Perimeter, Area, and Volume: A Monster Book of Dimensions

by David A. Adler, Edward Miller (Illustrator)

Overview

Grab your jumbo popcorn—you're invited to the premiere of a 3-D movie, all about those three dimensions!

Trusted math picture book duo David A. Adler and Ed Miller tackle the differences between two- and three-dimensional objects in their signature bright and kid-friendly way. Explaining length, width, and height— and all the different ways we represent those figures— Adler shows how changing the dimensions of an object affects its size. . . . with some help from a cast of funny, friendly movie monsters.

Explaining key vocabulary in simple text and offering numerous concrete examples and sample math problems with included solutions, Perimeter, Area, and Volume is a perfect introduction to two- and three-dimensional geometry.  The star-studded cast of monsters will help you calculate the perimeter of the set, the area of the movie screen, and the volume of your box of popcorn.

Learning about dimensions has never been so entertaining!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780823427635
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	01/01/2013
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.31(w) x 9.94(h) x 0.13(d)
Lexile:	590L (what's this?)
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

David A. Adler taught math for eight years. In that time he learned many things from his students — including the fact that they thought fractions were hard. So he decided to prove that learning how to work with fractions is not only easy, but also fun! He lives with his family on Long Island. You can learn more about him at www. davidaadler.com.

Edward Miller loves to make concepts clear to kids and has demonstrated that in his previous nonfiction books. School Library Journal praised his Alphabeep: A Zipping, Zooming ABC by Debora Pearson as "stunningly illustrated." He lives in New York City. You can visit his website at www.edmiller.com.

Editorial Reviews

"The explanations are clear and detailed. The bright, computer-enhanced illustrations will appeal to readers and also help to clarify the mathematical concepts. . . . An excellent supplement to reinforce these concepts."—School Library Journal

"The clear, well-focused text leaves plenty of room for imagination in the colorful, digitally rendered illustrations, where cheerful characters romp about, lightening the tone and making the lesson that much easier to absorb. An eye-catching introduction to dimensions."—Booklist

From the Publisher

The team behind numerous math-oriented books, including Mystery Math: A First Book of Algebra and Fun with Roman Numerals, turns to length, width, and depth using a cast of digitally rendered monsters that are starring in a 3-D movie, Monsters in the Neighborhood. Word problems prompt readers to find the dimensions of various objects, including the perimeter of two fences, the area of a rectangular movie screen, and the volume of a jumbo and large box of popcorn: “We call the amount a box holds, or the space anything with three dimensions takes up, its volume.” The movie-making elements feel unnecessary—the energetic monsters could easily carry the book on their own—but the math lessons are nonetheless delivered with clarity and enthusiasm. Ages 7–10. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

Gr 2–5—A colorful cast of monsters takes readers on a journey to a 3-D movie, and along the way they calculate the perimeter, area, and volume of a variety of objects. Adler lays the groundwork by defining terminology ("high," "tall," "long," etc.), before presenting how one does the calculations. The explanations are clear and detailed. The bright, computer-enhanced illustrations will appeal to readers and also help to clarify the mathematical concepts being discussed in a graphic manner. For example, on one page a monster holds two rulers showing the dimensions of the page of the book as 8" by 10". In addition, word problems that are presented in the text are accompanied by images and equations appearing in the illustrations. An excellent supplement to reinforce these concepts.—Maren Ostergard, King County Library System, Issaquah, WA

School Library Journal

Adler's workmanlike introduction to the three titular geometric concepts is straightforwardly instructive and without much whimsy, but Miller's lively accompanying artwork adds interest in the form a busy motley group of monsters engaged in cinematic pursuits. Concepts are introduced in brisk succession: First, the various names given to dimensions of three-dimensional objects are introduced; then circumference (and its attendant dependence on pi) quickly follows perimeter; area and volume come speeding along. Direct address is partly successful--readers are invited to help measure the perimeter of the monsters' yard and to figure out the area of a movie screen, for instance. But then there's this kind of confounding text: "Look at the posters outside the movie theater…. Do the monsters in the posters look real?" Well, no--but the fact that they don't isn't just because the posters show pictures of the characters in the story. It's because they are monsters, after all, and readers are seeing them in a two-dimensional picture-book illustration. The quick verbal and visual treatment of these concepts can appeal to math-oriented minds among preschool or primary-grade learners, but this effort misses the opportunity for an engagingly creative lure for the less math-minded. As an introduction to geometry it lacks important depth, simplicity and clarity in its visual approach. (Informational picture book. 6-10)

Kirkus Reviews