Mathstart Animals On Board Level 2

Ride along with trucker Jill and her dog as they add up the animals zooming by. But these are no ordinary animals, and they're bound for a surprise destination!Ride along with trucker Jill and her dog as they add up the animals passing by on other trucks. But these are no ordinary animals, and theyre bound for a surprise destination! Lively illustrations by R.W. Alley make adding truckloads of fun. Editorial Reviews From School Library Journal PreSchool-Grade 2-This picture book tells a story and reinforces the concept of addition. The lively watercolor illustrations serve both missions well. While on the road, a female truck driver and a dog are passed by many other vehicles loaded with various animals. As their journey advances so do the math problems, going from the simple "3 + 2 = 5" to the final "9 + 0 = 9." However, there is no logical progression in the examples provided; why does "6 + 1 = 7" follow "3 + 2 = 5?" The text is told in rhyme, which adds to the sense of movement but it is rather singsong. All of the characters end up at a carousel (made from the drivers' freight) and the final illustrations capture their joy and excitement. The book ends with a two-page spread of suggested activities for kids and adults. The "Level 2" designation suggests that this is designed for ages 6 and up but the simplicity of the story and rhyme as well as the juvenile nature of the illustrations would be more appealing to a younger audience. Edith Ching, St. Albans School, Mt. St. Alban, Washington, DC Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Booklist From the MathStart series, this story in rhyme lays out five simple addition problems. A truck driver, Jill, watches as a series of trucks--all pulling different animals--pass her by. The math gets worked into the story as Jill adds, for example, the six swans on one truck to the one swan on a second truck (6+1=7 is imbedded in the text). Using this pattern, the reader is able to practice addition while guessing the trucks' final destination. The last line of the story reads "Can you find 5 tigers, 7 swans, 8 frogs, 10 horses, and 9 pandas?" , and Alley's watercolor shows a giant carousel. Two pages of activities are appended, but an obvious omission is asking children to calculate the total number of animals on the carousel. Kathy Broderick --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.