CALCULATOR FUN

For kids who have to be told about the ""on"" switch and the ""clear"" button and how to press two-digit additions, Adler starts with these square-one basics and goes on to some picture problems that are simply strings of camels, train cars, wagons, or whatever, with signs and numerals (7+6x2x4÷8-13=) printed on and between them. (A quibble: ""On your calculator, press the keys shown on the side of the train,"" read the directions--but there are no keys on the side of the train, just numerals.) There are also some fiddles combined with arithmetic problems (for example: ""It gets dirty keeping a baby clean. 356+462. Answer: 818 or BIB), a game for two players called ""calculator baseball,"" and a few similar diversions, all with breezy pictures of knights, wizards, astrokids, and such, which function chiefly to ensure that nobody takes this for homework. Well okay, it's a painless way to get acquainted with a calculator, and no more trivial than the games adults play with computer magazines.