KITTEN MATH 2

Longtime educator Pearson uses kittens to demonstrate various math concepts in a book designed for kids aged 8 to 12.

This offbeat workbook opens with the idea that you, the reader, have successfully pleaded with your parents for a pair of kittens. Now, you’ll need your math skills for what comes next: bringing the kittens home from the shelter, buying food and toys, and even starting a club for other kitten lovers. As Pearson notes, “Kittens are the BEST way to learn math!” The book notes that the reader should know three things before getting started: “You are not SUPPOSED to be good at all the math in this book,” you can take your time to figure out problems, and you should remember that making mistakes is an important part of the learning process. Pearson covers a lot of concepts beyond simple addition and multiplication, including integers, decimals, fractions, percents, calculating elapsed time and averages, coordinating pairs, budgeting, converting measurements, reading Venn diagrams, and more. All use practical applications as examples, such as a problem that determines how much dewormer to administer to a kitten based on its weight. There are nearly a dozen hands-on activities, including simple board games to cut out and play, as well as an option to sign up online to receive monthly math and logic activities via email. The book serves as both a math instruction manual and a pet-care guide, offering a wealth of highly specific cat-related advice; however, it lacks sources for this information—the work’s only significant shortcoming. Pearson’s initial advice—to make mistakes and try again, and that not knowing how to do something is how you learn—sets a perfect tone for the book, which is engaging, supportive, and silly without drawing focus away from the math. And if all that wasn’t enough, there are lots of adorable kittens on every page—and “isn’t EVERYTHING more fun with kittens??”

Fun, practical, and extremely cute.