General & Miscellaneous Basic Concepts, Mathematics & Measurement, Memory, Fiction - Occupations, Fiction - Basic Concepts, Counting

3 Little Firefighters

Name: 3 Little Firefighters
Author: Stuart J. Murphy, Bernice Lum
ISBN: 9780060001186

by Stuart J. Murphy, Bernice Lum

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Overview

We're missing all our buttons! Three firefighters scramble to find 3 sets of matching buttons before the big parade starts. A lively introduction to the simple math concept of sorting by attributes.

Three young firefighters must find matching sets of buttons to complete their costumes for a parade, but should they sort them by shape, color, or size?

About the Author, Stuart J. Murphy, Bernice Lum

Stuart J. Murphy is a visual learning specialist. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, he has a strong background in design and art direction. He also has extensive experience in the world of educational publishing. Drawing on all these talents, Stuart J. Murphy brings a unique perspective to the MathStart series. In MathStart books, pictures do more than tell stories; they teach math.

Stuart J. Murphy and his wife, Nancy, live in Boston.

Benice Lum was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario. She lived in London, England, working as a designer and a bicycle courier, before deciding to pursue a career in illustration. She has illustrated sixteen books, including The Knock-Out Story of David & Goliath and the Pippin and Mable series, and she now lives in her hometown of Toronto with her dog, Mack.

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Editorials

Children's Literature

Part of the popular "MathStart" series, this Level 1 picture book is aimed at the youngest mathematicians, and its aim is to teach sorting skills while enjoying a good story. Here, three little firefighters are getting ready for the big parade. But, uh-oh! Their firefighter coats are missing all the buttons. They search the firehouse and find 12 buttons, which they sort into three sets of four in various ways: by shape, size, color, and so forth-with some help from Ink Spot, the firehouse dog. Eventually, they come up with a set of buttons that will keep each of their coats closed and their belly buttons unexposed, just in time to join the parade. Kids will enjoy learning sorting skills while enjoying Bernice Lum's illustrations. The book includes additional learning activities that parents can use with the book as well as other sorting activities they can share with their child. 2003, HarperTrophy/HarperCollins Publishers, Ages 3 to 6.
— Dianne Ochiltree

School Library Journal

K-Gr 2-Written in uneven verse, this book tells of three young firefighters who cannot march in a parade because their jackets have no buttons. The children search through a group of them and sort them by their different attributes, eventually settling on sets of fasteners that are of a consistent size, but varying in shape and color. Although the cartoon artwork is colorful, the text is confusing. For example, when the three children discover their problem, they say, "Each coat will need four buttons." Then they say, "We found a bunch of buttons./But we've got to have four sets." With only three jackets, it seems that they would need only three sets. The various sorting processes are too jumbled together for young readers to easily distinguish among them. Mary Tomczyk's Shapes, Sizes & More Surprises (Williamson, 1995) is more on the mark, although it doesn't have a story line.-Lynda Ritterman, Atco Elementary School, Waterford, NJ Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.