Chimp Math: Learning about Time from a Baby Chimpanzee [Hardcover]

Ann Whitehead Nagda (Author), Cindy Bickel (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up

Learn about different ways to measure time by following the growth of a baby chimp

Late one night, a tiny chimpanzee is born at a zoo in Kansas. He seems very weak, and the staff is worried. Will he survive? When the mother shows no interest in her baby, a pediatrician comes in to care for the little chimp. The baby grows strong and healthy, and soon he is big enough to be moved to the Denver Zoo. He is named Jiggs after the doctor who saved him.

Jiggs is a lot like human babies. He wears diapers. He plays with his toys. He loves his pets. And he learns all kinds of new skills as he gets older.

Follow Jiggs as he grows from a wobbly infant to a wild and wonderful toddler. Along the way you can learn about clocks, calendars, time lines, and other ways of keeping time records.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-5-Frail and ignored by his mother, baby Jiggs is kept in an incubator at the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, KS, and then moved to the Denver Zoo, where he is raised by veterinary assistant and coauthor Bickel. The details of the chimp's young life will fascinate readers. His funny and touching relationships with Bickel's dog, his ability to communicate, and his playful nature are well documented via clear, full-color photos. The book is set up so that one can read the text on the right-hand pages and simply learn Jiggs's story. The left-hand pages offer explanations of the time lines, charts, clocks, and calendars that were used to measure and record the animal's growth and development, and teachers will be able to use them to enhance math units. The time lines, in particular, illuminate the narrative and can lead to classroom projects. Youngsters will smile all the way through this engaging story that has many practical applications as well.
Ellen Heath, Orchard School, Ridgewood, NJ
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 2-5. Born in the Wichita zoo and then abandoned by his mother, chimp Jiggs was raised by humans. This engaging account follows him from infant to toddler, using specifics of his growth and development to introduce time measurement devices such as clocks, calendars, time lines, and charts. The right-hand pages relate Jiggs' experiences and escapades in descriptive, lively prose accompanied by heartwarming, often humorous color photos; the left-hand pages introduce different timekeeping methods, charting information about Jiggs' daily activities or skills as compared with those of wild chimps. Most of the concepts are effectively conveyed, though one or two, such as the age/weight graph, may confuse, as the visual doesn't clearly reflect the explanation. The cute photos and Jiggs' story will win an audience, though, and children will still come away with some sense of how timekeeping can be of use and some of the ways it's done. Shelle Rosenfeld
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); 1st edition (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805066748
• ISBN-13: 978-0805066746
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #495,493 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars cute story, February 11, 2004

By 

Melissa Sack (georgia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chimp Math: Learning about Time from a Baby Chimpanzee (Hardcover)

Chimp Math is a story of a baby chimp who was born at the zoo and his mother would not take care of him. Human doctors took over and the book shows photographs of the chimp named Jiggs as he grows. As the story unfolds it features pages showing clocks, calendars, time lines and other ways of keeping time records based on Jiggs growth and development.

I liked the full color photographs of Jiggs. Hes funny. He does lots of things that real babies do like wear diapers, play with toys and crawls.

I would recommed this to kids who enjoy stories about monkeys because this one is really neat.