The King's Commissioners (A Marilyn Burns Brainy Day Book) [Hardcover]

Aileen Friedman (Author), Susan Guevara (Illustrator)

Book Description

A delightful beginning for those learning the concepts of counting, addition, and the place value system encourages children to have fun while learning important math skills.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Guevara's (Chato's Kitchen, reviewed Feb. 2) zany, off-center paintings provide the chief point of interest in this Marilyn Burns Brainy Day book about a crew of numbskull number-crunchers. An addle-pated king has lost track of his various commissioners, what with separate functionaries in charge of Spilt Milk, Mismatched Socks, Wrong Turns, etc. So he and the Royal Advisors plan to convene the commissioners and count them. But the First Royal Advisor counts in groups of twos, the Second Royal Advisor counts by fives and the capable little Princess counts by tens, leaving the King more confused than ever. A long afterword to parents and teachers explains that the book aims "to stimulate children to think about the place value structure of our number system." While the text certainly functions as an animated introduction to mathematics and the illustrations almost burst with comic moments, the story itself is a limp one. Ages 6-9.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4?A confused king has appointed a commissioner to handle every problem in the kingdom from flat tires to chicken pox. Now he has no idea how many commissioners there are, and he orders his royal advisors to gather and count them as they walk through the door. The first advisor counts by twos, the second by fives, and the little princess by tens. Of course, they all arrive at the same answer. The king is utterly perplexed, but his daughter clears up the mystery and readers learn the value of multiplication. Guevara combines cartoon and primitive styles to create zany, exaggerated, brightly colored illustrations?the perfect complement to the silly story. The portrayal of the simpleminded king is especially amusing. The story is appropriate for whole-language units, home-schooling, or for anyone who wants to show the fun and useful role of math in everyday life. Ruby Dee's Two Ways to Count to Ten (Holt, 1990) and Kay Chorao's Number One Number Fun (Holiday, 1995) present math concepts for younger children in a story format.?Heide Piehler, Shorewood Public Library, WI
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 26 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic (March 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590489895
• ISBN-13: 978-0590489898
• Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #533,778 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A King's Review, June 9, 2000

By 

Anne Fiorita - See all my reviews

This review is from: The King's Commissioners (A Marilyn Burns Brainy Day Book) (Hardcover)

The king has struck again. He has created havoc in his kingdom by creating too many commissioners. He has commissioners for foul balls, rainy days,and counting to name a few. The time comes when he must count how many commissioners he has. He calls on his counting commissioners who begin the long task. His daughter the princess helps count as well. Each person counts a different way to please the King but he can only follow the logic of one. That person is....... buy the book! This book is a great read for many ages and can be used in and out of school.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fun Mathematics Concept Book, November 16, 2006

By 

AMGrumm (Suburbia, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The King's Commissioners (A Marilyn Burns Brainy Day Book) (Hardcover)

Ideal for third grade. Useful for introducing manipulatives or multiplication.

The King has so many commissioners he sets out to count them. Many distractions cause him to lose his concentration until his young daughter shows him a more effective way to count.

Young listeners may be prompted to count the multiples when tally marks are grouped in twos and fives. Further, the princess-to-be arranges the commissioners in rows to illustrate her point.

A great illustration of mathematical reasoning.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a wonderful math literature book for young children, June 9, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The King's Commissioners (A Marilyn Burns Brainy Day Book) (Hardcover)

This book is a great book for younger children in first grade. It goes threw the math concept of regrouping. The children love the story line and also the illustrations. It makes a great read aloud in the classroom.