Little Numbers: And Pictures That Just Show Just How Little They Are

Gr 3-5-This title focuses on numbers smaller than one. Using a seismosaurus dinosaur as the main example, the book chronicles the animal's gradual demise in size as it is shrunk from over 130 feet long down to one trillionth of its size. "A seismosaurus shrunk to a tenth of its size fits nicely in the front yard," while "A seismosaurus shrunk to a hundred-thousandth of its size is as small as the dot at the end of this sentence." Additional examples and scientific facts given throughout the book can be slightly distracting and/or confusing at times. The cartoon-style color illustrations add visual interest to the math presented, and can be used to further clarify the concept of fractions. This book would be best used as an addition to a lesson on little numbers.

Lisa Gangemi Krapp, Middle Country Public Library, Centereach, NY

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

A companion volume to Big Numbers, the math concept book Little Numbers by Edward Packard, illus. by Salvatore Murdocca, explores the world of fractions. "We'll start big with the number 1," kicks off the proceedings with a single seismosaurus on the front lawn. Things quickly diminish from there, as each turn of the page finds the critter shrinking to 1/10th of its size, then 1/100th, all the way down to one trillionth. Murdocca's cartoon illustrations allow for more information and comic asides.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.