From Library Journal
Grade 2-4-Carlos figures out how much water it takes to fill his fishbowl after he puts in gravel, a castle, and plants. The writing is breezy and reads like a story about a boy who wants a pet, but the text constantly reinforces the mathematical concepts (how many cups in a pint, a quart, etc.). The illustrations are painted in muted primary colors against a lot of white space. Suggested ways for adults to follow up on the concepts with estimation, cooking, and shopping activities are included. A list of several additional titles that present similar concepts is appended. A fun, painless math lesson.
Christine A. Moesch, Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, NY Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Kirkus Reviews
PLB 0-06-027621-5 paper 0-06-446724-4 Room For Ripley (32 pp.; $15.95; PLB $15.89; paper $4.95; Sept. 30; 0-06-027620-7; PLB 0-06-027621-5; paper 0-06- 446724-4) Murphy (see review, above) ably conveys the role of volume in measurement for this MathStart entry, but the story he uses as a vehicle is dull. Carlos wants to buy a fish, which he has named Ripley, from the local pet shop. His sister Ana helps him prepare a home for the guppy by filling a gallon fishbowl with cups of water, all 16 of them. The insipid text isn't helped by the pictures; while Wickstrom does a good job using a pyramid format to illustrate liquid measurement, her characters's features are frozen and without expression. More interesting for readers will be to deploy the tips at the end of the book intended to enhance their understanding of capacity, e.g., estimating volume and comparing the liquid amounts in various containers. (Picture book. 7-9) --
Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
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