Customer Reviews

Splitting the Herd: A Corral of Odds and Evens

5 star:		(3)
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Reviewed by: Gayle Jacobson-Huset

I absolutely adored the storyline in this cute picture book! Part of Millbrook Press' MATH IS FUN series, this book teaches ages 5-8 all about odd/even numbers in a fun way. Miss Emma's cows like to visit Cowboy Kirby's yard. Since all cows look alike, he suggests to Emma that they line up all the cows in a row. He counts them and gives Emma the even-numbered cows and he takes the odd-numbered cows. As the story progresses, the reader will see the math mistake Kirby makes as the cows go back and forth and his herd grows smaller. There's a fun "second" story going on here in addition to the math lesson. You'll just have to read this book to discover the fun ending. I give this book a high five for the clever storyline and rhyming text author Trudy Harris does to perfection plus the adorable illustrations created by Russell Julian.

My 5 year old son loves this book! We borrowed it from the bookmobile and he was so sad when we returned it that we had to buy one. He is in preschool now and already knows about odd and even numbers. It has made math fun and he adds and subtracts the cows for me too. It is a must-have for your preschool/ kindergartner's library.

"Splitting the Herd: A Corral of Odds and Evens" is a rollicking read about the cunning cows of Cowboy Kirby and Miss Emma, two hapless ranchers whose cattle herds seem determined to mingle and confuse their owners. Settling the differences by counting odds and evens, dividing by two, and eating a piece of cake together to further discuss the idea seems the best solution to the fence-eluding cows. Humorous, whimsical illustrations of sneaky cows moving back and forth in the moonlight provide lots of extra giggles. In the end, "Splitting the Herd" provides the perfect solution to a comical number problem, with lots of entertainment on the way. "Splitting the Herd" is well aimed for elementary ages.