He was hungry for math, always ready to munch.
Math for his breakfast, math for his lunch.
He'd pig out on pie charts and bar graphs galore,
binge on skip-counting, and still ask for more.
Shapes — he discovered — were less filling fare.
He'd taste test a rhombus, sparing room for a square.
He'd devour the dollars atop his dessert,
then slurp on the coins he'd slopped on his shirt.
At night, in the dark, he'd gnaw on base ten,
toss back some clocks, and crunch numbers again.
Kari-Lynn Winters is an author, poet, and performer. She is Assistant Professor in the Department of Teacher Education at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario, where she teaches drama-in-education. She is the author of Buzz About Bees.
Lori Sherritt-Fleming is a natural and accomplished author, educator and performer. Her first picture book was aRHYTHMetic, published in 2009. She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Peggy Collins is the illustrator of In the Garden and Tooter's Stinky Wish. She lives with her family near Kingston, Ontario.
"Hungry for Math: Poems to Munch On is a whimsical children's picturebook of math-themed poetry. Wild-and-crazy color artwork vivaciously illustrates these zany ditties about counting, shapes, patterns, and more. . . A playful way to celebrate thinking about numbers, Hungry for Math is a welcome addition to school and library children's picturebook collections."
— Midwest Book Review
"Perfect for a read aloud or as part of a theme study."
— Canadian Teacher Magazine
"Back material contains a glossary of twelve math words that are referenced either directly or indirectly in the poems. Reading these poems (some of which are interactive) would be a good way to sneak some math into a day."
—Resource Links
"Math concepts are humourously and colourfully integrated into poetry for children. . . The math concepts and the poems are best suited for children age 5 to 9. Hungry for Math would be a good selection for home libraries where parents and guardians are looking for something different than traditional stories for their collections. My children were drawn to the book's vibrant and fun illustrations and wanted me to read the book to them right away. Hungry for Math would also make an excellent read-aloud or shared reading in the classroom setting. Teachers wanting to integrate Language Arts into Mathematics could pick and choose poems in the book as they teach a particular math concept. The poems are fun and catchy and would be excellent to reread several times over a unit of study in Mathematics.
Highly Recommended."
— CM Magazine
"Little ones will want to count the assortment of delectables, determine the banana leaves needed to cover the treasure and learn to skip count in 2s or 5s, especially with Peggy Collins' fun characters, human and non, to accompany them along the way. Kids won't even know they're learning. That adds up to a book full of promise."
— CanLit for LittleCanadians
"This book is highly recommended for its successful integration of important mathematics with fun, rhythmic language and attractive, educationally useful graphics."
— SB&F (Science Books & Films)
Part of Vancouver's 2016 Reading Lights program
Also available as an eBook in the following formats. Our web site is not set up to sell eBooks. Our eBooks are available at most major vendors:
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