Fascinating facts about baby pandas combined with a math lesson make this ideal for parents and teachers alike. Right-hand pages tell about the births and growth of Hua Mei and Mei Sheng, panda cubs at the San Diego Zoo. Left-hand pages zero in on one of the facts presented and turn it into a subtraction problem. Graphs, number lines, calendars and place-value charts present the problems visually. Nagda explains several different methods for solving subtraction problems: regrouping, subtracting each place value, thinking about doubles and adding up. While she explains these methods well, children will need additional support. Throughout, readers are encouraged to get to a “friendly” number (10, 100, etc.) to make the problem easier to solve—adding the same amount to both numbers keeps the difference the same. Even the least enthusiastic of math students will find something of interest, from how much the pandas eat, sleep, poop and weigh, to how long they will live. Adorable photos of the cubs support the text. A great text for elementary teachers and parents to share with their young mathematicians. (Nonfiction. 6-10)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-8050-7644-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2005
Sloat collaborates with Huffman, a Yu’pik storyteller, to infuse a traditional “origins” tale with the joy of creating. Hearing the old women of her village grumble that they have only tasteless crowberries for the fall feast’s akutaq—described as “Eskimo ice cream,” though the recipe at the end includes mixing in shredded fish and lard—young Anana carefully fashions three dolls, then sings and dances them to life. Away they bound, to cover the hills with cranberries, blueberries, and salmonberries. Sloat dresses her smiling figures in mixes of furs and brightly patterned garb, and sends them tumbling exuberantly through grassy tundra scenes as wildlife large and small gathers to look on. Despite obtrusively inserted pronunciations for Yu’pik words in the text, young readers will be captivated by the action, and by Anana’s infectious delight. (Picture book/folktale. 6-8)
Pub Date: June 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-88240-575-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2004
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
At ``Step 2'' in the useful ``Step into Reading'' series: an admirably clear, well-balanced presentation that centers on wolves' habits and pack structure. Milton also addresses their endangered status, as well as their place in fantasy, folklore, and the popular imagination. Attractive realistic watercolors on almost every page. Top-notch: concise, but remarkably extensive in its coverage. A real bargain. (Nonfiction/Easy reader. 6-10)
Pub Date: April 1, 1992
ISBN: 0-679-91052-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1992
BOOK REVIEW
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