Book Review of Mammoth Math: Everything you need to know about numbers by David Macaulay

 

1.      Bibliography

Macaulay, D. 2022. Mammoth math: Everything you need to know about numbers. DK Publishing. ISBN: 9780744056112.

2.      Plot Summary

In this book we look at different math concepts for children.  We have information on counting to map scales and these concepts connect to real-world scenarios.  The lovable mammoth and elephant shrews keep children hooked while learning valuable information.  There is a nice reference page on the back to help students have a base for some of the concepts talked about in the book.

3.      Critical Analysis

Macaulay goes through many math concepts for children, from counting to multiplication, from tally marks to collecting data.  There are no sources cited but we do have a reference section in the back of the book with charts and tables on multiplication, fractions, and geometry.  Macaulay has made many other books in math and science and awards such as the Caldecott Medal and Honor Awards, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, the Christopher Award, an American Institute of Architects Medal, and the Washington Post Children’s Book Guild Nonfiction Award. The book has a table of contents with seven main headings: Count on it, number know-how, puzzling patters and super sequences, maps, maneuvers, and movements, stupendous shapes, how much, how big, how long, and finally discovering data.  In those main headings you will find many different subheadings under them that goes into details about the different concepts of the main heading.  The sequence is predictable, going from an easier math concept to a more challenging one. The illustrations in the book are inviting and humorous because you have math concepts being told to you by mammoths and their friends the elephant shrews.  They are teaching the concept in a real-world example that will make children want to go and explore.  The way Macaulay explains the concepts you can tell he is passionate about math.  The vocabulary used is accurate and appropriate for the content.

4.      Review Excerpt(s)

"[T]he information in the volume is instantly digestible and absolutely unforgettable, and that’s saying something." –School Library Journal, Starred Review

5.      Connections

*I would challenge the students to pick one page from the book and make another real-world example that they might use the math concept in the future.

*I would have the students compare this book to the other books that Macaulay has written to see similarities and differences.