Missing Math: A Number Mystery [Hardcover]

Loreen Leedy (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2008 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

In Missing Math, the numbers all over town suddenly disappear. The animals can’t count, use the phone, or even find out what time it is. Rulers, money, and computers have all become completely useless. . . . Can the town’s detective solve this numerical mystery? Will he ever bring the numbers back home again? Loreen Leedy’s clever rhyming text PLUS her amusing digitally painted illustrations EQUALS proof that we need math each and every day.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2—Imagine a world without numbers. Madly trying to replace them, but to no avail, two-dimensional, wide-eyed, nattily dressed animals cavort on brightly colored pages, conversing in rhyme about how pervasive and needed numbers are. Adding, subtracting, scoring games-neither winners nor losers can be chosen in sporting matches and elections. Money has no value, and the questions and confusions about postage, addresses, calendars, time, age, library-book due dates, telephone numbers, computers, calculators, heights, and weights grow. The story concludes with the culprit revealing himself—a numbers thief, armed with a vacuum, sucking up all of the numerals in his attempt to make the longest number to reach infinity. The animals celebrate once the numbers have been returned. Yet, the library books are overdue, and the judge offers a punishment that will seem illogical to readers. Still, children will enjoy locating the hidden numbers and brainstorming the countless ways numbers are important in their world.—Marian Creamer, Children's Literature Alive, Portland, OR
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

When a town’s numbers suddenly disappear, the residents discover how much they depend on numerals in their everyday lives. A detective investigates the mystery, hoping to restore numbers to their proper places on chalkboards, scoreboards, rulers, TV remotes, speed-limit signs, clocks, calendars, cookbooks, calculators, and computers, to name a few. After the detective solves the case, the dials on the thief’s patent-pending number vacuum reverse the machine’s flow and the numbers return to the rightful places. Teeming with action and details, the large-scale, digitally painted illustrations feature zany, dressed-animal characters. While the scenes are busy with action and detail, they offers bits of comic byplay that will keep children engaged in the story, which is told in rhymed couplets. From the author/illustrator of Subtraction Action (2000) and It’s Probably Penny (2007), here’s another colorful picture book with ties to the math curriculum. Grades K-2. --Carolyn Phelan

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Marshall Cavendish Childrens Books (April 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761453857
• ISBN-13: 978-0761453857
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 10.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #482,032 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 so on. The characters and story lines help put the subject matter into a meaningful context for young readers.

After growing up mostly in Delaware, I moved to central Florida a couple of decades ago, 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 pines in the breeze, the screeching of sandhill cranes flying overhead, and the chattering of many small birds that come and go as they please.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fun survey of the importance of math to everyday living., September 7, 2008

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Missing Math: A Number Mystery (Hardcover)

Loreen Leedy's MISSING MATH: A NUMBER MYSTERY tells of a fun mystery in which the numbers all over town suddenly vanish. The animals can't use the phone or even tell time: even computers are useless. Can the town's detective solve this numbers mystery? Kids receive a rhyming text along with a fun survey of the importance of math to everyday living.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Book, April 5, 2009

By 

F. Berger "fb14" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Missing Math: A Number Mystery (Hardcover)

A very clever book! My three-year-old grand-daughter is not ready for it yet, but we will try again this summer.

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Math book for 1st week of school!, June 9, 2008

By 

TeacherMommy "dhoge_2000" (pearland, texas United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Missing Math: A Number Mystery (Hardcover)

This book is another great one from Loreen Leedy. It would be wonderful to read to primary kids/students the first day or week of school to emphasize the importance of math and why we need it. It will honestly help some kids who ask or think--"what's in in for me". Get this book today because the other book that I use for showing why math is valuable in our everyday lives (A Day With No Math) is no longer available.