Kane Miller Books Archives -

This is Not a Math Book by Anna Weltman

October 15, 2015
goodreadswithronna
Activity Book, Activity Book, Arts & Crafts, Children's Book Reviews, Coloring & Activity Book, Doodling Book, Education & Reference, Juvenile Nonfiction, Math as Art

THIS IS NOT A MATH BOOK: A Smart Art Activity Book
by Anna Weltman
(Kane Miller; $14.99, Ages 8 and up)

If you have a doodler, or a kid who likes geometrical shapes and patterns, then This is Not a Math Book is for you! There are over 30 fun and creative drawing activities that just so happen to have a subtle math spin. With a few drawing and math tools in tow, kids’ll be set to choose an activity. I can see this book coming in handy for the classroom or for homeschoolers. You can learn to make tessellations or fractals, and see how neat it is to create drawings with lots of circles and triangles.

5051loop-de-loopactivity — Interior artwork from This is Not a Math Book by Anna Weltman, Kane Miller Books ©2015.

Loop-de-loopPM — Interior artwork from This is Not a Math Book by Anna Weltman, Kane Miller Books ©2015.

I decided to try my hand at a little tessellation and I really enjoyed inventing a creature to match my shape. This book makes math entertaining and gives ample creation decisions to the reader.

TessellationThisisNotaMathBook — Sample of Transformers activity from Kane Miller Books’ This is Not a Math Book completed & photographed by reviewer Lucy Ravitch ©2015.

Even as an adult I found the book fascinating. I also watched my kids spending a good amount of time on their creations, intent on making them just right. The instructions were easy to follow and could be used by most kids ages 8 and up. It’s helpful, too, that there’s a handy Table of Contents and Glossary if you’re looking for a particular activity.

Kudos to Weltman for coming up with this unique, hands-on math/drawing activity book that is sure to be a hit with children and parents alike.

Reviewed by Lucy Ravitch

Lucy Ravitch is the blogger behind KidsMathTeacher.com and author of The Pancake Menu: What will you order? An interactive book that lets kids practice math as they play restaurant, with free printable order sheets and play money on KidsMenuBooks.com. Lucy loves everything that makes math fun, and enjoys crafting and cooking books as well. She has a degree in Elementary Education and lives in Southern California with her family and cute, crazy dog.

Socks! by Tania Sohn

August 7, 2014
goodreadswithronna
Ages 2-5, Children's Book Reviews, Clothing & Dress, Imagination & Play, Juvenile Fiction, Pre-school Learning & Fun, Socks

Socks! by Tania Sohn is reviewed by Rita Zobayan.

0006135_socks_300 Colorful socks are for more than just keeping tootsies warm. A young girl and her adorable kitty explore what they can do with an armful of socks in Tania Sohn’s picture book, Socks! (Kane Miller EDC Publishing, 2014, $9.99, ages 2-5).

The striped socks inspire the girl to dress up like a witch and the green socks are an opportunity to hop like a frog. Knee socks are the perfect length to imitate an elephant’s trunk. What’s in the package? Special socks called beoseon that Grandma sent from Korea.

Simple in its language and concept, Socks! is a guide to seeing these everyday accessories as more than mere footwear. With a little imagination, a child can transform these foot warmers into puppets or even use them as an opportunity to become a super hero.

Socks are fun. Socks are colorful. We love socks!

Dare to Dream … Change the World Contest

Recently, when I attended the Flintridge Bookstore and Coffeehouse Mother Daughter Book Party I met many wonderful local authors and found out about lots more fantastic kids’ books.

I also found out that there’s an Annual Writing Contest for Kids from Kane Miller Books inspired by their award-winning poetry collection Dare to Dream … Change the World ($15.99, Kane Miller, edited by Jill Corcoran with illustrations by J. Beth Jepson). What a thrill it was for me to have met several contributing authors and to now be able to spread the good word! So, parents, teachers, friends, please share this info with the budding poets in your life. Learn more by going now to www.daretodreamchangetheworld.com and while you’re there you can also buy a copy of this inspiring book about “people who invented something, stood for something, said something, defied the naysayers and not only changed their own lives, but also the lives of people all over the world.”

This contest’s deadline is April 30, 2013 so don’t wait until the last minute to enter.

The winner will receive $1500 worth of books for a school library of choice and if that’s not exciting enough, the top 30 entries will be published as an e-book!

CONTEST DETAILS

WHO: For students in 3rd through 8th grade.

WHAT: Following the format of the book, students will write a biographical poem and non-fiction paragraph about someone who not only dreamed, but took action and made the world better.

Find out how to enter along with the official rules at www.daretodreamchangetheworld.com

GOOD LUCK!!