1+1=5: and Other Unlikely Additions [Hardcover]

David LaRochelle (Author), Brenda Sexton (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 7, 2010 | Age Range: 5 and up

How much is 1+1? Think the answer is 2? Not always, as this playful approach to addition proves! David LaRochelle takes children on a joyful mathematical journey that will engage their minds and teach them to think about numbers in a creative, outside-the-box way.
Brenda Sexton's wild and wacky illustrations add layers of witty fun to LaRochelle's clever game.

These wacky equations don't add up…or DO THEY?
1 goat + 1 unicorn = 3 horns!
1 set of triplets + 1 set of twins = 5 babies!
1 duet + 1 quartet = 6 musicians!
1 ant + 1 spider = 14 legs!
1 century + 1 decade = 110 years!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

K-Gr 2–This clever concept book asks children to take a fresh look at simple addition. Are there times when one plus one can equal three and not two? Yes–if you add one unicorn and one goat, you get three horns. Can one plus one ever equal five? Yes, because when you add one set of triplets and one set of twins, you get five babies. After sharing the numerous examples provided, children can be asked to stretch their imaginations and come up with their own quirky equations. Sexton's brightly colored digitally rendered cartoonlike illustrations are not only cheerful and attractive, but they also provide subtle clues. For example, in the one plus one equals three problem, the unicorn and the goat are seated in the library, one reading a book on mythical beasts, one reading a book on barnyard buddies. The horns are obscured by the equation itself, and are then revealed on the next page. Observant children will enjoy playing detective. The book can be read independently but would also be fun to share with a group. A great way to encourage outside-the-box thinking.Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ
© Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From Booklist

Starting with the title, this lively picture book offers fun math puzzles. Questions on each right-hand page present the puzzles with clues, while the answers appear with a turn of the page. How can 1 + 1 = 7? Flip the page and discover that 1 triangle and 1 square equals 7 sides. The bright, clear digital artwork illustrates the answers so that kids can easily count along. This is not for the youngest children, and it may confuse beginners just learning to count. But for students with a grasp of basic math, this provides lots of enjoyable exercises. They might start with easier examples, such as 1 + 1 = 10 (1 left foot + 1 right foot = 10 toes) before moving on to the more difficult physics: 1 + 1 = 1 (1 a.m. + 1 p.m. = 1 day). Some spreads touch on biology facts, too: 1 ant + 1 spider = 14 legs. And sports: 1 basketball team + 1 hockey team = 11 players. As in Stuart Murphy’s MathStart books, the engaging situations will make kids count and think. Grades K-3. --Hazel Rochman

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Product Details

• Age Range: 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Sterling (September 7, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402759959
• ISBN-13: 978-1402759956
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 0.5 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #272,254 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David LaRochelle has been writing and illustrating books since 1988. His books have won numerous awards, including the Sid Fleischman Humor Award, the SCBWI Golden Kite Honor Award, and the Minnesota Book Award.

A former elementary school teacher, David enjoys solving puzzles, playing board games, and carving creative pumpkins, which you can view at his website www.davidlarochelle.com .

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Very, very, very, very good! August 12, 2010

By Lisa Barker

Format:Hardcover

Absolutely unique and a hit with my finicky second grade reader (he's very suspicious of picture books; they can be too babyish). At first he snorted with disdain. 1+1=5?? But the title and cover intrigued him and he started to read. Then he got hooked. He says it's very, very, very, very good! I say it's very clever and fun and a perfectly fresh idea that's a welcome read.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Amusing Arithmetic October 29, 2010

By Lois M

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought this book for a nine-year old greatgrandson. I thought it was imaginative and very cleverly illustrated. It will help make him umnderstand that things are not always as they seem.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous intro to sets! February 17, 2011

By Travis Ann Sherman VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

A quirky, funny and gorgeously illustrated treatment of --surprise!-- set theory! 1 + 1 = 5?!! Everyone knows it's two, that's dumb! But on the first page we see a bright illustration of two cheerful animals reading in a library (one is reading a book on mythical beasts and the other on barnyard buddies, hint, hint.) Turn the page and we see that 1 unicorn + 1 goat = 3 horns! And so it goes, each example partly a surprise, partly a joke, always a guessing game, and a fantastically fun and subtle intro into the concept of sets. A great addition (ha ha) to my library collection of fun math picture books.