THE BEST VACATION EVER
by Stuart J. Murphy & illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott
This entry in the MathStart series demonstrates that collecting data and tabulating results can help the decision- making process. A girl with an active, overscheduled family puts math to work to coordinate a family expedition. She uses charts to plot her family's preferences: Should they go far away or remain nearby? Go someplace warm or cold? Have fun or relax? Bring the cat or leave it at home? By tabulating the results the family discovers the majority favors a warm, local, cat-friendly, fun destination (that the family is a democracy is assumed, but then, the goal is math, not civics)—in other words, the backyard. Amiable watercolor illustrations accompany the clumsy rhymes: ``What about excitement?/We'd like some quiet and some rest./We have such a good time here/that a fun place would be best.'' Two pages of instructions are included for imagination-impaired adults (``Ask the child to answer the girl's questions: `How about you? Would you rather take a vacation somewhere warm or cool?' ''). Serviceable fare. (Picture book. 6-11)