Peg + Cat: The Race Car Problem
PEG + CAT: THE RACE CAR PROBLEM
by Jennifer Oxley + Billy Aronson
(Candlewick Entertainment; $12.99, Ages 3-7)
My kids have only seen one or two episodes of the PBS show, Peg + Cat, but you don’t need to have seen episodes to like the picture book, Peg + Cat: The Race Car Problem! It’s a fun, creative story of Peg and Cat as they build a race car for a twenty lap race to compete with three other groups for the golden cup. There are several math related situations, such as which shape will roll the best, or what number lap they are on and is that less than the competition.
At the beginning of the story Peg and Cat are at a junk yard to make their race car for the big race. They put it together with a metal cylinder and some boxes and circle items for wheels (although when one wheel falls off they quickly realize that a square replacement wouldn’t roll).
This story reminds me of how fun it is to create objects and items from “junk.” This past June my family attended the local high school’s “Day of Making” which supported STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) education and there was a non-profit called Trash 4 Teaching which had a creation station. My kids spent almost an hour or more making various creations with hot glue and all these cool industrial product left-overs. I wish I had a picture!
I loved the fun illustrations with the graph paper background. Even the way they numbered the pages was fun (see photo – right)! The message that you should never give up was a good one in addition to all the numbers and problem solving. It’s also sure to bring a laugh to adults as they read the book aloud to their young kids (especially the part about the teens’ car and how they handle the race).
Overall, in Peg + Cat: The Race Car Problem, Peg and Cat have great personalities that shine through and help them persevere and win the race (even when car trouble crept up). This book will be a great addition to kids’ libraries for many years!
Click here to download an activity kit.
- Reviewed by Lucy Ravitch
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