Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi (A Math Adventure) [Hardcover]

Cindy Neuschwander (Author), Wayne Geehan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2004 | Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: A Math Adventure

When Sir Cumference drinks a potion which turns him into a dragon, his son Radius searches for the magic number known as pi which will restore him to his former shape.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Author: Cindy Neuschwander Cindy Neuschwander is a mathematics educational specialist. A native Californian, Cindy has lived all over the world. She received a B.A. in International Studies and an M.A. in Education at Stanford University. She currently teaches third grade. Cindy was inspired to write Sir Cumference while living and traveling in England. Besides the Sir Cumference series, Cindy is the author of Amanda Bean's Amazing Dream, 88 Pounds of Tomatoes, The Chocolate Champs. Cindy lives in California with her husband and two sons. Illustrator: Wayne Geehan Wayne Geehan, a graduate of the Art Institute of Boston, has been illustrating books, board games, and jigsaw puzzles for over 20 years. When he isn't painting in his Massachusetts studio, he enjoys being with his family, reading, and researching his family's genealogy.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing (February 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570911665
• ISBN-13: 978-1570911668
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 8.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #857,299 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Cindy Neuschwander is a mathematics educational specialist. A native Californian, Cindy has lived all over the world. She received a B.A. in International Studies and an M.A. in Education at Stanford University. She currently teaches third grade. Cindy was inspired to write Sir Cumference while living and traveling in England. Besides the Sir Cumference series, Cindy is the author of Amanda Bean's Amazing Dream, 88 Pounds of Tomatoes, The Chocolate Champs.

Cindy lives in California with her husband and two sons.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Intro to Pi, March 28, 2002

By 

Doug Little and Anthony Huffman (Ames, IA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi (A Math Adventure) (Paperback)

Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi is the story of a boy that must use math to save his father. Most of the character's names are terms found in math, like Sir Cumference and Radius, which cleverly adds to the effect of the story. The use of a dragon gives the story more of a fantasy feel which appeals to the younger audience. The illustrations in the book are done well and add to the medieval setting of the book because they look like oil paintings. The goal of this book is to introduce kids to the concept of pi in a fun and easy to understand way. It pulls this off by having a fairy tale setting and actually having a reason to use pi that kids can understand. This book is not a quick read, yet it's not long enough to lose the attention of a child. Even though this is a children's book, it should only be used for older children since it involves division with fractions. Because of this, it works as a great educational tool for those older children by introducing them to a fundamental math term they will most likely use later in life.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful way to remember pi, January 24, 2007

By 

Shannon "jfaction" (Lafayette, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi (A Math Adventure) (Hardcover)

I feel the age range given on the website should not be ages 4-8. This is appropriate for 8 and up. That said, my 5 year old enjoys it as just a fairy tale and I would not attempt any "teaching" to him. He listens as I read it to my older daughters and maybe it will seep in so when he's old enough to begin measuring, he will easily grasp the concepts.

This is a wonderful book - good illustrations and a clever story. The author works the math part in without it being cumbersome. A few times through this book and your child will have a good grasp of pi. At the least, it will be a good memory trigger if he/she needs help in class.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for Middle School kids, April 10, 2005

By 

paulabear (Lexington, KY USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi (A Math Adventure) (Paperback)

I have use this book in my middle school classroom. The kids enjoy it. Yes, it is silly but heck so are middle school kids! Since reading the book and discussing it, the kids have a much better understanding of what pi really is, instead of just saying about 3.14.