3 Little Firefighters: Sorting (MathStart 1 Series)

by Stuart J. Murphy, Bernice Lum (Illustrator)

Overview

“Kids, young and old, fall in love with math when they see how real-life and effortless it becomes thanks to these books.” —Kimberly D. Mueller, Ed.D., First Grade Teacher, Ashbrook School, Lumberton NJ

3 Little Firefighters is perfect for teaching sorting to pre-K through kindergartners. Three firefighters scramble to find 3 sets of matching buttons before the big parade starts. 

Kids will love the story and the illustrations by Bernice Lum. Parents and educators will love how the story and pictures make understanding the math concepts a breeze—as well as the concrete examples of how math works. The book contains activities for adults to do with kids to extend math into their own lives.

Math skills are life skills, and the MathStart series supports success!

• This award-winning series by Stuart J. Murphy teaches math through stories and visual models
• 63 books divided into three levels with 21 books in each
• Fun activities kids will love are included to help parents and teachers emphasize the lessons
• Engaging and relatable stories, with each story revolving around practical applications of the math concept presented
• Lively art from top-notch illustrators
• Charts and other visual representations help children understand how the math works and promote deeper comprehension

MathStart's unique combination of stories, illustrations, and visual models helps teachers and parents in the teaching of math and provides all children with the opportunity to succeed.

The math concepts taught in MathStart books conform to state and national standards. Level 1 is Pre-K–Kindergarten; Level 2 is Grades 1–3; Level 3 is Grades 2–4. The series follows math topics across grades so there is a foundational path to learning that runs through the levels.

Help kids with their math skills plus their reading skills with the engaging and fun MathStart series!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780060001209
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	08/14/2003
Series:	MathStart 1 Series
Edition description:	1ST
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	127,790
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.00(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

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.

Editorial Reviews

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.

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