The Great Math Tattle Battle [Hardcover]

Anne Bowen (Author), Jamie Zollars (Illustrator)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up

Harley Harrison is the best math student in second grade; he is also the biggest tattletale. Then Emma Jean arrrives. She is good at math too, but is also a tattletale. Soon they're using their math skills to tattle on each other every chance they get.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-3–Harley Harrison is a math whiz and a tattler. The second grader observes his classmates and then writes detailed reports filled with simple numerical evidence of their wrongdoings. The reports are shown in full-page illustrations that incorporate numbers, objects, and childlike printing: Erwin chewed the erasers off 8 pencils on Monday 3 pencils on Tuesday...=21 erasers. The adults deal with the boy's disclosures as his classmates complain. Then a new student arrives, and Harley finds his match. Emma Jean corrects his mistakes and begins to tattle in an oddly familiar manner, using calculations to prove her points. The two tell on one another until their teacher pairs them in a math challenge. After working separately and losing time, they cooperate, and the results are rewarding–extra time at recess. They inform their teacher that they will be too busy playing to write any more reports. The striking color cartoon art in soft pastel tones depicts children with expressive faces. The math is cleverly woven into the story and used effectively. Back matter includes a half-dozen Math Tattle Battle Teasers and their solutions. The book is a winning combination of math problems and a true-to-life story.–Erlene Bishop Killeen, Fox Prairie Elementary School, Stoughton, WI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 1-3. In this unabashedly numbers-driven tale, a second-grader with a habit for counting up his classmates' infractions and reporting them to the teacher gets his comeuppance from a new arrival, who not only tattles on him but also corrects his arithmetic. Zollars' illustrations alternate pages of notebook paper with accusatory tallies ("Erwin chewed the erasers off 8 pencils on Monday, 3 pencils on Tuesday . . .") with static scenes featuring multicultural groups^B of children and teachers. Closing with a reconciliation between the rivals and a half-dozen extra word problems, the episode may find a small number of readers among fans of Stuart Murphy's MathStart series, despite its pointedly pedagogical purpose. John Peters
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company (January 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807531634
• ISBN-13: 978-0807531631
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,187,711 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic math, February 3, 2010

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Great Math Tattle Battle (Hardcover)

This book is about a boy named Harley. Everyone in his school says that he tattles a lot. One day a girl came into the class who was a bigger tattle tale and was better at math. One day, the class had to pair up with the person next to them. Read the book to see what happened at the end.