Measuring Penny [Paperback]

Loreen Leedy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2000 | Age Range: 7 - 9 years | Lexile Measure: 500L (What's this?)

Lisa has an important homework assignment--to measure something in several different ways. She has to use standard units like inches and nonstandard units like paper clips to find out height, width, length, weight, volume, temperature, and time. Lisa decides to measure her dog, Penny, and finds out ...

Penny's nose = 1 inch long
Penny's tail = 1 dog biscuit long
Penny's paw print = 3 centimeters wide

... and that's only the beginning! Lisa learns a lot about her dog and about measuring, and even has fun doing it.

This clear and engaging concept book, delivered with a sense of humor, is certain to win over the most reluctant mathematician.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4?Leedy offers another winning math-concept book. Lisa has a homework assignment to measure something in as many ways as she can, using standard and nonstandard units. "Use your imagination!" is the last instruction the teacher gives the students. Lisa chooses her Boston terrier and the fun begins. She measures Penny and a variety of other dogs. In the process, readers learn that Penny's nose is one inch long. Her tail is one biscuit long. She is bigger than a pug, smaller than a cocker spaniel, and weighs about the same as a Shetland Sheepdog. Lisa measures how much her pet eats, how high she jumps, how much time it takes to care for her, how much money is invested in her, how fast Penny runs, and a variety of other doggie traits. The results are shared with readers through charts, graphs, and reports. Large, uncluttered earth-toned pastel acrylics create a pleasing look in this clever concept book. Readers have the opportunity to learn about measuring as well as glean a lot of information about keeping a canine. A great introduction to the subject, and one that tells a good story, too.?Jane Claes, T. J. Lee Elementary School, Irving, TX
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 2^-4. With several successful informational picture books already to her credit, including Mission Addition and Postcards from Pluto (1993), Leedy turns her attention to a subject children frequently have difficulty understanding: measurement. In this creative introduction, she takes a look at various kinds of measurement (height, weight, volume, even time and temperature) and units of measure, presenting them as part of a scenario in which a young girl, Lisa, uses her dog, Penny, to help her complete her measuring assignment for class. Crisp, carefully captioned pictures, including many easy-to-grasp visual comparisons, spread across large-size pages, making the book easy to use with a small group. Leedy goes into the most detail about height and length, demonstrating, in the illustrations and through a chart, the relationship between inches, feet, and yards. She's more general with other measures, sticking largely to introducing units of measurement (for example, tablespoon, teaspoon, second, minute), and leaving the rest up to grown-ups to explain. One of the best parts of the book is her treatment of nonstandard units, which is both fun and informative: Penny's tail is one dog biscuit long, but it takes 10 biscuits to measure the tail of a greyhound. Leedy also introduces children to the more abstract concept of value: "We decided Penny is kind of expensive . . . but she's worth it," which adults can explain further in follow-up discussions. The book is perfect for classroom use, but it's also not much of a stretch to imagine children at home whipping out measuring devices and cornering their pets. Stephanie Zvirin --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 7 - 9 years
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Square Fish; 2 Reprint edition (September 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9780805065725
• ISBN-13: 978-0805065725
• ASIN: 0805065725
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 9 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #42,924 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I've been writing and illustrating picture books for children for over twenty-five years. Though I majored in art in college, at the time I wasn't sure what kind of artist to be. Fortunately, it turned out that combining words and art to create picture books was a perfect career for me. Most of my books center around a particular topic such as fractions, the solar system, writing, and other math, science, and language arts curriculum content. The characters and story lines help to put the subject matter into a meaningful context for young readers.

After growing up mostly in Delaware, I moved to central Florida in the mid 1980s and currently live with my husband Andy on a three acre property with hawks, herons, and horses (the horses live next door.) We love the rustle of the pine needles in the breeze, the screeching of sandhill cranes flying overhead, and the chattering of many small birds that come and go as they please.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A homework assignment that is fun and exciting! September 19, 1999

By [e-mail]

Format:Hardcover

This engaging book teaches the difference between standard and non-standard measurement. Lisa and Penny, her dog take us on a measuring adventure for a homework assignment. A classic for explaining such a difficult concept! My 2nd and 3rd graders loved it! A sure-fire way to invite and excite!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars I loved this"making measuring fun" book. July 30, 1998

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

It was so exciting to find a book that focused on making math and measuring fun. What fun it is for kids to relate learning with their everyday surroundings. Children almost always have access to dogs in their house or neighborhood. After reading this book, my students voluntarily measured their dogs and everyday household items. They were learning and having fun at the same time thanks to Penny, the Boston Terrier.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for teaching measuring! June 29, 2004

By "giginicole"

Format:Hardcover

I used this book with my kindergarteners and they adored it! They already knew Penny from the book about maps so they were excited to listen to a Penny book in math. We used it as our starting point to get an overview on measurement and then went back to specific sections of the book to learn about each type of measurement. When Lisa used herself as a measuring tool, the students used their bodies as measuring tools. When Lisa used dog biscuits to measure Penny, we measured things in the room with dog biscuits. There are so many ways to do the things that Lisa does in the classroom and bring this book, and measuring, alive!