Sunday, April 12, 2009

The Life of Fred


Wow!  Can this really be a math book?
Yes, it is.  And it is an easy reading, self-teaching one at that!

Does your child have a quirky sense of humor?  If they have already mastered their multiplication and division facts, then Life of Fred, Fractions is the book for you!

This is a book that puts applied math into perspective.
Fred needs to know something.  It involves math.  We learn the math along with Fred.   Then the silly story continues!  I've heard some people call the book wordy (at first glance it doesn't really look like a math book at all.) But the wordiness tells the story and  it's the story that makes the math so real and causes the book to be engaging!  

The style of the book is engaging, as it uses different fonts to create a conversation between the author and the reader, and still another one to tell what Fred is thinking.

There is a lot of opportunity to practice the skills learned in the "your turn to play" section  and also in the "bridges."

We LOVE Fred!

Fractions is the first in a series of books that goes all the way to calculus and statistics.  The books are written by Stanley Schmidt, a Ph.D. who taught both high school and college math.  (Man, do I ever wish he had been one of my teachers!)

Check out Life of Fred.  It is available from the publisher, Polka Dot Publishing, for $19, shipping included!


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