Graphs

School Library Journal

Gr 1-3-Two flawed titles based on the California State Math Standards. With lots of color photos and simple texts, these books are easy to read. Both feature Math Mutt, a cartoon math-hound mascot. In Fractions, he states: "a fraction must have equal parts," which is misleading to say the least. The second book asks readers to sort, count, and graph a photo of a plate of fruit containing one banana, three pears, five apples, and four oranges. The completed graph on the next page shows two bananas, five pears, three apples and four oranges. Both books list key words with no definitions. With such glaring faults, these titles are not worthy of purchase. Bruce McMillan's Eating Fractions (Scholastic, 1991) and Stuart J. Murphy's Lemonade for Sale (HarperCollins, 1998) are far better selections.-Karen Land, Greenport Public School, NY Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.