Customer Reviews

Give Me Half! (MathStart 2)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is an accurate description of how children react to sharing. As the brother and sister learn to share the food each of them have, they are also learning about fractions. Each child is reminded by their parents to divide the pizza, juice, and cupcakes in half to share equally. The children's first instinct is to share unequally. The book introduces new terms (i.e. divide) and gives the reader a fun introduction to fractions and getting along with each other.

In theory the concept of helping children understand fractions at a basic level is great. I liked the visuals with a dividing line down on the pizza showing half, or dividing a package of 2 cupcakes. I also liked that the author included on some pages the math equations like 1/2 + 1/2 = 1.

What I really did not like is the tone and the words the children and the mom (whom you do not see) in the story use. They are not very respectful to each other. I looked past the title "Give me Half" hoping the rest of the book would not be that sassy but I was wrong. Things like "I know you want some pizza, sis...you only get one slice" then "you'd better give me more than that", later on "you'd better give me some". Doesn't sound so terrible when you are reading it to yourself but when you read it to children (in my case, 4 year old twins) it sounds really sassy and rude, even my children noticed it and commented about the rude words on almost every page.

I like this book as an introduction to fractions. I use it with my kindergarten students. They can all relate to having to share with siblings or friends..... and they love the food fight at the end of the story!

This is a great way to introduce fractions to grade school children. The book can be read to the whold class and then use some of the idea as hands on lessons.

Hello. I am an American, living in a town of about 3000 people in southwest Germany, raising a 3-3/4 year old daughter. Toward the end and after World War II, the people in Germany did not have enough to eat. Grandparents in Germany remember being hungry in their childhoods. To this day, food for humans is treated with respect and reverence here. It is not wasted, if at all possible. I borrowed this book from my friend to consider buying it for our daughter. There is no way that we can have it on our shelf here, as it devotes SIX PAGES to a FOOD FIGHT. Ok, the kids clean up the thrown pizza, cookies, cupcakes, (super nutrition, isn't it!) and "juice" in the end, but most of it gets thrown in the trash. Germans feel guilty when they throw food in the trash. Also, as another reviewer has already noted, the language and feelings between the brother and sister shown are also very unkind and disrespectful. This book devotes an entire THREE pages to anything mathematical. Choose another book by Stuart J. Murphy - Tally O'Malley is a great book!