Polar Bear Math: Learning About Fractions from Klondike and Snow [Hardcover]

Ann Whitehead Nagda (Author), Cindy Bickel (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up

That night Cindy took the tiny cubs home with her. She didn't sleep at all-she was too busy feeding milk to the twins, cleaning them, and checking on every little cry.
When dawn came, the small bears were still clinging to life.

Children learn about fractions while following the Denver Zoo's baby polar bears, Klondike and Snow

Early one morning at the Denver Zoo, a polar bear gives birth to two tiny babies, then abandons them.

The zoo staff must raise the babies, but there are many things they don't know. What foods are best? How much should the cubs eat? Once they figure out the answers, the cubs quickly become healthy, happy young bears.

Young readers follow Klondike and Snow as they grow from fragile newborns to large, lively bears, and along the way they'll learn about fractions.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-5–Following the lives of two cubs that were born at the Denver Zoo and abandoned by their mother, this book provides information about polar bears and fractions. Right-hand pages tell the story of Snow and Klondike, with excellent, full-color photos showing how zoo personnel raised them from newborns until their first birthday. On each left-hand page, a lesson on fractions incorporates data about the animals. The explanations, which combine text with pictographs, are clear and well formulated. The first lesson, for example, defines fractions and their parts, and compares the one-third of polar bear mothers that have twins with the two-thirds that have single births. Other lessons deal with preparing formula for the cubs, milk consumption, hours in a day, and polar bear weight. Although this title would be helpful as reinforcement for youngsters who have had some prior exposure to these concepts, those unfamiliar with fractions are unlikelyto grasp the ideas without some adult guidance. However, readers can appreciate Snow and Klondike's interesting history without reading the other sections. This thoroughly enjoyable offering has many worthwhile features, and teachers and children alike can make good use of it. Lesley A. DuTemple's Polar Bears (Lerner, 1997) provides more details about these animals, while David A. Adler's Fraction Fun (Holiday, 1996) teaches the basic principles in a slightly less technical way than Nagda and Bickel's volume.–Lynda Ritterman, Atco Elementary School, Waterford, NJ
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 3-5. Like Nagda's Tiger Math (2000), this book has dual texts and purposes. Illustrated with color photos, the right-hand pages present the story of two polar bear cubs, Klondike and Snow, who were born in the Denver Zoo, abandoned by their mother, raised by zoo staff until their first birthday, and sent to their new home at SeaWorld. On the left-hand pages are mathematical expressions of fractions in graphs, charts, and formulas, as well as explanations of how to interpret the visuals. These math pages, which may be difficult for students with little knowledge of fractions, demonstrate aspects of the bears' care, such as the proportion of their allotted formula drunk at each feeding, the hours each day spent at the zoo hospital and at keepers' homes, and a comparison of the bears' weights. Though teachers may find ways to relate the math concepts to the curriculum, it's the narrative and appealing color photos that will hold children. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); 1st edition (August 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805073019
• ISBN-13: 978-0805073010
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #546,070 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic New Teaching Tool, October 20, 2004

By 

Erika Sorocco (Southern California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Polar Bear Math: Learning About Fractions from Klondike and Snow (Hardcover)

One early morning, a polar bear gives birth to two little polar bear cubs at the Denver Zoo. The two babies, later named Klondike and Snow, are both cold and weak, and poor little Klondike has a cut on his head. The Mother soon abandons both babies, leaving the zoo staff to raise the cubs on their own. However, it is not as easy as it looks, for the staff are confused about many things, such as what foods will give them the nutrients they need, and how much they should eat. However, once learned, the staff quickly turn the cubs into healthy young bears who swim and play on their own. Now it's your turn, for you are going to learn fractions as you follow the zoo's staff on their quest to raise Klondike and Snow from cubs to full-grown bears.

I have been an avid fan of Klondike and Snow since I first heard about them a few years ago. Their journey from cub-dom into adult-hood has always intrigued me, so when I came across POLAR BEAR MATH, I knew that I just had to have it. Children will be happy to learn fractions, as at the same time they will have the chance to see how a group of zoo-workers raise abandoned animals, while at the same time be treated to marvelous photographs of the bears at play. This is a wonderful new learning tool that will please everyone. Teachers, adults, and children alike.

Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ploar Bear Math, April 1, 2009

By 

T. Darling (Reno, Nevada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Polar Bear Math: Learning About Fractions from Klondike and Snow (Paperback)

I am a second grade teacher. This book had great picts and storyline, but the fractions became overwhelming-this is appropriate for the end of third to fourth grade.

5.0 out of 5 stars A GREAT WAY TO GET CHILDREN'S INTEREST, November 26, 2006

By 

Susan Stern "readbetter" (Long Island, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Polar Bear Math: Learning About Fractions from Klondike and Snow (Hardcover)

I just love this book! As a reading teacher, I am constantly looking for books to read to and with my students in grades three,four,and five. My third grade students absolutely love bears and can't read enough about them. I am going to read and discuss this book with them regarding the subject of bears, connecting it to what they already know. Then I will work with their classroom teachers on fractions using the charts in the book. I purchased every book in the series and can't wait to use them.

The trick is to find out what interests the children and then adapt all lessons to the theme. I use animals to teach about the continents, map skills, reading, writing, science, and math. I am going to use the Tiger book next and read Mother to Tigers aloud to them. I also have the students read the Magic Tree House Books that match the animals of the various continents. Douglas Florian's poetry books about animals also bring a fun element to the lessons.

My struggling readers often turn out to be the best readers in their class!