From School Library Journal
Grade 1-4-T.J., a Siberian tiger cub born at the Denver Zoo, is orphaned when he is only a few weeks old. The veterinary staff raises him, feeding him by hand until he is able to eat on his own and be returned to the tiger exhibit. The story is accompanied by graphs on facing pages that chart T.J.'s growth, successfully showing math in "real world" terms. The first charts show how few Siberian tigers remain in the wild and in captivity, helping to establish the importance of saving this one. The doctors need to know how much the young animal eats and how much weight he gains in order to make sure he is healthy. Easy-to-understand picture, pie or circle, bar, or line graphs, all with explanations, appear on the left; facing pages of text and clear full-color photographs are on the right. The photos and story portray T.J. as cuddly and friendly, playing hide-and-seek with his human keepers and pouncing on them for fun. However, since few children will have the opportunity to interact with a tiger cub, the safety concern is minimal. Overall, an innovative approach to teaching math.
Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Gr. 3-6. T. J., a Siberian tiger cub, is born at the Denver Zoo. Ten weeks later, the death of his mother puts his survival in question. The narrative follows the little tiger through the difficult months ahead. The text is paired with four different types of graphs (picture, circle, bar, and line) that display information such as the numbers and types of tigers in the wild, T. J.'s food consumption, and his weight compared with that of his father at the same age. The introduction advises readers to read the tiger's story on the right-hand pages and look at the graphs on the left-hand pages to "learn more and see exactly how T. J. grew." However, those who skip the introduction may find it a little confusing that the text appears to skip pages and that the graphs on the left are not always directly related to the information on the facing page. Also, the use of a tiger-striped background in many of the graphs is visually confusing. Still, T. J.'s tale and the accompanying color photographs may appeal to children, and this is one of the few trade books available to supplement classroom units on graphing. REVWR
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
