, anyone who is ok or great in math, or anyonewho justs wants to learn trigonometry.Finally, all the teachers I haveever had me use UCSMP this book have always loved the books, the materialthat the studnets grasp easily, and the benefits that the book gives overother textbooks. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children: Grades 4-6    2. Juvenile Nonfiction    3. Mathematics - General