Mathstart Safari Park Level 3

It's 4 tickets for the Treetop Coaster! Just 2 for the Elephant Twirl! five cousins each have 20 tickets to spend at Safari, and a little algebra will tell them how many rides they can try. But who will dare the death-defying Terrible Tarantula? Editorial Reviews From School Library Journal Grade 2-3-Safari Park has just opened, and Grandpa has 100 free tickets that he divides evenly among his five grandchildren. With rides and games costing one, two, four, or six tickets each and a treat costing one, careful planning and figuring are needed. Suddenly, Paul realizes that he has lost his tickets, so the others must share theirs with him. Each child's choices are discussed, with Paul being disappointed that he doesn't have enough for the Terrible Tarantula. When given a ticket for the Rock Toss, he carelessly participates in the game but wins 18 free tickets, and then, on a repeat try, gets 18 more. Now everyone can ride the expensive Tarantula. A two-page addendum suggests additional ways to use the book and its mathematical concepts. The colorful but slightly garish cartoon illustrations add humor to the necessary, but tedious, work of making choices within the restrictions of an allotted budget. Good for a math lesson or independent reading, but too detailed and involved for a read-aloud. Nancy A. Gifford, Schenectady County Public Library, NY Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Booklist Ages 6-9. From the MathStart series, this story begins with Grandpa taking his five grandchildren to the opening of Safari Park. Though each child starts out with 20 free tickets for rides, Paul promptly loses his. Grandpa decrees that each cousin must take Paul on a ride, which might take 2, 4, or 6 tickets. Other treats, such as food and games, cost 1 ticket. As they go through the day, intense mathematical calculations ensue as the kids figure out what they have spent, how much is left, and how they can spend it. The math is worked out visually on the pages, illustrated by lively, colorful ink-and-wash drawings. Younger children may enjoy this picture book as one of the few taking place at an amusement park; older students are more likely to take on the mathematical challenges presented. As Murphy notes in the two appended pages of complementary activities and suggested reading, this book offers experience in finding a missing element, "an important step in the development of algebraic thinking." Carolyn Phelan Copyright å© American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.