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)
