April 15, 2019
Having tackled such hard-to-love topics as bees and spiders, Barton (Give Bees a Chance, 2017, etc.) here lobbies for the love of math. An unnamed, unseen math-phobic narrator opens by announcing that they're not alone, as "4 in 10 Americans hate math. That's like 40%," only to be hilariously interrupted by a three-eyed purple ET. "Did you just use math to explain how much you don't like it?" The ET proceeds to explain how math is everywhere and in everything we already love, including cookies (demonstrating that a recipe is in effect a word problem), music (explaining the time signature and notes on a staff), and pizza (measuring the pie using pi). Loose and lively illustrations and big, bold lettering take readers on a colorful tour of cool math history and concepts. But the narrator's critical questions go unanswered: How do you learn to love a problem like 785 x 5? And what to do with your frustration when you can't arrive at the "one right answer?" The ET suggests shaking the numbers off the page when they get too overwhelming--an entertaining but ultimately evasive strategy. Number lovers will enjoy this comic celebration. Although doubters may not be convinced that math is fun or approachable, they will be impressed with its ubiquity, and that's a start. (Informational picture book. 5-9)
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June 1, 2019
K-Gr 2-As an invisible narrator begins to express a distaste for math, a three-eyed purple alien arrives in a flying saucer to make a case for why math is important and helpful. Unconvinced, the narrator makes several attempts to love math but these efforts seem to prove that math is boring. All of these arguments are rebuffed by the alien, who shows that math is a crucial part of cooking, music, nature, and navigation. By the end of the book, both the narrator and the reader come to the realization that math is connected to many things that they enjoy, so maybe they already love it. This engaging volume is filled with colorful, splashy illustrations; two unique lettering styles are used to differentiate between the narrator's words and those spoken by the alien. Although it is not as much of a smash as Barton's I'm Trying to Love Spiders, this book offers ample opportunity for readers to interact with the text and have conversations with and about the narrator and the friendly, pro-math alien. VERDICT For early elementary students who are showing an aversion to mathematical concepts, Barton's characters might show them that real-life math applications exist in things that they already love.-Sarah Reid, Four County Library System, NY
Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
July 15, 2019
Barton’s droll follow-up to I’m Trying to Love Spiders begins with a clear-cut statement: “If you ask me, math is not very lovable.” Moreover, the narrator indicates, “4 in 10 Americans hate math.” At this, an adorable purple alien appears, asking a question—“Did you just use math to explain how much you don’t like it?”—that introduces the book’s conceit: wherever you go, there you math. And the alien is on to something—in loose pen-and-ink art, it describes the subject’s ability to bring people together, its contributions to music, navigation, and food. Math loathers may not be comforted as Barton shows the usefulness of both simple arithmetic and massive equations, but it becomes quite clear that the narrator and readers can’t help but run into the stuff (“Wait. Baking is just a bunch of math, isn’t it?”). A hilarious meta exploration of the ubiquity (like it or not) of mathematics. Ages 4–8.
June 1, 2019
Grades 1-3 For young readers who don't find math interesting comes this funny picture book about the wondrous ways in which math infuses our world. A friendly purple alien in a flying saucer points out the unexpected places where math can be found, from the strings on a guitar to cookie recipes. The many benefits of math are put on display as well: it helps us communicate, parse information globally, and get to where we need to go. Our clever alien friend explores the world of arithmetic (and beyond) through lively illustrations, making use of conversation bubbles as he communicates with an unnamed narrator, who represents the mathematically disinclined reader. Interactive elements are plentiful, through question-and-answer pages as well as moments where readers are instructed to shake the book in order to clear the glut of numbers that have covered the pages. Full of interesting and amazing facts and the many ways math is crucial in our everyday lives, this entertaining, vibrant text is sure to get young readers excited about the subject.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)