The Animals Would Not Sleep!

by Sara Levine, Marta Alvarez Miguens (Illustrator)

Overview

Celebrate diversity, math, and the power of storytelling!

It's bedtime for Marco and his stuffed animals, but the animals have other ideas. When Marco tries to put them away, they fly, swim, and slither right out of their bins! Can Marco sort the animals so everyone is happy? A playful exploration of sorting and classifying that combines math with empathy. The perfect bedtime book, featuring Latinx characters and a note about scientific classification.

Storytelling Math celebrates children using math in their daily adventures as they play, build, and discover the world around them. Joyful stories and hands-on activities make it easy for kids and their grown-ups to explore everyday math together. Developed in collaboration with math experts at STEM education nonprofit TERC, under a grant from the Heising-Simons Foundation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781623541286
Publisher:	Charlesbridge
Publication date:	10/13/2020
Series:	Storytelling Math Series , #2
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	383,838
Product dimensions:	9.70(w) x 9.70(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD540L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 6 Years

About the Author

Sara Levine is a veterinarian, author, and educator who loves animals, books, and books about animals. Her picture books include Flower Talk, Bone by Bone, Fossil by Fossil, and Tooth by Tooth, which received the AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books and was recognized by Bank Street College as a Best Children's Book of the Year.

Marta Álvarez Miguéns is a self-taught illustrator who lives in Spain. She has illustrated many books, including Dinosaur Lady and Shark Lady, which was named a Best Children's Book of the Year by Parents magazine and one of Twelve Books for Feminist Boys and Girls by the New York Times. www.martalvarez.com

Editorial Reviews

2020-09-01
Children are introduced to the concepts of sorting and classifying in this bedtime story.

It is getting close to bedtime, and Marco’s mother asks him to put his toys away. Marco—who thinks of himself as a scientist—corrects her: “You mean time to sort the animals.” And that’s what he proceeds to do. Marco sorts his animals into three baskets labeled “Flying Animals,” “Swimming Animals,” and “Animals That Move on Land,” but the animals will not sleep. So he sorts them by color: “Mostly Brown,” “Black and White,” and “Colors of the Rainbow,” but Zebra is upset to be separated from Giraffe. Next, Marco sorts his animals by size: “Small,” “Medium,” and “Large,” but the big animals are cramped and the small ones feel cold. Finally, Marco ranges them around his bed from biggest to smallest, thus providing them with space to move and helping them to feel safe. Everyone satisfied, they all go to sleep. While the plot is flimsy, the general idea that organizing and classifying can be accomplished in many different ways is clear. Young children are also presented with the concept that different classifications can lead to different results. The illustrations, while static, keep the focus clearly on the sorting taking place. Marco and his mother have brown skin. The backmatter includes an explanation of sorting in science and ideas for further activities.

Nothing riveting but serviceable enough. (Math picture book. 3-5)

Kirkus Reviews